Avionics News January 2012 - 49

“The aviation industry fascinates me. It has a good
business climate, and most people are impeccable. I have learned that if you take good care of customers, you should be able to do pretty well for yourself.”
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John Goode

began his own climb up the corporate ladder, working at a variety of companies in increasingly important positions. The climb included a stint at an X-ray and ultrasound company, followed by a flexible packaging company. For his next job, he relocated to Los Angeles where he worked as vice president and controller for a shooting sport company. It was there that Goode met an important mentor, Harry Bottle, who had worked for Warren Buffet and played a crucial role in turning companies around. Goode also earned his MBA from the executive program at Pepperdine. Goode was working for Downey Glass Co. in Commerce, Calif., when Bottle called and asked him to work at K&W Products, another Berkshire Hathaway company, based in Bloomington, Ind. Later, Goode and his father bought the company from Berkshire Hathaway and sold it within four years. “I did well, but when I sold the company, I was left with five acres of land with 50,000 square feet of buildings,” Goode said. He started looking for a new company to buy and found MSP Aviation. MSP Aviation was founded in 1943 in Marion, Ind., primarily to manufacture tachometer adapters, instrument clamps and other components for commercial and general aviation. “I started talking to the seller after 9/11, and I bought the company and moved it to the present location,” he said. “During the last eight years, we’ve grown 800 percent, added product lines, expanded our machining capability and expanded into the

defense business, making high-precision components.” In 2005, Goode moved from Indiana back to California to be closer to business contacts in the aviation and defense industries. The following year, he hired someone to run MSP while he took over as president of AP Labs in San Diego. He continued to commute to Bloomington, however, for the next six years. From AP Labs, Goode led the creation of AP Avionics, a division that worked with Aircell to produce the Gogo network. He also worked with a company called Row 44, which produced in-flight entertainment systems for Southwest. In 2010, he sold AP. Then, Goode made a decision that many around him questioned. “The people in San Diego thought I was nuts, but I decided to move back to Indiana to run MSP,” he said. The decision even surprised him. “Normally, I come into a company, buy it, grow it and sell it within four or five years,” he said. “I joke that my MSP business card is the oldest one I have.” Part of the attraction is his desire to continue to grow the company. One of Goode’s reasons for his loyalty to MSP is a familiar one to many. He enjoys the aviation industry. “The aviation industry fascinates me,” he said. “It has a
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Avionics News January 2012

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Avionics News January 2012