NATA Industry Excellence Awards Continued from page 25 talk through some challenges we’re all facing, and I think it was a great experience for everyone involved.” In addition to her role as Supervisor of Customer Service, Ross is a member of Pentastar’s Emergency Response Team and oversees the ERP call center. She said: “I want to be involved and for things to be the best they can be, so I tend to raise my hand for quite a few committees and other things, and, if I don’t, then I usually get nominated!” She also helps lead Pentastar’s internal charity initia- tives, including Operation Good Cheer, a project in asso- ciation with the Child and Family Services of Michigan to deliver Christmas gifts to children in foster care in the state. In December 2018, gifts for more than 6,000 infants, children, teenagers, and adults with disabilities were trucked into Pentastar’s hangars, gift-wrapped, then packed into aircraft for delivery around the state. “It’s a fantastic program that’s been going on for nearly 50 years, and I’m so honored to be involved in oversee- ing it,” Ross said. “Every child on the list receives three gifts, the first weekend in December. We sort them in the hangar, serve dinner to all the volunteers, and then, first thing on Saturday morning, we load them up and fly them to designated locations all across Michigan.” Ross believes the CSR Excellence Award is, above all, a recognition of her love of learning. “To me this job is about taking the time to learn, from our customers and from my colleagues here at Pentastar and throughout the NATA membership,” Ross said. “I’ve been at it for 30 years and I still learn something new every single day. I like to think this award represents my determination of helping us become who we are and be the best we can be. It’s mindboggling, but also very satisfying to learn that what we’re accomplishing here is being noticed industry-wide.” Pilot Training Award: Western Michigan University College of Aviation Western Michigan University College of Aviation—currently celebrating its 80th anniver- sary year—is the recipient of the Pilot Training Award. Enrollment has been increas- ing at the school, already one of the largest aviation programs in the nation. “My problem is I’m a parent,” said Captain Dave Powell, Dean of the College of Aviation. “I’ve got three kids of my own and 1,000 students, so now I’ve got 1,003 kids and I just want them all to go out and get good jobs.” He’s about to have even more on his hands: On May 10, the school had a groundbreaking ceremony for a new 67,000 square foot academic building at the W.K. Kellogg Airport in Battle Creek, Michigan that will add six new classrooms and a new research facility, and relocate the school’s Frasca flight simulators, adding two additional sims for a total of six. Powell says the new building, scheduled to open in Fall 2020, will allow the school to comfortably grow to serve 1,500-2,000 stu- dents in the coming years. The 14-month build project represents a $22 million partnership between Western Michigan University, picking up $7 million of the tab, and the state of Michigan covering the rest. “Growth is good, but only when you can ensure quality with it,” Powell said. “We’re really excited to be building our programs and our capacity with tremendous support from the university, the state, and our many industry partners. Five years ago, we made a really big deal about our history for our 75th anniversary. Our 80th has been all about looking forward and planning for the next 20 years to take us to 100. It’s good to keep your history in perspective as you’re looking toward the future.” 26 Aviation Business Journal | Summer 2019
