NATA Industry Awards Continued from page 33 SAFETY 1ST CERTIFIED LINE SERVICE PROFESSIONAL AWARD: Henry Graves Technician and Shift Leader at APP Jet Center in Manassas, Virginia and couldn’t believe he’d been nominated, much less won, the Safety 1st H Certified Line Service Professional Award, which recognizes the achievements of certified line service professionals demonstrating their posi- tive impact on safety, service and business success. It wasn’t that he didn’t feel worthy of the honor, just that he hadn’t realized such an award even existed. “It’s kind of funny to get an award for just doing what you’re supposed to be doing in the first place,” Graves says. “So, to get recognized for it like this is a surprise. I guess because I’m the type that goes out and is willing to do everything, people respect that. There’s no job that I wouldn’t do myself that I would tell somebody else to do.” When Graves says he does it all, he means it. His career began at Washington Dulles International, first as a baggage handler and later as a line technician with Piedmont Hawthorne, enry Graves works as a Line before moving out to Manassas and APP Jet Center, where he has now worked for 15 years. “I do ground service, customer service, fuel- ing, all the average line type stuff, but what I really enjoy most is training new hires,” Graves explains. “I take pride in giving people the proper training and showing them the correct way to do things. That’s the biggest thing for me.” Graves may downplay his achievements, but Quinn Redden, General Manager for APP Jet Center Manassas, was effusive in his praise. “Henry Graves is a true line service profes- sional,” writes Redden. “His work ethic, integrity and industry knowledge are second to none, and he is amazingly reliable. While Henry’s talent and positive attitude are exemplary, he truly shines in training line technicians. He is dedicated to taking our new hires under his wing and instilling in them the mindset and ability to operate safely, efficiently and professionally. Henry’s knack for training and the example he sets with his vigilance, attitude and consistency sets the highest bar in our industry.” Graves, however, brushes off such talk and says he takes great pride in being part of a cohesive team. “I really enjoy working here because everyone’s on the same page, and we all really enjoy working with the customers, seeing them come in happy and leave happy,” Graves adds. “We like to know what the customer needs before they do, and we really focus on customer service. That’s our main number one goal, to provide the best customer service we can. We’ll do whatever it takes to make the customer happy. It’s not just me but the whole team, which is another reason this award comes as a surprise. We have a lot of guys that go above and beyond; and it’s noticed.” Aviation Business Journal | 2nd Quarter 2018 35
