CLEARWATER, Fla., July 7, 2011 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Avantair, Inc. (OTCBB:AAIR), the only publicly traded, stand-alone private aircraft operator and the leader of fractional aircraft ownership and flight hour time cards in the light jet cabin category, announced that Robert DeGrie has been hired as Vice President of Maintenance.
In his new role, DeGrie will be responsible for the Maintenance and Material Departments including Camarillo, Calif. (CMA), Clearwater/St. Petersburg, Fla. (PIE) and Dallas, Texas (DAL) locations for the FAR 135 and 145 certificates. DeGrie, who will report to Chief Operating Officer Kevin Beitzel, joins Avantair from Republic Airways, where he served as director, production control, maintenance planning and strategic planning. In addition to increasing aircraft utilization and performance while at Republic Airways, DeGrie managed dozens of employees performing functions affiliated with both line and heavy maintenance planning, production control and aircraft records for three different business units.
"Robert is a dynamic leader and team builder capable of facilitating change and moving others toward success," said Beitzel. "His strong history of meeting and exceeding project and company goals, as well as his attention to detail, make him an exciting addition, and we're thrilled to have him as part of the Avantair team."
DeGrie has more than two decades of experience in the airline industry, including tenures at Continental Airlines, Midway Airlines Corporation and Triad International Maintenance Corporation. While at Continental, DeGrie led the material planning surrounding the addition of the 777 to the fleet. He also created and monitored a five-year global inventory budget in excess of $870 million. At Midway Airlines, DeGrie authored maintenance planning policies, procedures and programs, including the maintenance program for the Airbus A320, which was quickly FAA approved, allowing the company to add the A320 to the operation specification three months ahead of schedule.
DeGrie recently obtained his Masters degree in Aviation Science from Everglades University, and he holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Aerospace Administration from Middle Tennessee State University. He also minored in Management and participated in the Air Force ROTC Leadership Lab during his undergraduate studies.
About Avantair
Avantair, the sole North American provider of fractional shares, flight time cards and Axis Lease in the Piaggio Avanti aircraft, and the only publicly traded, stand-alone private aircraft operator, is headquartered in Clearwater, Fla., with approximately 450 employees. The Company offers private travel solutions for individuals and businesses traveling within its service area, which includes the continental United States, Canada, the Caribbean and Mexico, at a fraction of the cost of whole aircraft ownership. The Company currently manages a fleet of 56 aircraft, with another 51 Piaggio Avanti aircraft on order through 2013. For more information about Avantair, please visit: www.avantair.com.
Forward Looking Statements
This press release may contain forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act, with respect to Avantair's future financial or business performance, strategies and expectations. Forward-looking statements are typically identified by words or phrases such as "trend," "potential," "opportunity," "pipeline," "believe," "comfortable," "expect," "anticipate," "current," "intention," "estimate," "position," "assume," "outlook," "continue," "remain," "maintain," "sustain," "seek," "achieve," and similar expressions, or future or conditional verbs such as "will," "would," "should," "could," "may" and similar expressions. Avantair cautions that forward-looking statements are subject to numerous assumptions, risks and uncertainties, which change over time. Forward-looking statements speak only as of the date they are made, and Avantair assumes no duty to and does not undertake to update forward-looking statements. Actual results could differ materially from those anticipated in forward-looking statements and future results could differ materially from historical performance.
In addition to factors previously disclosed in Avantair's filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) and those as may be identified elsewhere in this press release, the following factors, among others, could cause actual results to differ materially from forward-looking statements or historical performance: general economic and business conditions in the U.S. and abroad, changing interpretations of generally accepted accounting principles, changes in market acceptance of the company's products, inquiries and investigations and related litigation, fluctuations in customer demand, management of rapid growth, intensity of competition. The information set forth herein should be read in light of such risks. Avantair does not assume any obligation to update the information contained in this press release.
Avantair's filings with the SEC, accessible on the SEC's website at http://www.sec.gov, discuss these factors in more detail and identify additional factors that can affect forward-looking statements.