(Albany, Georgia) Despite the recent impact of COVID-19 on virtually every facet of life at the present time, the new leadership team at Thrush Aircraft recorded a very strong first quarter as the first three months of the new year drew to a close. In addition, Thrush added additional staffing and capabilities during this time to support further growth in the year ahead
“Naturally, our first thoughts are with our teammates here at our factory, our community in Albany, and the entire agricultural industry, as we all deal with the COVID-19 situation together” said Mark McDonald, chief executive officer of Thrush Aircraft. “And in light of recent events related to the crisis, this bit of good news seemed very much worth sharing, as I believe all of us could use a bright spot right about now” he continued.
As the first quarter of the new year comes to an end, Thrush has more than doubled the number of team members in production services at the factory – while adding some critical new hires on the sales and support sides as well. These include: Mike Rutledge as Director of Sales for North America, Bryan Amador as Sales Representative for Central America, Steve Jocelyn as Vice President of Manufacturing, and Sherrie Wallace as Sales Administrator.
In addition, Kevin Pierce has been promoted to Director of Services and is now overseeing a new customer support team that will transform the way Thrush supports its customers in the field, while Manager of Flight Operations, Terry Humphrey, continues to lead the company’s flight department. The company has also tripled the size of its engineering department which will greatly enhance updates and certification capabilities.
“Doubling employment levels here at Thrush was a goal from the very start” said Mr. McDonald. “And, thanks to a strong order book, we were able to do so quite quickly” he added.
The company’s 2020 order book so far includes some 17 aircraft for both spray and firefighting operations, including Thrush 510P’s, 510G’s and 710P’s destined for customers in the United States, Canada and overseas. Several of these aircraft are expected to be delivered over the next 30 days.
“Despite the challenges every new organization experiences, our sales, support and production teams here in Albany and around the world have more than risen to the occasion, and I could not be more proud of all they’ve accomplished – nor more excited about all that is to come” said Mr. McDonald. “Our immediate challenge of course is the current COVID-19 crisis. But I’m convinced we have the right people and the right mind-set to deal with the challenge, and to help others do so as well. Working together, all of us as a nation and as global population will prevail” he concluded.
