Continued customer demand driving hiring increase
West Star Aviation recently announced they have welcomed two new sales managers to their team. Steve Bates has been named Bombardier & Gulfstream Technical Sales manager and Wayne Sawyer has accepted the position as Northeast Regional Sales Manager. Both Steve and Wayne started their new positions in June 2015.
With nearly 40 years in the aviation industry, Steve has extensive experience in production, sales and management, and most recently, held the position of Chief Operating Officer at Emery Air, Inc. Steve holds an A&P Certificate and Private Pilot License and was one of the original members of the Bombardier Challenger Advisory Board for over ten years.
Wayne began his career as an A&P Mechanic and has gained knowledge of the aviation industry as an Inspector, Crew Chief and Chief Inspector. Wayne has been in the aviation industry for over 35 years and holds a Private Pilot’s license, A&P Certificate and Inspection Authorization Certificate.
“We continue to see an increased demand from customers with a variety of aircraft needs across the U.S.,” says Jim Swehla, Cofounder & Executive Vice President, West Star Aviation. “We are very fortunate to have found two experienced and talented professionals to join the West Star team and we are confident that Steve and Wayne will both be valuable assets to our customers.”
Based at West Star’s East Alton, IL (ALN) location, Steve will be working directly with the Challenger and Gulfstream sales and technical teams to provide support to current and potential customers. Steve can be contacted directly at (618) 258-8054 or sbates@wsa.aero.
In his new position as Northeast Regional Sales Manager, Wayne will be responsible for sales activities for the Northeast Region as well as maintaining and building new customer relationships. Wayne can be contacted directly at (618) 610-8852 or wsawyer@wsa.aero.
Voted #1 Preferred MRO in Professional Pilot magazine’s annual “Preferences Regarding Aviation Services and Equipment” (PRASE) Survey for two consecutive years, West Star Aviation, Inc. specializes in the repair and maintenance of airframes, windows, and engines, as well as major modifications, avionics installation and repair, interior refurbishment, surplus avionics sales, accessory services, paint and parts.
In addition to its facilities in East Alton, IL; Grand Junction, CO; and Columbia, SC. West Star Aviation runs the maintenance operations at Aspen-Pitkin County Airport in Aspen, CO, Spirit of St. Louis Airport in Chesterfield, MO, and Chicago Executive Airport in Chicago, IL. The company also provides complete FBO services for transient aircraft at its newly remodeled East Alton and Grand Junction facilities. West Star Aviation, Inc. is an industry leader in technical experience and expertise while providing world-class customer services in all the organization’s divisions. For more information visit http://www.weststaraviation.com or call 800-922-2421.
