ISTAT Jetrader - Spring 2021 - 12

PERSPECTIVES

he invested in me. I learned so much
from him.
Jetrader: Are there any
accomplishments you're especially
proud of since starting GA Telesis?
AM: We are in our 19th year, so there
are so many, but I will give you two.
The first relates to the wonderful
relationships I have forged over the
years with the folks in this industry.
The people in the sector are lovers of
all things aviation, so I have always
felt aligned with them. I often say this
industry is like the Hotel California.
" You can check out any time you like,
but you can never leave. " So, I have a
lot of longstanding friendships that I
truly value. The second relates to my
team. I work with the best and the
brightest minds, and these people have
been instrumental in both the success
of GA Telesis and me personally. I am
not a linear thinker, and I have been
fortunate enough to be able to surround
myself with a team of linear thinkers
who provide balance to my outside-thebox way of thinking. The greatest part
of it all: These people are some of my
best and closest friends.

we structure a deal like this versus
the conventional way? We won a lot
of deals on the basis of a nonlinear
approach. Early on, we did a deal
that was transformative. There was
a fleet of distressed 737-400s, and
we acquired them with the thought of
being the first to part-out the aircraft
model in scale, but also to have a
significant fleet of CFM56 engines that
we could part-out and also rebuild
to lease and trade. That deal put us
on the map, and the over $7 billion
in deals since then were all a part of
what has been an incredible journey.
Jetrader: GA Telesis has had many
different shareholders, with Tokyo
Century being the most recent
addition. How have they influenced
your business, both positively and
in terms of challenges?
AM: Our first institutional shareholder
was Merrill Lynch in 2007 and
ultimately Bank of America Merrill
Lynch in 2008. I had the pleasure of
having them as a shareholder for 11
years, and they were instrumental in
the early years of their investment
in helping me to institutionalize

many of the tools we needed to take
us to that next level. In 2018, they and
All Nippon Airlines TC bought out the
remaining shares of BAML, leading to a
new chapter in our evolution.
Jetrader: Now that TCC fully
owns Aviation Capital Group (ACG),
will you be working more closely
with them? Do you see any other
synergies with the TCC family
of companies?
AM: We have had a long-standing
relationship with ACG, and when Tokyo
Century made their initial investment,
the then CEO and I decided that we
would figure out how to take advantage
of the bounty of synergies between our
two companies. We do a lot of work
in helping ACG manage maintenance
cost on their vast fleet of aircraft. We
have also put forth a lot of customerfacing initiatives that create an
incredible value proposition for airlines
as it relates to fleet management and
transition. We are also able to tack
on engine and inventory leasing to
supplement an operator's needs when
transitioning to a new fleet type.

The people in the sector are lovers of all things aviation, so I
have always felt aligned with them. I often say this industry is like
the Hotel California. " You can check out any time you like, but you
can never leave. "
Jetrader: Are there any memorable
projects you've worked on over the
years that you can share, either at
GA Telesis or prior?
AM: For me, it is all about innovating
to separate yourself from others. I like
to ask, " What if? " a lot. What if we
do this, or what if we do that? What if
12

* T H E O F F I C I A L P U B L I C AT I O N O F I S TAT

the company in all areas. This was
incredibly helpful during the world
financial crisis and, in fact, we came
out of that crisis a better company. In
2012, Tokyo Century Corporation (TCC)
became a minority shareholder. TCC
was very engaged and involved in our
growth strategy, and they provided us

Jetrader: Let's talk about the role
ISTAT has played in your career.
What has your level of involvement
been, and what do you see as
ISTAT's role in the industry?
AM: I remember how proud I was when
asked to be a member of the ISTAT
Appraisers Board of Governors. It
ISTAT Jetrader - Spring 2021

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of ISTAT Jetrader - Spring 2021
