By LESLIE EIKLEBERRY
Salina Post
Civic and government leaders, including U.S. Senator Jerry Moran (R-Kan.), gathered early Friday afternoon in a chilly Salina Regional Airport Hangar 959 to celebrate the giant hangar’s new occupant: 1 Vision Aviation.
According to the Salina Airport Authority, 1 Vision is FAA certified FAR part 145 repair station. The company is a complete maintenance, repair, and overhaul facility that provides all manner of airframe inspections and repairs, as well as power plant work on many types of large air carrier-sized aircraft. In addition, 1 Vision has a general aviation division with both maintenance and avionics capabilities that is planned to be incorporated into the Salina operation. This division will work on smaller private planes up to and including corporate type aircraft.
1 Vision is operating at 100-percent capacity in Sioux City and has a growing list of airline customer contracts necessitating the expansion to the Salina airport’s Hangar 959. The hangar, the largest at Salina Regional, is located at the north end of the airport.
“This really makes it personal and up close to see that a dream actually does come true, and the personal part is we’ll probably be flying on one of these planes one of these days, so it’s nice to know that somebody close to us made it airworthy and quite safe,” said Salina Mayor Trent Davis, who kicked off dignitary remarks before a ribbon-cutting ceremony.
Davis welcomed the 1 Vision Aviation employees on hand and noted that people who who drive by Salina on one of the interstate highways don’t get to see what is in the city.
“I think the longer you’re here, you’re going to see the restaurants, the schools, the parks, sports, uh, I guess we can advertise bars, make this a really great place to live, and after about a year, you’re probably going to forget the reason you came here was for the job. You’re going to say ‘Salina’s just a great place to live,'” Davis said.
The mayor also challenged all Salinans to embrace the 1 Vision Aviation employees and help make sure they become part of the community rather than just people who work in Salina.
“Let them contribute to our arts and entertainment and everything else that we do. If they have a problem, point them to the right person,” Davis said. “When I came here 20 years ago, one of the doctors told me, ‘you’ll be surprised. This is the busiest little town in America,’ and I’ve found that to be true. I actually have to go to work on Mondays to get a rest. If you can’t find something to do in Salina, it’s because you’re not leaving your house.”
Then, to the 1 Vision Aviation employees, “Get out. Enjoy it. But come back to work on time because I might be flying on one of these,” Davis said and gestured toward the aircraft already being worked on in the hangar.
“I would echo what the mayor said about this being a wonderful place to live and to work, to commit yourself to a quality of life that exists in Salina and in Saline County, and in Kansas. So congratulations to you and your decision to be here,” Moran said to 1 Vision Aviation President and CEO Jim Sponder. “As a senator representing this state and particularly representing Salina, I will do everything I can to make sure you’re arrival and presence here, this company’s growth here is supported in any way possible.”
In addressing all gathered in the hangar, Moran said, “While all of us have no choice but to deal with all the issues that present themselves in this country and around the world, a primary motivation that I had in asking you to give me the chance to represent you in the nation’s capital is a belief in rural America, and what we have in Kansas and what we have in Salina, Kansas, is something that we need to take every step to preserve and protect, and that means we need to grow and bring new people to our town and create jobs.”
Moran noted that the aviation industry is well suited to Kansas.
“And there is, perhaps, no better industry for us to grow in our state than aviation. Aviation and aerospace is our history, but it’s also our future. The presence of this company here in Salina demonstrates once again that we’re on a path that has worked well for Kansans in aerospace and aviation and will work well for us in the future,” Moran said.
“This is another significant development in a history in Salina related to aviation and it means jobs. It means lots of opportunities for additional individuals to pursue their American Dream here in Salina, Kansas, and it means a family relocating here that is entrepreneurial and a business family. And I would guess, based upon what I know about this project and what I have seen today and the conversations I have had with the people involved, it means more jobs in the future,” Moran told local and regional media at the conclusion of the event.
“This is the kind of thing that has to happen across our state. Small businesses coming here, starting here, growing here that create the opportunity for us to have, particularly young people remain at home, come back to their hometowns, and to be able to take advantage of the quality of life we have across our state,” Moran said. “This is a really good day in a long path toward making sure Kansas communities have a bright future.”
Moran said the demand for what 1 Vision Aviation does is significant. “It has a reputation of being the place you want work done on your aircraft. So all that says that jobs are here, more jobs are coming, and it seems very stable to me,” he said.
Moran said that the quality and reputation 1 Vision Aviation has across the country lends itself to other aviation businesses paying more attention to Salina and the middle of the country.
“So this is the opportunity to make certain that the story is told. There are facilities, there are workers, and there is opportunity in Salina, Kansas,” he said.
In introducing Sponder, Tim Rogers, Salina Airport Authority executive director, said, “I’ve been thoroughly impressed by Jim Sponder. Just from the very beginning I realized Jim is the guy that can get things done. He does it from his personal commitment to all aspects of his business. His reputation throughout the airline industry is impeccable, and it’s a small, small group. If you have a bad reputation within the industry, you get known for that. A good reputation is platinum gold, it is just the currency of the industry, trust and reliability.”
Sponder praised the airport staff for the welcome he received and told the crowd of his first encounter with the hangar all were standing in Friday.
“The first time I saw this hangar, I was driving by and I had to stop. I said to myself, ‘self, we’re going to be in this hangar…soon!’ That was about three years ago, but we’re here and I’m excited,” he said.
Sponder also spoke to his staff. “Now we’ve got the opportunity. Everybody with a 1 Vision shirt on and soon to have a 1 Vision shirt on, it’s up to us. And I think the team that we’ve got here, we’re gonna make it. I know we’re gonna make it. Make it great!”
1 Vision Aviation currently is headquartered in Sioux City, Iowa, however, with the expansion to Salina, Sponder and his family are moving here as well, he said.
“The community is awesome. I’m glad to be here,” Sponder said.
Then civic and governmental officials, as well as 1 Vision Aviation personnel, gathered for a ribbon-cutting ceremony with the Salina Area Chamber of Commerce.