ABOUT US - TECNAM, NORTH AMERICA

Company Officials:

Phillip Solomon  Chief Executive Officer– Phil has been full time with Heart of Virginia since November 2005 following taking his ownership stake in June 2004.  A transplant from the UK, Phil graduated with first class honors from Middlesex Polytechnic in London and Centre D’Etudes Superieures De Management in Reims, France with majors in Finance and Production Management and a minor in Law.   Qualification as a Chartered Management Accountant subsequently led to a 22 year career in major international corporations.  Phil has headed up the Finance, IT and Legal functions for several manufacturing companies in Europe and the United States including stints in charge of the Astroturf © business worldwide and a state of the art injection molding factory including clean rooms.  His experience covers multiple industries encompassing automotive, telecommunications, packaging and thin films with hands on familiarity with lean manufacturing techniques, just in time etc.  He has led, or been instrumental in, numerous large capital projects, acquisitions, disposals and restructuring of various operations worldwide.  In the eleven years prior to joining HOVA he also gained hands on experience in multiple different distribution channels including exclusive distributors, retail, direct to consumer, business to business and international.  Phil currently serves as HOVA’s CFO and Strategy Director with particular emphasis on growth opportunities and will he heading Tecnam North America.  He is also a 1,700 hour commercial, Instrument and CFI rated pilot.   Phil combines his passion and enthusiasm for aviation with his business experience to find new ways to reverse the decade’s long decline in grass roots aviation.  He believes that Tecnam is the company with the right products, pedigree and emphasis on excellence to be the leader in this crusade to make aviation more accessible.

Tommy L. Grimes  President – Originally hailing from Texas, Tommy graduated from Baylor University with a degree in Business Administration.  In 1987, while owning a home construction business in Richmond, Virginia Tommy earned his pilot’s license after a single Discovery Flight had him hooked.  Never expecting a career in aviation, Tommy and Kim Grimes founded Heart of Virginia Aviation in 1992 in Farmville, VA (KFVX), operating the small town FBO and managing the airport, when the mayor called asking for help.  Since that time, Heart of Virginia Aviation has grown from a small family operated business, to a company with 45 employees headquartered in Richmond, Virginia at the Hanover County Airport (KOFP).  HOVA touches all aspects of aviation, including distributor for Tecnam aircraft, charter, maintenance, and flight instruction. Most recently, HOVA has purchased the flight school at the Chesterfield County, Virginia Airport (KFCI) offering the Richmond area quality flight instruction at multiple locations.  In addition to being the CEO of HOVA, Tommy is a Commercial Pilot with Muti-Engine and Instrument ratings with over 8000 hours of flight time and he holds A&P and IA ratings.  Tommy brings his extensive aviation experience, and passion to Tecnam North America.

Kimberly Grimes  VP of Human Resources – As with many small businesses, there is always a person who keeps everyone in line and rotates through many different hats through the day.  At HOVA, that honor goes to Kim Grimes.  Since HOVA’s inception in 1992, Kim has served as the Director of Charter, Office Manager, Head of Customer Service , Kitchen Supervisor, responsible for accounts payable and receivable, to name a few, all while raising, and home schooling six children.   Originally planning on being a teacher, her degree in Early Childhood Development from VCU would not seem to be an attribute for HOVA.  However, anyone who has been in Aviation for a while would certainly argue that is a perfect degree for dealing with the personalities associated with the business.  Kim currently handles all the Human Resource requirements, which is no small task for an up and coming business.  It is rare for Kim to be in any airport in Virginia where she won’t find a familiar face and an old friend.  Kim remains the face of HOVA, and has been the instrumental glue amongst the organization and will bring this cohesion to Tecnam North America.

Dave Lubore  VP of Flight Training Services - Dave is arguably the most experienced and qualified flight instructor on the east coast.  While many flight instructors use their time instructing to gain hours as a stepping stone to a career in aviation,  Dave comes to HOVA as the Director of Flight Training after a very lucrative career as a military and commercial pilot.  Dave obtained his Air Commerce degree from Florida Institute of Technology and has maintained CFI-I status since 1980.  Dave spent time flying the F-4D all over the world while in the DC Air National Guard.  Following his military days, Dave spent 20 years as a Captain and First Officer for US Airways, flying various Boeing and Airbus aircraft.  Dave’s passion for flying, and experience, translates extremely well as an advocate for aviation.  His calm demeanor in the air and enthusiasm has proven to be an asset with students, and with his instructors, and will serve as an excellent leader in introducing all of the Tecnam aircraft into the training arena, both on the instructor level, as well as the University level.

Timothy Brooks  VP of Technical Services and Product Development - With a diverse educational background including the University of Wisconsin, Milwaukee, American Academy of Art in Chicago and Winona Technical College, Tim comes from a family of engineers going back 5 generations and recently received a U.S. patent for an aircraft related product he developed. Tim has been working in aviation for over 20 years, he holds an A & P, I.A., Pilots certificate, and he will soon receive his DAR classification. Tim is versatile in all aspects of maintenance, repair, overhaul, rebuilding and restoration on almost every type of general aviation aircraft in the US from J3 Cubs to Cesssna Citations. Tim has assisted in the restoration of many aircraft including Cessna 120/140s, Cubs, P51 Mustang, Stearman, TBM Avenger, F86, Beech 18, T6, T34 and more. He has assisted and advised owners/builders on FAA FARs, ACs and proper building techniques for many homebuilt projects including RV3, RV6 and RV10, Pulsar XP, Kit Fox and is currently building a Mustang II from scratch. Tim has a high degree of experience with sheet metal, composites, and dope & fabric. He is also a certified Rotax trained technician on the 912/914 series engines. Tim has worked extensively with the FAA for continued compliance of certified repair stations, 135 operations and the early certification processes for the SLSA aircraft and has been affiliated with aviation organizations such as EAA, AOPA and FAA FAAST Team in Michigan throughout of his career. In 1997, Tim assisted in the development of an aviation course for high school students, writing the curriculum and instructing the first year that articulated with Northern Michigan University. Students received college course credits for the class. Tim has held many leadership positions throughout his career including Maintenance Manager, Director of Marketing; Director of Operations for Heart of Virginia Aviation, and will now as a Technical expert for Tecnam North America.  Tim will also lead the team for new product development in the United States and Canada.