Avionics News June 2013 - 76

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Brad Hayden of Aspen Avionics

with Ed King in the old King Radio
farm house. In fact, one of my earliest memories is Ed King buying
me a sandwich from one of the
vending machines in the cafeteria.
I also clearly remember sweeping
hangars as a teenager at my dad’s
avionics shop, Kings Avionics. My
uncle, Dave, my brother, Doug, and
my sister, Tia, are all in the avionics
industry.

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spen Avionics specializes in
bringing the most advanced
technology and capability from
the commercial and business aviation
markets into general aviation cockpits
– and budgets. Its products increase
situational awareness and reduce pilot workload, making it easier and
safer to fly in both visual flight rules
and instrument flight rules conditions.
Recently, Patricia Luebke, Avionics
News contributor, spoke with Brad
Hayden to learn more about his work
at Aspen Avionics.

I understand you come
from an avionics family.

Yes, it’s funny how my career has
come full circle, because I basically
grew up in the back of airplanes. My
father, Steve, worked at King Radio
before I was born and worked closely
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avionics news

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june

2013

With...

Tell me what you
do at Aspen.
I am vice president of marketing, so I run all of the
marketing programs and initiatives, including product
strategy, marketing communications, public relations and
advertising.

You have been at Aspen
since the launch of the
company, right?

I came to Aspen in January 2007,
so that makes me a very early
employee. I was brought in from
a career in high tech, and I came
to Aspen for the opportunity to
get back around airplanes. When
I joined, there were no affordable
glass-cockpit solutions for GA, and
it was a great opportunity to build
a brand in an emerging market. It’s
been rewarding to be a part of the
company and product definition.

How did you hear
about Aspen?

The office at my previous job overlooked San Francisco Bay, and I could
see airplanes on approach to SFO. After
a few years of watching that every day, I
realized how much I missed aviation. So
I started keeping my eye out for innovative aviation companies that could use
my skills. At that time, Aspen was looking for a marketing professional to brand
and launch the new company to the
market, so I jumped at the opportunity.

What’s a typical
day for you?

I spend a lot of time talking and a lot
of time listening. One of the great things
about Aspen is the ability to listen to
customers, make decisions and react to
the market quickly. So my team spends a
lot of time discussing what’s happening
in the industry and how it may impact
us. Then, it’s a matter of working on the
right marketing programs, product direction, pricing and creative.

What do you like best
about your job?

I like the startup culture and the ability to bounce between strategic thinking
and practical execution. My days involve
both creative thinking and getting my
hands dirty. I also enjoy the people in the
organization. Aspen has a great team,
and we’ve assembled a very effective
group of people who can think outside
the box, figure out the best way to
implement new ideas and deliver a differentiated message to the market.
I like doing things that may appear to
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Avionics News June 2013

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