Gretchen Jahn, who led Mooney Airplane Co.’s return to prominence in the last few years, resigned Oct. 1.
In a brief statement, the company said Jahn resigned to pursue other interests. Replacing her is Dennis Ferguson, an industry veteran.
“I have a passion for getting companies up and running,” Jahn said. “It has been exciting to participate in this process at Mooney.”
Jahn noted many of the goals achieved during her two years at the Kerrville, Texas-based company, including increasing deliveries from 36 in 2004 to 85 in 2005, increasing order backlog, revitalizing customer support, and introducing two new aircraft earlier this year, the Acclaim and the Ovation3, a 310-horsepower variant of its M20 design.
Ferguson, Mooney’s new CEO, brings a strong background in the aviation industry, as well as experience in transitioning a small entrepreneurial company into a significant force in the marketplace, said Steven E. Karol, chairman of the Mooney Aerospace Group Board of Directors. “Mooney is ready to take the next step in its revitalization, having improved its market share, operational efficiencies and brand recognition over the past three years,” he said.
Ferguson spent nearly a decade as president of Airshow, Inc., an avionics manufacturing company that provides integrated information systems and services for business jets and commercial airlines. Prior to that, he was a vice president at Dynatech/Acterna Corp., where he was responsible for developing the company’s aviation markets.
A graduate of the United States Air Force Academy, he served in the Air Force.
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