VERO BEACH – Ron Gunnarson, a leader in aviation for nearly 28 years, joins Piper Aircraft, Inc. in Vero Beach as Vice President, Sales, Marketing and Customer Support.
Piper Aircraft hired Gunnarson to be responsible for developing and executing sales and marketing strategies to sustain the company’s continuing growth, as well as contributing to overall product and business strategy development for the company. Beyond Sales and Marketing, he will also work to further enhance Piper’s global customer support.
“Ron’s proven leadership abilities and enviable track record of successfully implementing large-scale sales and marketing initiatives means that we will be ideally positioned to meet the evolving demands of the general aviation marketplace,” said Simon Caldecott, President and CEO of Piper Aircraft.
“This is an incredibly exciting time to be at Piper Aircraft. The strength of the business – and the momentum that we are beginning to see in the market indicates that we have the opportunity to expand our business. I am excited to assume these responsibilities to bring Piper Aircraft to the next level of growth,” Gunnarson said.
What’s interesting is that Gunnarson brings a broad range of experience to his new position at Piper Aircraft. Most recently he acted as the Vice President of Marketing at Textron Aviation where he was responsible for strategic brand development, product positioning and tactical execution for all global marketing efforts.
In addition to Gunnarson’s role at Textron Aviation, he has held significant positions in marketing for brands that include Beechcraft, Hawker, and Travel Air. He has extensive experience in global customer support and is an accomplished pilot with over 2800 hours of flight time and type ratings in the MU300/BE400 and BE300. Ron received his B.S. in Aeronautical Studies and a B.A. in Communications/Public Relations from the University of North Dakota.
