With international offices in Mexico City and Sao Paulo, Brazil, the days when AvAir consisted of two employees working out of a tiny rented office in Chandler seems like a lifetime ago for Mike Bianco, president of the aviation aftermarket company he helped launch in 2000.
AvAIr CEO Robert Ellis (right) hired Mike Bianco right out of high school. Bianco has worked his way up to president of the growing airplane aftermarket parts business. Photo Credit: Nick Oza
With international offices in Mexico City and Sao Paulo, Brazil, the days when AvAir consisted of two employees working out of a tiny rented office in Chandler seems like a lifetime ago for Mike Bianco, president of the aviation aftermarket company he helped launch in 2000.
Since then, Bianco and AvAir founder and CEO Robert Ellis have moved their once-small business three times, each into a larger facility and all within a 1-square mile radius. In September, AvAir will move out of its current 60,000-square foot space and into a new one that spans 180,000-square feet, still within the original radius in Chandler.
“In 2000, we had one vendor and one customer when we bought and sold our first part,” Bianco recalled.
Now, AvAir’s inventory has more than 5 million aircraft parts ranging from seat belts to engines, and even whole planes. The company has more than 1,600 clients in 60 countries, Bianco said.
Purchasing brand new aircraft is a lot pricier than buying replacement parts, so — when combined with the constant need for convenient and efficient long-distance travel — the aviation aftermarket industry doesn’t easily succumb to the typical economic hardships that hamstring others.
Even in the wake of Sept. 11, 2001, AvAir didn’t feel a significant impact. It also fared well during the recent recession.
“You almost feel bad for being successful, but we started a good company in an industry that is really stable,” Bianco said.
A rebranding that kicked off with a new website this month is the first time the company has done advertising or marketing, he said. Satisfied customers’ word of mouth has fueled AvAir’s progression over the years.
For example, many airlines cannot afford to keep spare parts at their headquarters, so AvAir keeps a record for what parts airline clients most likely need at some point in the foreseeable future and keeps those in storage for them.
“Listening to the aches and pains of customers helped us figure out strategic ways to help them out,” Bianco said. “If you make customers happy, they’ll keep coming back to you.”
Flair Airlines CEO Jim Rogers has been a loyal customer ever since he purchased an engine for a Boeing 737 three years ago. The treatment he’s received over the years and the integrity with which AvAir and Bianco operate are among the reason he continues to deal with the company.
“It’s been a good experience working with them,” said Rogers, whose company is based in Kelowna, British Columbia, Canada. “They keep their part of the bargain, and I’ve had no complaints.”
Before launching AvAir, Ellis, a former stockbroker, held an executive position with another aviation aftermarket supplier. Liking the industry, Ellis decided to start his own company and hired Bianco, fresh out of high school, to be his right hand man at the age of 19.
At the time, Bianco knew nothing about the industry and relied on Ellis, who was a good family friend, to show him the ropes. Bianco proved to be a fast learner.
“I was like a lot of young people trying to find yourself in the world. Bob talked to me about this and it sounded really exciting,” Bianco said. “He taught me the business from the ground up.”
Bianco moved up through the ranks. Last year, he became president of AvAir.
Since 2000, AvAir has grown 30 percent each year, Bianco said. Their current building is 100 percent sustainable and at the time it was built was the site of the second largest commercial solar array in the city. The new facility will also put solar panels to use.
From day one, AvAir has made a conscious effort to hire young, enthusiastic sales staff to spread the word about the company. Their go-getter attitudes yielded positive results, and they were rewarded with opportunities to grow and move up, Bianco said. It also made it easy for them to deliver and subscribe to the same ethics and honesty on which the company was founded. Almost all current employees have been with AvAir since the early years.
“There’s never any substitute for hard work and all of our people are very passionate. We treat employees like family and create an environment that allows them to thrive,” Bianco said. “And it’s totally contagious.”
Having a slew of happy clients, however, has been valuable. Prospective or new customers are given references and encouraged to contact current AvAir clients. In an industry loaded with broken promises just to get customers to sign on the dotted line, Bianco said his company aims to rise above the fray.
He described a recent conversation with a longtime client who runs a small airline. The man was looking for something specific and called Bianco’s cell phone. Within minutes on that same call, Bianco was able to call his warehouse, confirm it had the part and send it off to the client.
“He said, ‘You guys are awesome,’ ” Bianco recalled. “For your customers to tell you that, there’s no better compliment.”
Georgann Yara, Special for the ABG|azcentral.com
7:38 a.m. MST April 17, 2014
