Air Tractor, Inc. has announced the addition of three new members to the employee-owned company's Board of Directors. Based in the rural Texas town of Olney, Air Tractor is the world's leading manufacturer of agricultural spraying and aerial firefighting aircraft.
Joining the Air Tractor board are Ellis Moseley, Executive Vice President/CFO of Freeman; Gilles Ouimet, former Chairman, Pratt & Whitney Canada; and Jack Pfeffer, former Vice President, Business Development L.M. Ericsson N.A. “We are extremely pleased to have Ellis, Gilles, and Jack join the Air Tractor, Inc. board," announced director Kristin Edwards. "Each is a highly respected and successful businessman with significant experience in a variety of industries and with employee-owned companies like Air Tractor. We're confident that their insight and guidance will make them valuable additions to our board and tremendous assets for our company as we move forward.”
Nancy Snow, Chairman Emeritus; Kara East, Director Emeritus; Kristin Edwards, Director; and Jim Hirsch, Director and President of Air Tractor Inc. constitute the balance of the Air Tractor board.
Ellis Moseley began his career with Nations Bank in the corporate finance division and joined Freeman in 1994 as executive vice president. He was named the company's Chief Financial Officer in 2001. With $1.2 billion in annual revenues, Freeman is the world's largest contractor for trade shows, expositions, conventions and corporate events. The company is owned by the Freeman family and its 3,600 full-time employees through an ESOP, an Employee Stock Ownership Plan. Ellis has served on the Board of Directors and Board of Governors of the national ESOP Association.
Gilles Ouimet retired as Chairman of Pratt & Whitney Canada in 2004. Prior to that he served PWC as President & Chief Executive Officer, Chief Operating Officer, and as Vice-President & Sr. Vice-President in many divisions including Finance, Operations, and Marketing & Customer Support.
“We met Gilles in the mid-1990’s when he became President of Pratt & Whitney Canada,” said Jim Hirsch, Air Tractor President. “He attended the NAAA conventions and had a great interest in the ag aviation industry, even visiting some of our customers to get a better idea of what Air Tractor operators do every day. Gilles and Leland had a good business relationship, and each valued and respected the other.”
Jack Pfeffer began his business career with McDonnell Douglas as part of the production planning and contracts group responsible for the Gemini space missions, F-4 modifications, and the F-15 Eagle aircraft contract. He also served in top management positions at L.M. Ericsson North America and Xerox Corporation. Jack has extensive experience working with other Texas-based ESOP companies.
Air Tractor had a record production run of 141 aircraft in 2011 and is expanding operations to meet the worldwide demand for its products. With an additional 50 employees hired in 2011, along with investments in building additional manufacturing capacity, the company expects to produce 176 aircraft in 2012.
During this period of rapid growth, Edwards says the three new directors are a valued addition to the company. “We are very excited to have these respected and successful individuals join the Air Tractor family,” said Director Kristin Edwards. “They bring with them a vast body of knowledge, business experience, and a real enthusiasm for serving on our board and helping us meet the challenges of the future.”
