Randy Groom, 56, has joined Piper Aircraft as executive vice president of sales, marketing, and customer support to continue building and expanding Piper’s market share. He reports to Piper President and CEO Kevin J. Gould.
“Randy`s extensive experience and superb track record in general aviation are the credentials that we looked for in filling this strategic position,” said Gould. “Randy knows the business from both sides of the aisle. As a seasoned corporate executive and a professional with extensive dealership experience, he has the breadth of knowledge and experience that are vital to Piper`s growth strategy. Perhaps most important, we want our customers to know that Randy’s addition to the team is further evidence of our commitment to providing them industry-leading customer support.”
Groom said his decision to join Piper centered on a number of key factors, including the company’s legacy, its commitment to recruiting and maintaining a committed and talented management and engineering team, and Piper’s strong financial stability resulting from its recent acquisition by Imprimis. Imprimis - a corporate finance and investment management firm that operates from its offices in Singapore and Brunei Darussalam - acquired Piper last year.
“One of the main reasons I was attracted to Piper is because I love their products and really believe they are the right aircraft for these times,” said Groom. “No other general aviation manufacturer has such a comprehensive lineup of single-engine aircraft in every class, ranging from a great looking LSA PiperSport, clear up to the very cool and affordable Meridian turboprop. We also have the trusted and respected Seminole and Seneca V workhorse twins. And I can’t wait to get involved with the PiperJet, which will provide our customers with truly breakthrough performance, comfort and efficiency.”
Groom comes to Piper from Groom Aviation, LLC - a company he founded and that has worked with a wide variety of general aviation businesses. He provided customers both strategic and tactical guidance to make the most out of existing markets and to uncover new markets.
Groom’s extensive experience includes senior executive positions with Hawker Beechcraft, where his positions included president of Global Customer Service and Support, and president of Beechcraft. On the dealer side, Groom held several senior sales and executive positions with Piedmont Hawthorne Aviation, Inc. - a longtime Beach dealer.
Groom is an instrument-rated commercial pilot and has logged more than 10,000 hours in his 40 years of flying - 18 of those years as an aircraft owner. Groom worked his way through college as a flight instructor and charter pilot and was the youngest flight instructor for the U.S. Air Force at age 19.
