Ground Support Worldwide - 19

COVER STORY

But Kulzer didn't let challenges defeat him.
"You overcome it by not giving up. Not just
accepting it," he says. "I have a very hard time
giving up."
Challenges remain today - most notably
attracting the next generation of workers to
maintenance.
"Over the last few years, finding good people
is getting harder and harder. We are competing
with the auto dealers, auto shops, fleet owners,
etc., for a continually scarce resource," he says.
The world changes and aviation is no
exception.
When he started, Kulzer says airlines
had large GSE design engineering departments. Now they have a few just to check the
manufacturers.
Also, maintenance has gone from "running
it from the seat of your pants," to utilizing data
tracking, productivity and utilizing outside
organizations to perform the maintenance more
effectively and efficiently.
"This is a balance between insourcing
and outsourcing," Kulzer notes. "Both can be
efficient."
Kulzer is very proud of the work ELS has
done in terms of outsourced GSE maintenance.
"I once knew a guy that built a company
manufacturing hardware. He wanted to build
the best nuts and bolts in the industry. He did
not want to build buildings or fly airplanes. His
world was building the best hardware," Kulzer says. "That's what we, at ELS, are. We are
focused on providing the best GSE maintenance
support in the industry."
He has attempted to pass that pride in his
work on to others and is excited for people
like his successor Tyler Elgin to take what he's
established and build on it further.

"When a kid looks up at the sky to watch
an airplane fly overhead, he never imagines
the many pieces of equipment and people
that made that flight possible," Kulzer states.
"The airport does not move without ground
equipment. The airplane won't get into the air

without us. Yet, it is one of the least recognized
groups.
"Knowing all the men and women who
make each and every flight possible is now
what I see when I watch my grandkids looking
in awe at that plane overhead."

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A Lasting Impression
"I don't know anybody in our industry that's
had a greater impact than Dewey," Zarycki says
earnestly. "It's been an honor and a privilege to
work side-by-side with him."
Plenty has changed from the days when
Kulzer began working on Beach 99s and DC3s
with leftover tugs from World War II to today's
world of high-tech and electric GSE.
But throughout his career, working with
planes never lost its excitement.
Kulzer says working on vehicles and other
GSE allowed him to lead a great group of people
"while still being able to play with airplanes."

AviationPros.com/11651303

MAY 2019

AviationPros.com

19
http://www.itwgse.com/7400 http://www.AviationPros.com/11651303 http://www.AviationPros.com
Ground Support Worldwide

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