Focus Will Be On Sales, Marketing, And Customer Support
Randy Groom (pictured, right), an experienced senior executive
and prominent aviation professional with more than 36 years of
leadership roles in general aviation, is the new Executive Vice
President of Piper Aircraft, Inc. He will report to Piper President
& CEO Kevin J. Gould. In making the announcement Thursday,
Gould said that Piper selected Groom, 56, after an extensive search
to find just the right fit to continue building and expanding
Piper`s market share across all model lines and to take Piper`s
customer experience to new levels of performance.
"Randy`s extensive experience and superb track record in General
Aviation are the credentials that we looked for in filling this
strategic position," said Gould. "Randy knows the business from
both sides of the aisle. As a seasoned corporate executive and a
professional with extensive dealership experience, he has the
breadth of knowledge and experience that are vital to Piper`s
growth strategy. Perhaps most important, we want our customers to
know that Randy's addition to the team is further evidence of our
commitment to providing them industry-leading customer
support."
Groom said his decision to join Piper centered on a number of
key factors, including the company's legacy, its commitment to
recruiting and maintaining a committed and talented management and
engineering team and Piper's strong financial stability resulting
from its recent acquisition by Imprimis. Imprimis - a corporate
finance and investment management firm that operates from its
offices in Singapore and Brunei Darussalam - acquired Piper last
year.
"One of the main reasons I was attracted to Piper is because I
love their products and really believe they are the right aircraft
for these times," said Groom. "No other General Aviation
manufacturer has such a comprehensive lineup of single-engine
aircraft in every class, ranging from a great looking LSA
PiperSport clear up to the very cool and affordable Meridian
turboprop. We also have the trusted and respected Seminole and
Seneca V workhorse twins. And I can't wait to get involved with the
PiperJet, which will provide our customers with truly breakthrough
performance, comfort and efficiency."
Groom comes to Piper from Groom Aviation, LLC - a company he
founded and that has worked with a wide variety of General Aviation
businesses. At Groom Aviation, he and his team provided customers
both strategic and tactical guidance to make the most out of
existing markets and to uncover new markets to maximize business
performance.
Groom's extensive experience includes senior executive positions
with Hawker Beechcraft Corp. (formerly Raytheon Aircraft Company),
where he held positions of increasing responsibility, including
President of Global Customer Service and Support and President of
Beechcraft. On the dealer side, Groom held several senior sales and
executive positions with Piedmont Hawthorne Aviation, Inc. - a
longtime Beach dealer - culminating in his appointment as Senior
Vice President after serving as Vice President of Aircraft Sales
and in other management positions for Piedmont Hawthorn
Aviation/Piedmont Aviation Services.
A graduate of Oklahoma State University, where he earned his
B.S. and an M.B.A. in Marketing, Groom is an instrument-rated
commercial pilot and has logged more than 10,000 accident-free
hours in his 40 years of flying - 18 of those years as an aircraft
owner. Groom worked his way through university as a flight
instructor and charter pilot and was the youngest flight instructor
for the U.S. Air Force at age 19.