July-August 2022 - 29

Neal Reagor, MBA
Commercial Director, Embraer Aircraft Maintenance Services
Neal Reagor said there isn't one specific experience
that led him into aviation, but he attributes
Age: 38
Hometown: Nolensville,
Tennessee
Alma Mater: Undergraduate
MTSU, Graduate Tennessee
Tech
Favorite hobby: Golf
Someone I look up to in the
industry: John Linn, retired
vice president of services
and support
Favorite thing about
aviation: How small such a
large industry feels
his career to a love of aviation and military history.
" My fascination has always been with history,
especially aviation's role in the World Wars. So, I
always liked airplanes. I love stopping at the Dayton
Air Force base in Ohio and seeing all the airplanes
in the museum, " Reagor said. " So, I thought, 'Well,
being a pilot or being around airplanes would be
an interesting career choice. "
After graduating from MTSU in 2007 with a
degree in Aerospace Maintenance Management,
Reagor quickly landed a job at Embraer Aircraft
Maintenance Services (EAMS). Reagor began his
career as an A&P mechanic, working for a year
before moving to the planning department and on
to more support and leadership roles at Embraer.
He would oversee the digital transformation of
their heavy maintenance, transforming maintenance
into a near-paperless process.
Today, he is the Commercial Director for Embraer
Aircraft Maintenance Services, in charge of sales
Patrick Reed
Flight Technician, Equus Capital
Age: 39
Hometown: Brookhaven,
Pennsylvania
Alma mater: Pennsylvania
College of Technology,
Williamsport, Pennsylvania.
Two master technician
certificates from
FlightSafety International
(one for the Dassault Falcon
2000 Ex Easy and one for
the Gulfstream G450).
Hobby: Woodworking
Someone I look up to:
Jeffrey Pinder
Favorite thing about
aviation: Different
challenges every day and
using different skillsets
A high school tennis coach introduced Patrick Reed
to aviation. When Reed said he didn't know what
he wanted to do after high school, his coach told
him he was going to be an airplane mechanic, an
occupation Reed hadn't considered. His father was
a diesel mechanic, and his mother was a teacher.
Reed liked the idea of working in aviation. He graduated
from Pennsylvania College of Technology
in Williamsport, Pennsylvania, with an associate
degree in 2003, a time when aviation jobs were
difficult to find. He had signed up for the four-year
program but was offered a job with Aero Ways
Inc. at New Castle Airport (ILG) in Delaware. The
company at the time had four Challenger 601s
and a Falcon 50. Reed worked for Aero Ways
for about five years and obtained his IA. When
XOJET moved into the hangar next door, Aero
Ways assisted XOJET and Reed was assigned to
help with line maintenance. As XOJET expanded,
Reed was offered a position working on Citation
Xs and Challenger 300s. He worked there a couple
of years until XOJET closed that location.
He then started working for Dassault Falcon Jet
as a line maintenance technician, worked his way
up to crew chief and was named rookie of the year.
" Out of the blue, " he got a phone call, which led to
him working for Tekloc Enterprises as director of
maintenance on a G450 for about five years. Once
that aircraft was sold, he began employment with
Exelon Corporation as a flight technician, where
he worked for about three and a half years.
Then, he got another unexpected call, which led
to him working as a flight technician on a Dassault
Falcon 900 for Equus Capital, and plans are underway
for Reed to become director of maintenance
when the current director retires.
" I just had a really blessed career, a lot of really
good opportunities, and it's been an awesome
journey so far, " he said.
A lot of people don't realize aviation maintenance
is an opportunity, he said. " It's such an interesting
career - every day is something different, " he said.
Reed and his wife have four children. All four want
to get their pilot's license and two have already
made their first flights.
www.AviationPros.com/21274025
and customer support. Reagor also has an MBA
from Tennessee Tech, which has helped him gain
insight into the financial management of the MRO
operation.
" Embraer Aircraft Maintenance Services is currently
a 14-bay aircraft maintenance operation.
" My team and I are in charge of filling those bays
with maintenance customers, " Reagor described.
" I'm in charge of maintenance sales for Embraer
Aircraft Maintenance Services and all the customer
support needs for my business unit. "
Reagor said his favorite thing about his job is interacting
with the people and customers they serve.
" The people, honestly, that's my favorite thing. It's
just meeting people in the industry, talking to them,
and helping them solve the complex issues that
arise in the airline world. I'm a big fan of sales and
the negotiation process. I love to negotiate and
talk and try to find a solution to a problem. I like it
when a customer has an issue they need help with,
and we can find a way to support them. Overall, I
really like working with customers, " he said.
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July-August 2022

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of July-August 2022
