DANIEL LAFRANCE RETIRES FROM PROFESSIONAL AVIATION ASSOCIATES
Professional Aviation Associates, a Greenwich AeroGroup company, announced that Vice President and General Manager Daniel Lafrance has decided to retire.
Lafrance has held his current position since December 2018, after spending over nine years as vice president of sales and marketing at Greenwich AeroGroup, the parent company of Professional Aviation Associates. Prior to that, he served as an aviation consultant after his departure from Bombardier Aerospace, where he spent 21 years, ending in the position of vice president of service sales and marketing.
Daniel Lafrance
“For over a decade, Daniel has been a cornerstone of our success and growth,” said Jim Ziegler, vice chairman of Greenwich AeroGroup. “From his leadership at Greenwich AeroGroup to his pivotal role at Professional Aviation Associates, Daniel has exemplified dedication, strategic vision, and a deep commitment to our values. His contributions have left an indelible mark on our organization, and we wish him nothing but the best in his well-deserved retirement.”
In conjunction with Lafrance’s retirement, Professional Aviation is pleased to announce the appointment of Greg Goodner as senior director – site manager for the Atlanta-based company. Greg brings more than 20 years of aerospace and aviation leadership experience to his new role, most recently serving as director of business relations for Perfekta Inc., a Verus Aerospace company.
Greg Goodner
Prior to Perfekta, Greg held various leadership roles including executive vice president of operations at Global Parts/VSE Aviation, and manager of spares and components service sales at Bombardier Aerospace. His extensive experience in strategic management, operations, and customer relations makes him a valuable addition to the Professional Aviation team. In his new role, Greg will oversee the daily operations of the Atlanta site, focusing on enhancing customer service, operational efficiency, and strategic growth for Professional Aviation Associates.
PROFESSIONAL AVIATION ASSOCIATES FLIES THROUGH KEY AUDIT VIRTUALLY AND WITH NO FINDINGS
Professional Aviation Associates, a Greenwich AeroGroup company, recently passed its annual audit to renew its ISO 9001:2015, AS9120B certificate with flying colors. The ICT Audit under IAF MD 4:2018 was once again executed remotely, considering COVID-19, and generated zero findings.
“It takes a village to prepare for an audit,” said Hibo Linares, director of quality for Professional Aviation Associates. “We have a long checklist of things that we have to ensure are up to date and our employees have to equally be prepared and grasp the importance to the organization of successfully completing the audit.”
“Professional Aviation has one of the best QMS programs I have seen. I have audited over 200 companies and this team is in the top 10%,” said Wyndie Meyer, director of certification services and operational performance for the Aviation Suppliers Association and ASA Certification Body. “The management team is completely engaged in the state of the QMS, customer satisfaction and interested party requirements. Every employee interviewed was very eager and supportive of the audit process. They are the exact definition of a team!”
This was the third remote annual review for Professional Aviation Associates. The two-day process included interviews, and numerous emails and documents sent back and forth as objective proof.
PROFESSIONAL AVIATION ASSOCIATES RECEIVES PARKER STRATOFLEX HOSE SHOP RECERTIFICATION
Professional Aviation Associates, a Greenwich AeroGroup company, recently completed its audit to continue operating as an authorized fabricator of Stratoflex aircraft hose assemblies.
The audit was conducted virtually and completed with no findings. Twenty-three documents passed with supporting data, including the Hose Shop Quality Management System.
“Our hose fabrication shop is a vital part of our business,” said Daniel Lafrance, vice president and general manager for Professional Aviation Associates. “I am extremely proud of our team for continuously upholding the exacting standards set forth by Parker Aerospace. This re-certification is a testament to our commitment to provide our customers with the best quality hoses for their aircraft.”
Professional Aviation Associates have maintained a strong relationship with Parker Aerospace as an authorized aircraft hose fabricator for more than 25 years. The company fabricates an average of more than 10,000 aircraft hoses annually and distributes kits and assemblies worldwide for a variety of airframes including Piper, Cessna, Learjet, King Air, Beech 1900, Beech Baron, Hawker, Bonanza, Bell Helicopters, and more.
PROFESSIONAL AVIATION ASSOCIATES FILLS REGIONAL SALES MANAGER POSITION
Professional
Aviation Associates, a Greenwich AeroGroup company, announced today that Rob
Burch has joined its team as a Regional Sales Manager.
In his
new role, Mr. Burch works with customers in the Northeast and Southwest
regions, and is responsible for the facilitation, building and maintaining of
customer relationships.
Mr. Burch is a highly accomplished sales
professional with 15 years of experience in the aviation industry. He has
demonstrated effective sales and revenue growth by continually leveraging his
experience and knowledge to add value in new and existing customer
relationships.
Prior
to coming to Professional Aviation Associates, Mr. Burch was a Sales Associate
for Global Parts.aero, and most recently served as Director of Sales for
Avgroup Inc.
PROFESSIONAL AVIATION ANNOUNCES NEW DISTRIBUTORSHIP FOR ALLPROTECT PRODUCT
Professional Aviation Associates, a Greenwich AeroGroup
company, announced today that it is now a distributor for ALLProtect, a
protective covering product from Colorado-based SurfaceLiner+.
ALLProtect provides temporary, padded and non-slip surface protection
for floors, stairs, sidewalls, bulkheads,
galleys, wing leading edges, cabin windows, cockpit windshields, painted
surfaces and other aircraft surfaces. It easily cuts to size and
is reusable.
“We strive to offer customers products that can
improve safety, efficiency and the quality of their work,” said Vice President
and General Manager for Professional Aviation Associates Daniel Lafrance.
“ALLProtect is an exciting addition; it meets and exceeds the high-quality
standards our customers expect from us.”
This protective covering is ideal for long and
short-term applications. The polyethylene adhesive backing creates a liquid
barrier against spills, which allows for vertical applications without
additional tape. It remains non-slip when wet or greasy.
"We're thrilled to partner with Professional Aviation Associates,” said Director of Sales for SurfaceLiner+ Mary Altman. “Its worldwide distribution network and expertise on a wide range of products will provide the opportunity to effectively introduce a higher level of safety and protection to professionals with ALLProtect.”
Professional Aviation Associates offer ALLProtect in original gray for heavy traffic areas and vertical applications. They also offer bright red for enhanced visibility and safety for sensitive areas of the aircraft as well as white see-through protection for cabin windows and cockpit windshields. All products are available in various roll sizes, and the original gray is available in perforated rolls.
PROFESSIONAL AVIATION ASSOCIATES COMPLETES KEY AUDIT VIRTUALLY AND WITH NO FINDINGS
Professional
Aviation Associates, a Greenwich AeroGroup company, announced today that it has
passed its annual audit to renew its ISO 9001:2015,
AS9120B certificate. The ICT Audit under IAF MD 4:2018 was executed remotely in light of COVID-19 travel and social distance
restrictions.
“Our
entire team works diligently to always comply with our Quality Management System,” said Professional Aviation Associate’s
Vice President and General Manager Daniel Lafrance. “From tight adherence to
documented procedures to continuous internal audits and improvement processes,
our drive to deliver high quality to our customers clearly demonstrates our pride
of ownership, every day.”
It was also a first-time virtual audit for the
Aviation Suppliers Association’s (ASA) auditor Gregg Farr who completed the
two-day long review from his home in Ohio in coordination with Professional
Aviation’s Director of Quality Hibo Linares. Farr has been a contract auditor
for all three aerospace standards since 2003.
“Professional
Aviation Associates were ready,” Farr said. “Their group had done a lot of
capture paperwork the week before the actual audit. Hibo was excellent to work
with and he did a great job leading his team and communicating with me
throughout the audit process.”
The audit was completed without a single finding,
marking the second year PAA has passed its annual review
without findings.
PROFESSIONAL AVIATION RETAINS NATIONAL AIRWAYS CORPORATION AS A DISTRIBUTOR
Professional Aviation Associates, a Greenwich AeroGroup company, has signed National Airways Corporation (NAC), the largest general aviation company in Africa as a distributor for the company.
NAC will continue distributing all types of parts and consumable supplies, but now with a specific focus on the Beechcraft 1900, King Air and Embraer 120 parts for Professional Aviation Associates. Inventory from Professional Aviation Associates is already on-hand at NAC. The new inventory combined with NAC’s existing stock will optimize AOG and non-routine parts support in the region and reduce shipping expenses for customers.
“We are delighted to add NAC as a new distributor,” said Daniel Lafrance, vice president and general manager for Professional Aviation Associates. “NAC is a well-established company that has been serving a broad range of general aviation customers since 1946. They have an excellent reputation for customer service, and we are excited to work with them to better support the needs of our Beechcraft 1900, Embraer 120 and King Air customers in Africa.”
“We are honored that the leadership team at Professional Aviation Associates recognizes our strengths and has appointed us to represent them in Africa,” said JP Fourie, executive director aircraft for NAC. “We are convinced of their superior abilities and service and we look forward to working closely with Professional Aviation Associates to achieve their success in our region.”
NAC will distribute Professional Aviation’s inventory items from its facility at Lanseria International Airport in Johannesburg, South Africa.
PROFESSIONAL AVIATION ASSOCIATES ADDS TO ITS SALES TEAM
Professional Aviation Associates, a Greenwich AeroGroup company, announced recently that it has added a Regional Sales Manager to its Sales team.
Aria Bahawdory joins PAA as the new Regional Sales Manager. In this role, he will focus on building and growing relationships with both new and existing customers.
Mr. Bahawdory has extensive experience in aviation B2B sales and marketing, including 18 years of combined business aviation sales and corporate aviation experience as a commercial pilot and operations manager.
Before coming to Professional Aviation Associates, Bahawdory acted as Flight Operations Coordinator at Imagine Air Jet Services and played multiple roles at Jet-IFE including Marketing and Sales Consultant, Technical Support Specialist and manager of the company’s financial and operations business. Most recently, he served as the Fleet/Charter Regional Account Manager for FDS Avionics Corp. where he developed and maintained business relationships as well as marketing output for commercial and charter operations.
Mr. Bahawdory earned his Associate degree in aviation management from Lenior Community College and his Bachelor of Science in management and organizational development from Mount Olive College. Additionally, he served in the United States Navy for four years.
VETERAN GREENWICH AEROGROUP EXECUTIVE TO LEAD PROFESSIONAL AVIATION ASSOCIATES
Greenwich AeroGroup announced today that its Vice President of Sales and Marketing Daniel Lafrance has been appointed to the position of Vice President/General Manager of its subsidiary Professional Aviation Associates in Atlanta, Ga.
In his new role, Mr. Lafrance will provide overall leadership for the company’s parts distribution services and hose shop strategy as well as its operational and financial performance.
“Creating partnerships, building upon our achievements and delivering results are critical for our continued success,” said Chief Operating Officer for Greenwich AeroGroup Ralph Kunz. “Daniel’s leadership, his knowledge of the aerospace industry and his expertise in sales and marketing will strengthen our very capable team at Professional Aviation Associates. He will do a terrific job in his new role.”
Mr. Lafrance has served in the role as Vice President of Sales and Marketing for Greenwich AeroGroup since 2009. Prior to that, he served as an aviation consultant after his departure from Bombardier Aerospace where he spent 21 years ending in the position of Vice President of Service Sales and Marketing.
He begins his duties with Professional Aviation Associates effective immediately.
PROFESSIONAL AVIATION ASSOCIATES RECEIVES AS9120 CERTIFICATE
Professional Aviation Associates, a Greenwich AeroGroup company, announced today that it has been awarded AS9120:2016 Rev.B Quality Management Standards certification.
The AS9100/AS9120, the internationally adopted Quality Management System (QMS) for the Aerospace industry has changed in order to be aligned with ISO9001:2015 which Professional Aviation Associates has also achieved. The focus of the new standards is in the context of the organization, risk-based thinking and enhanced leadership responsibilities directed at improving quality and customer satisfaction.
“This approval demonstrates our commitment to a strong base of systems and procedures that ensure quality service to our customers,” said Vice President and General Manager of Professional Aviation Associates James Walker. “We made the decision to move forward and start the required ISO transition before the 2018 deadline and our team worked extremely hard to perform a full rework of our Quality Manual, Standard Operating Procedures, Forms and Work Instructions in order to meet the latest standards.”
