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Dealer Focus Carpenter Avionics, Inc. Smyrna, TN (MQY) 
Industry Icon? Avionics Guru? Expert? Survivor? There are a lot of people in our business that these phrases describe, and one of them is Bob Carpenter of Carpenter Avionics in Smyrna, Tennessee.
To know that Bob was named the AEA's Man of the Year 1990, speaks volumes about the man and his business. There are a lot of reasons why he should probably be named Man of the Year again, and he probably will be. Bob's company first became nationally recognized in 1986 placing third in the nation in the Pro Pilot annual "Best Avionics Shop Rating." His company has placed in the Top 5 every year but one in the last 12 years.
When you visit Carpenter Avionics one of the first things that strikes you is how technologically up-to-date they are. Bob deserves all the credit for this as well. It is always amazing to see how much one can learn from the "School of Hard Knocks." That schooling came from positions with several FBO's after Tradewinds. Bob was in Columbia, S.C. with H&H Aviation, which is now Eagle Aviation, then with AirResearch in Augusta where he managed their avionics facility from startup to 1981 when he moved to Nashville to open his own business. Carpenter was in Nashville within Signature until they closed operations in 1993. Bob then opened in Smyrna with his own facility adjacent to Corporate Flight Management's hangars. It is no surprise to learn that Carpenter Avionics specializes in corporate turboprops and business jets based on their experience over recent years. While we were there, they were converting the panel of one of the original Citations to Dual GPS, Skywatch, Stormscope and an Argus 7000CE, not to mention a complete cabin audio entertainment system. Today Carpenter Avionics business is about 40% repair and 60% installation of new equipment, which is being driven by GPS installations. When asked what his biggest challenges are Bob answered that 1) external to Carpenter, he has difficulty getting some new products he has sold, in other words, lead time, and 2) his biggest internal problem is lost motion during installations. With their booming business over the last year and a half, Carpenter has aircraft in as many as 4 different hangers at once. The time that is not billable as the installers walk from the shop to the aircraft and back is impossible to recover. Hidden in this response is one of the secrets to Carpenter's success. He only bills what is fair to bill. Every bill goes across Bob's desk, to be processed through his "experience database," and, if necessary, it is adjusted accordingly. The time spent by the installers from the shop to the airplane is Carpenter's problem, not the customer's. His booming business currently means 10-hour days, 5 days a week, just to keep up. The company's customer sensitivity means that if the airplane has a trip in the morning, they stay as late as necessary to get the airplane back in the air, before they leave tonight. Bob states "Our relationships with our customers drives our business, not the products we install and repair." That's another secret to Carpenter's success. One theme question we always ask, because it is a concern of all S-TEC dealers, is "How do you keep good people?" Carpenter has about 20 employees. Many of them have been with Bob more than 10 years, several much longer than that. Bob credits this longevity to 1) an excellent benefit package that includes both short and long-term disability insurance, 401K and other standard coverage, plus educational benefits and 2) being a Christian organization. Beyond the obvious, this means that Bob's door is open to every one of his employees regardless of whether their need is professional or personal. "Everybody has to deal with family crises from time to time. My employees know they can come and talk to me about anything, at any time, and that we'll do everything we can to help." Carpenter Avionics - a great S-TEC dealer now and for the future. |
Bob started in General Aviation avionics fresh out of the Air Force in 1958, where he was an aircraft and engine instructor before his discharge. His first opportunity was with Tradewinds Aviation in Amarillo, TX at a bench next to Ed Cameron, one of S-TEC's founders. At that time, Bob spent two days a week as an A&P and three days a week as an assistant in the radio shop. His formidable expertise is self-taught, a very admirable attribute. After two years, he became Avionics Manager, and he has been in management or ownership ever since.