Kyle Barker , operations manager , joined the company in December 2021 . Like in most small businesses , Barker said he wears many hats .
“ As operations manager , I run things in the shop . I maintain schedules for IOC and the composite departments and manage customer relationships .” He is also in charge of shipping and hiring . He said finding employees , like most MRO or manufacturing shops , could be challenging . He noted that they would contact the TAPS class at Fairchild Airforce Base to find people transitioning out of their military service seeking this kind of work .
They also go to Spokane Community College to search out employees as well . “ There aren ’ t a lot of companies that do the kind of repair that we do .
To be able to do the repairs for the companies and countries that need it , it is important for us to get the job done correctly ,” Barker said .
The company currently has just under 20 employees . Barker said they would have three to four more but finding reliable people today can be tough . He shared that they recently had a candidate who was offered a job and then went MIA . Barker said it isn ’ t uncommon for people to take unemployment over work . He added that he was at a trade show this year where a big topic of conversation was “ How to get people who want to work .”
Despite hiring challenges , he added that he is impressed with the employee commitment at SkyOne . “ Everyone is willing to help each other out . A core group of guys has been there for some time .”
But he said that although there are many veterans in the workforce , the procedures are not military based but instead are based upon the experience that Owens has brought to the table .
One of SkyOne ’ s customers is Lee Beamon of Reliance Aircraft out of Austin , Texas . Beamon had known Owens for years and came to SkyOne with his business when Owens opened in 2015 . “ I started working with SkyOne when Gary opened . I knew him from his previous employer and followed him to SkyOne ,” Beamon said .
Reliance Aircraft buys and sells airplane parts . Beamon works in the military division and sells , manages , and purchases parts for order .
12 NORTHWEST AEROSPACE NEWS