UTICA, N.Y. — JETNET’s new CEO has set some lofty goals for 2022 that will address the continued effects COVID-19 is having on the aviation industry and expand the company significantly through both product offerings and employees. Greg Fell joined the business aviation data provider at the beginning of December, coming from a technology background […]
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UTICA, N.Y. — JETNET’s new CEO has set some lofty goals for 2022 that will address the continued effects COVID-19 is having on the aviation industry and expand the company significantly through both product offerings and employees.
Greg Fell joined the business aviation data provider at the beginning of December, coming from a technology background he hopes to leverage to achieve his goals for JETNET.
“I know that playbook pretty well,” he says of his technology roots. He plans to use that experience to bring new technology offerings to JETNET. Next-generation technology like analytics and artificial intelligence all have a potential place at the company, he says.
Headquartered at 101 First St. in Utica, JETNET (www.jetnet.com) is a provider of aviation-market information on the worldwide business, commercial, and helicopter aircraft fleet and marketplace of more than 112,000 airframes.
JETNET’s core business is aviation intelligence delivered to aviation professionals around the world. This intelligence includes a constantly updated database of aircraft, tools to manage that database, and sales solutions to market aircraft. The company contends it offers comprehensive, user-friendly aircraft data via real-time internet access or regular updates.
Fell wants to take that core brand and build onto it with “new and exciting opportunities.” While he declined to provide specifics, “I think we’ll look for acquisitions,” he adds.
He plans to target specific products through these acquisitions. “Maybe weather data or other types of information,” he notes. The result will be a broader array of offerings for the company’s clientele which includes airports, fixed-base operations, aircraft manufacturers, airplane brokers, and aircraft maintenance.
The time is right to make this push, Fell says, because COVID changed the business-aviation landscape significantly since the spring of 2020. The pandemic’s influence on the number of commercial flights offered or on people willing to fly commercially has directly impacted business aviation. “Because of COVID, the number of flights flown has increased significantly,” he says.
As a result, the businesses that JETNET serves are at maximum capacity. Due to increased demand, prices are at a premium, which has driven increases in the company’s revenue. Fell declined to share revenue figures. However he offered up an aggressive goal of increasing revenue by 50 percent in 2022.
To help drive the expanded offerings and projected revenue increase, Fell says the company is also looking to hire more researchers. JETNET currently has about 65 researchers on staff and employs just under 100 people companywide.
“We’re hiring in Utica right now,” Fell says. While he declined to say how many new employees the company is looking to add, he noted that JETNET is also looking to attract candidates interested in working part time, as well as full time.
Fell himself fills a new position at the company as CEO — the first in its history.
“Greg is the right leader for JETNET at the right time,” company owner and President Tony Esposito announced in a December release. “This was an essential and momentous decision for us, and Greg’s extensive experience, values, and ethics helped us realize that he was the appropriate person to bring into the fold.”
“We are taking JETNET to the next level, and he has the background to do this,” stated Michele Husnay, general manager
Prior to joining JETNET, Fell most recently served as CEO for Display Social. He also previously worked as chief operating officer for Gama Aviation, where he led a growth phase for the company that saw it emerge as the nation’s largest Part 135 operator — provider of commercial, non-scheduled aircraft operations such as private air charter and air-taxi flights.
Fell also worked for the Ford Motor Company, where he led the transformation of all information technology operations across more than 40 international facilities and also built the global IT organization for Terex Corp.
A certified Six Sigma Champion, Fell serves on multiple boards and advisory councils across various industries including telecommunications, aviation, and oil and gas. He also practices as an industrial mentor for Columbia University.