Jessica Reed is a writer and editor with AIN. She joined the team in the fall of 2023 after two years covering the aviation industry at Avionics International. She earned her bachelor&#039;s degree in English (Writing &amp; Rhetoric) from Pepperdine University. Her hometown is St. Louis, Missouri, and she since has resided in Santa Barbara, California, and Brooklyn, New York, among others. She is currently based in Philadelphia.

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Jessica Reed

Customer-centric organizational structures and relationship-building strategies are vital, according to a discussion between aviation industry executives yesterday afternoon at the 2025 JetNet iQ Summit in Washington, D.C. The panelists also made a point to acknowledge the significant workforce challenges that continue to impact the sector.
Featuring executives from Bombardier, GE Aerospace, Cirrus Aircraft, and Embraer Executive Jets, the discussion addressed key operational challenges including supply-chain disruptions, talent acquisition difficulties, and the evolving demands of business aviation customers in an increasingly complex marketplace.
Paul Sislian, executive v-p of Bombardier aftermarket services and strategy, outlined his company’s approach to organizational structure. “We want a customer-centric organization,” he stated. “Do the right thing, always make sure the customer’s in the center of all the conversations. Keep repeating that culture. Take all the decision-making power and bring it as close as possible to the guys that are actually working directly with customers.”
Todd Simmons, president of customer experience at Cirrus Aircraft, highlighted the company’s growth trajectory and infrastructure investments. “I was at Cirrus when there were less than 200 employees,” he explained. “Today, we’re approaching 3,000 [employees], delivering 15 to 16 airplanes a week, [and] two of those are jets,” Simmons said, noting the company’s strategic investments in facilities from Texas and Florida to Phoenix.
Simmons added that among the company’s customer base, 80 to 85% of aircraft are owner-flown, though this mix is shifting toward professional operation. “Our customers want real from us. They want authenticity,” Simmons said.
<h3>Building Customer Relationships</h3>
Justin Kral, an executive in business aviation customer support and services at GE Aerospace, stressed the importance of proactive relationship development. “[The customer] needs the next level of support," he commented. “How do you play in what we call the off-season? People don’t want to see us coming. How do we build those relationships?”
Stephen Friedrich, chief commercial officer of Embraer Executive Jets, connected employee experience to customer satisfaction. “A good customer experience starts with a good employee experience. With 2,000-plus aircraft in service right now, [we need to] ensure our people have the resources,” he said.
“Key for us right now is to focus on ensuring all our people know what they need to do and have the capability and capacity to meet those customer needs and get out there with them on a regular basis,” he added.
<h3>Communication and Cultural Development</h3>
The executives identified effective communication as fundamental to organizational success across multiple generations of employees. Friedrich advised against micromanaging: “I’m not going to tell you how to do your job. I’m going to give you the vision, tell you the results we expect, make sure you have resources to deliver.”
Sislian stressed the role of consistent messaging in cultural development. “Language creates the culture. It’s all about repetition, repeating the same messages, and behaving in a way that’s commensurate with the messages.”
Kral addressed the challenges of modern communication methods, noting that text and email-based communication “leaves it open for interpretation” and emphasized the importance of knowing when to escalate to direct conversation via phone or an in-person meeting.
<h3>Talent Acquisition Challenges</h3>
The panel revealed significant workforce challenges across the industry, with particular difficulties in technical positions. However, Friedrich reported substantial growth at Embraer: “Below 17,000 [employees] pre-pandemic. Today we’re at 23,000.” He said the company focuses on three key hiring criteria: capability, capacity, and character, with emphasis on customer-centric attitudes.
Customers, he explained, “haven’t just purchased a piece of equipment—they’ve purchased time. We look for that attitude and understanding as we’re hiring people.”
Simmons commented, “Post-Covid, we actually were probably hiring too fast as we grew. We had a higher turnover rate. We’ve gone slower to go faster, spending more time hiring, vetting.”
The availability of qualified technicians emerged as a particular concern. Kral noted the industry’s competition for talent. “Technicians are incredibly difficult to come by. We’re all picking from the same pool of candidates.” He also remarked, “A lot of the talent you get has typically been [employed] somewhere else. The question is, does that translate to business aviation?”
Friedrich highlighted broader competitive pressures for technical talent, citing competition from aerospace companies and even Disney World.
<h3>Remote Work and Operational Requirements</h3>
The executives expressed varied approaches to remote work policies, with most emphasizing the necessity of in-person presence for manufacturing and customer service roles. Friedrich stated that Embraer “never worked from home” during the pandemic as an essential business.
“You can’t fly planes from home; you can’t deliver from home. Customers want touchpoints. We are fully back in the office; that is the way we operate,” Simmons said.
GE Aerospace adopted a hybrid approach, with Kral explaining, “Three to four days a week, everyone at headquarters is in the office. We use the ability to work from home as almost a balancing factor.”
<h3>Supply Chain, Economic Pressures</h3>
The panel addressed ongoing supply chain challenges, with Simmons noting the impact of private equity investment on supplier dynamics. “The private equity transactions coming into our business are coming at a staggering pace, and it’s having a huge impact,” he said.
Kral described GE’s strategy of supply-chain investment, saying that the approach is to “invest in our own supply chain. Setting up parallel suppliers, secondary resources. You can’t control what’s outside of your network.”
Executives noted the ongoing uncertainty in trade policy as another significant challenge for long-term business planning and supply chain management. Panel moderator John King of Solairus Aviation commented that the “fundamental problem with tariff business [is] when will it all be settled? Nobody knows the answer. Doing business in an uncertain environment, you’re constantly having to respond to external forces.”
<h3>Don't Let AI Dilute Customer Relations</h3>
Regarding artificial intelligence implementation, the executives expressed cautious optimism while emphasizing the continued importance of human interaction. Kral described AI as “incredibly fast for customer support” and mentioned GE Aerospace’s internal AI platform, Wingmate, but cautioned against over-reliance on automated systems.
Friedrich emphasized AI’s role as a supplementary tool. “You can’t allow an AI interface to disassociate you from the customer. AI is a tool. That’s all it is. It should not replace the interface you have with the customer.”

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