Avionics News December 2015 - 35

talk to customers, how to do FAA
paperwork, and how to manage. It
was absolutely a great opportunity.
Steve opened a part of my mind I
didn't know I had and gave me the
confidence to run with it.
Back in 2013, we opened a maintenance shop under Kings Avionics,
and in January 2015, Apex Aviation
decided to become a large completion center. In July, Apex acquired
the assets of Kings Avionics in
Henderson, and Kings and Apex
would continue.
What is your
current position?
I was the facility manager at
Kings, and as part of the sale, they
wanted me to come on board as
avionics manager for Apex.
What is a typical day?
We have a morning meeting
with all the division managers and
get our goals for the day, but after
that it could be anything. We have
a lot of drop-in customers, people
who call for quotes and scheduled
work. Things changed with a phone
call. We work for helicopter tour
operators doing their certifications
off-site.
What do you like best
about your job?
I like the pace of it. One minute
I could be sitting in the office
completing a challenging FAA Form
337, and then I'll be in the hangar

troubleshooting an autopilot
problem. My work never becomes
repetitive.
I am serious about safety. I like
to tell people, "Keep yourself safe,
keep everybody else safe, keep
the airplanes safe, and let's make
money - in that order."

Do you and Reina
have any hobbies?
We live in Las Vegas and like to go see
a show or an event. We walk the dogs,
hang out with each other and go see
movies. I am also a huge NFL fan, and my
favorite team is the Detroit Lions. They
don't win often, but I still love them.

And life outside the office?
I met my wife at West Star
Aviation in 2007 where she worked
as an aircraft detailer and I was an
avionics tech. We moved in together after six months and have been
together ever since. We got married Oct. 11, 2013. We consider our
anniversary our first date. Her name
is Rosa, but she goes by Reina. In
2012, I suggested her as the person to answer phones for Kings
Avionics. She quickly learned all the
parts of an avionics office job - calling vendors, ordering parts, dealing with POs, creating invoices and
calling the customers for payment.
Now that she is with Apex, she is in
the parts room and working special
projects like assisting in creating
the company training program.

What do you see
for your future?
I would like to grow my avionics
department exponentially and get to
a place where we have two shifts and
weekend shifts to take better care of
customers without charging weekend
rates. I want to find avionics techs with
integrity, who show up on time, and
have a positive outlook for goals. We
can't train those things, and if they
do have those qualities, can they be
trained to handle all aspects of the job?
I want everybody to do what I do so I
can better run the department. I would
like to advance my career and expand
what I've learned and keep pushing for
the next step. If you don't teach the
next person to do your job, how will
you ever advance?
Being here at Henderson Executive
Airport is such a great advertisement. Las Vegas is right there, and
there's not a better city to be "stuck
in." What's great about this airport
is there is no hustle and bustle with
commercial flights. I am excited about
this company. q

What's it like
working together?
Honestly, I see her throughout
the day but we don't talk much
at work. We eat lunch together,
but customers are coming in and
the phone rings. I have to ask how
her day was when we get home
because I don't know.

To learn more about Apex Aviation,
visit apexaviationlv.com.
avionics news

december

2015

http://www.apexaviationlv.com

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Avionics News December 2015