april2022 - 42

CELEBRATING
Anniversary
A Shared History
How Global Ground Support's beginnings included GSE Today founder George Prill.
BY JOSH SMITH
I
n the February issue, we kicked
off our 30th anniversary celebration
by highlighting the evolution
of the magazine and its goal to serve
the industry. In that column we also
encouraged all of our readers and
industry friends to celebrate with us,
so we can highlight the people and
companies that make this segment of
the industry so unique.
Shortly after this call for stories, we
heard from representatives at Global
Ground Support and how their deicing
vehicle manufacturer's history was intertwined
with our own past here at Ground
Support Worldwide.
The common link between the two was
our magazine's founder George Prill.
" If it wasn't for George Prill, we wouldn't
be here, " Laurie Kyle, director of sales and
marketing at Global Ground Support, said.
Leonard Martin, a former director at
Air T, explained Prill was a board member
at Air T while also producing our publication
- then called GSE Today. According
to Martin, Air T was looking for an
opportunity to expand. At the same time,
Terex Crane was looking to discontinue its
Simon Aviation line of deicer vehicles. Prill
suggested Air T acquire Simon.
" We bought the deicing business from
them, " Martin recalled. " There was a
vacant building 100 yards up the road
from where they were. So, we just moved
the operation up the road and hired a
number of their people that were involved
with the deicing business that they were
going to lay off.
" That's the way that Global got started. "
Later, on Sept. 1, 1997, Simon Aviation
rebranded as Global Ground Support.
This acquisition was in line with Prill's
big picture vision for the ground support
equipment industry, according to Martin.
" George's philosophy was, we've got
42 || Ground Support Worldwide || April 2022
the big companies ... but the ground
equipment is splintered out into so many
pieces, " Martin recalled. " George got the
idea and decided to pull the GSE equipment
together. He started the GSE magazine
and started trade shows once a year
in Las Vegas so everybody could show
their own wares.
" Through that process, then we became
aware from the airline side, of a lot more
equipment and a lot more vendors, " he
continued. " He pulled that support equipment
piece together and it let you meet
and know all the people from all the airlines
that were responsible for that end of
the business. "
The ground support industry is tightknit,
and there are certainly more stories
like this one. Again, we encourage you
to help us celebrate our milestone year
by helping us reflect on the industry's
beginnings as well as looking ahead to
where the industry may take us over the
next 30 years.
Please stay in touch by emailing Josh@
AviationPros.com.
Global Ground Support
equipment was originally
produced under the Simon
Aviation brand. After being
acquired by Air T, the deicing
manufacturer changed its
name in September, 1997.
YEARS
april2022

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