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PIPER AIRCRAFT BUILDS MOMENTUM AND EXPERTISE WITH NEW BOARD AND EXECUTIVE APPOINTMENTS

Written by thomas · Filed Under Aeronautics News 

October 13, 2009

thomas

Two New Appointments to the Board of Directors
And a New Chief Financial Officer Add Depth and Expertise

VERO BEACH, Fla., October, 8, 2009 — As part of Piper Aircraft’s continuing expansion and development of the company’s recently announced strategic growth plan, Imprimis Managing Partner Stephen W. Berger and Piper Chief Executive Officer Kevin J. Gould today announced the appointment of three new and experienced executives with wide ranging expertise in several key areas.

Berger and Gould announced that W. David Wilson, a senior executive with more than 30 years of experience with major U.S. companies and in Asia, is Piper’s new Chief Financial Officer, effective immediately.  At the same time, John Borghetti, a former 36-year executive with Qantas Airlines, and Michael Kolowich, a recognized pioneer and innovator with 35 years of experience in internet content, high-technology marketing, and application of digital video technology, are Piper’s two new additions to the five-person Board of Directors.

“We acquired Piper with an extensive plan to grow the company both in its existing domestic and international markets,” said Imprimis Managing Partner and Chairman of Piper‘s Board of Directors, Stephen W. Berger.  “At the same time, our plan has been to expand Piper’s position in newly emerging and existing General Aviation markets where it has been underrepresented, especially in Asia and the Pacific Rim.  The addition of these very capable and knowledgeable executives to the Piper team provides us with a depth of experience that will enable us to move forward quickly and effectively.”

Imprimis, a corporate finance and investment management firm that operates from offices in, Singapore and Brunei Darussalam, purchased Piper on May 1, 2009.  Since its acquisition, Imprimis has injected considerable resources into the company, enabling Piper to move forward significantly in several key areas, including market expansion, research and development and ramping up PiperJet development.

“We have been conducting a comprehensive search for the talent and expertise that will prove critical to our development and in taking Piper to the next level,” said Piper CEO Kevin J. Gould.  “With these appointments, we have positioned the company with the financial expertise to prosper in what is one of the world’s most competitive businesses and with sales, marketing and operational experience vital to our interests and strategic growth.

“Dave Wilson’s track record both in the U.S. and Australia, as well as in leading initiatives in Europe and Asia, will provide us with the fiscal proficiency necessary to achieve success across international boundaries as well as in our existing markets.  At the same time, John Borghetti’s impressive experience with Qantas, which included commercial operational responsibilities for the airline throughout all its markets – including Asia – will provide us with the advice and acumen we need to grow in those markets.  In tandem, Michael Kolowich’s vast experience in sales and marketing, and especially in pioneering use of the internet to take products to market, will give us invaluable insight in what we need to propel Piper to new levels of performance and vitality.”

Wilson joins Piper after serving most recently as Senior Vice President and Chief Financial Officer for PolyOne Corporation, headquartered in Cleveland, Ohio.  PolyOne, a $2.7 billion leading global provider of specialized polymer materials, services and solutions, was formed in September 2000 as a merger between The Geon Company and M.A. Hanna Company. The Geon Company, spun out of The BF Goodrich Company in 1993 through an initial public offering, was a leading vinyl polymer services and technology provider with operations in North America, England and Australia.  Wilson was Vice President and Chief Financial Officer at Geon, after serving in positions of increasing executive responsibility at both Geon and B.F. Goodrich in the U.S and Australia and leading marketing initiatives in Europe and Asia.

A graduate of DePauw University, with a bachelor’s degree in history, Wilson earned a Masters of International Management from the American (Thunderbird) Graduate School of International Management.   His appointment follows an extensive search for a CFO to provide leadership for Piper as it continues to grow in global markets. Wilson will direct Piper’s financial strategy as well as lead the company’s financial processes and will report directly to Gould.

Newly appointed board members, Borghetti and Kolowich, offer extensive executive expertise and diverse backgrounds that run the gamut from sales and marketing to internet capabilities and commercial aviation

Borghetti, former Executive General Manager for Qantas Airlines, currently serves as a Board Director for CARE Australia. Borghetti resides in Australia and joined Qantas in 1973. As Executive General Manager at Qantas, with revenue responsibilities of approximately $12 billion and staff of approximately 16,000 globally, Borghetti reported to the Group Chief Executive.  In that capacity, Borghetti had control of all commercial and major operational aspects of Qantas Airlines and QantasLink regional operations, including pilot and cabin crew staffing, sales, marketing, global brand management, customer service, product development, yield management, pricing, scheduling, capacity management and airline alliances. Borghetti’s educational background includes studies at Mitchell College in New South Wales, Manila University, the Australian Graduate School of Management (University of Sydney) and IMS Lausanne, Switzerland.

Kolowich, President and Executive Producer of DigiNovations, which he founded in 2001, was most recently the architect and producer of the video website for the Mitt Romney Presidential Campaign. During the 1990s Kolowich founded and/or led several important online content ventures, and was a visible force in the evolution of publishing on the internet as we know it today. In 1991, he founded Ziff-Davis Interactive, the first new media company born of a major publishing company.  Kolowich was also the founding publisher of PC/Computing, the Ziff-Davis magazine that in five years became the largest-circulation monthly computer magazine in America.  A graduate of Harvard College, with a bachelor’s degree in Engineering and Applied Physics, Kolowich also earned a Masters in Business Administration from Harvard Business School.   A resident of Boston, Mass., he is a commercial pilot and certified flight instructor.

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