Page 5 - Volume 10 Number 11

al Approach
Business and Aviation on His Own Terms
The second landing Jay Vierling made in his newly purchased King Air C90B was at Narsarsuaq Airport (BGBW) in Greenland during the winter. As he describes it, the runway was uphill as well as snow and ice covered, with fjords on the sides and the end of the runway. “When you announce your approach into Narsarsuaq, you must accomplish it; there are no missed approaches,” he explains in disbelief ... and
relief that he conquered it. “It was the most spectacular and terrifying place I’ve ever flown.”
You could say that Jay has taken an unconventional approach in many aspects of his life. His keen sense for investing in and building businesses, and the path taken to acquiring his King Air are examples.
Dedication and Innovative Ideas
Vierling was born and raised in Cincinnati, Ohio, and still lives in the area today. Graduating from the University of Cincinnati with a degree in Electrical Engineering, his passion was designing computer systems. Straight out of college he worked for a small tech firm that was bidding on a project for Reynolds and Reynolds (R and R), whose business is providing automobile dealerships with professional services and business forms. R and R wanted a computer system that allowed dealerships payroll, accounting, and sales and parts order activities, as well as a customer database encompassed all in one dealer located microprocessor. The company Vierling was employed with was competing against much larger companies such as Hewlett Packard, Intel and Texas Instruments. Vierling explains that he wasn’t in a titled position for his company, but was able to convince R and R that the little guys could deliver. His company was awarded the project, which was worth more than the company itself.
Soon after, R and R purchased the small company and Vierling left to start his own high-tech company – Computer Technology Corporation (CTC). He had
a non-compete agreement in commercial business with R and R, so he focused on factory automation computer systems. The business grew and sold through distributorships in the United States and Europe, and had strategic relationships in the Far East. Eighteen years later, Vierling sold the company to Parker Hannifin in Cleveland. He had signed a management agreement to stay on for three years, and after he fulfilled that requirement he left, again preferring smaller companies.
Vierling was interested in buying a small company and using the skills he had learned over the years to help it grow. He thought a good way to find one was to start a consulting company, AEV Capital, which he still has today. Although he grew a successful practice through CEO coaching, management team development and strategic planning, he never found a company he was interested in purchasing.
Then he started serving on a variety of corporate boards and that led him to discovering a steel company to buy in northern Kentucky named Skilcraft. Since he purchased it in 2004 and put a management team in place, the company has quadrupled in size, starting at only 30 people and now employing 120. Other companies have been developed under the Skilcraft banner; the one he is currently most focused on is in the aerospace division making jet engine parts. It has received the supplier of the year award from GE’s new prestigious
Greenland
BGBW
Iceland
BIKF
Canada CYYR KBRG
EGPC
United
Kingdom EGMD
Belgium France
LFLL
KDAY
America
The route that Vierling and his team made while bringing his newly purchased King Air back to the United States from Leon, France.
NOVEMBER 2016
KING AIR MAGAZINE • 3
n