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North Central West Virginia Airport News:
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Taking Off: Experience key for new airport business
By Lynn Vance
The Bridgeport News
August 16, 2007
Ed Waske Jr. knew a lot about airplanes, but practically nothing about business. For 19 years the airplane mechanic had worked for a major aerospace company worldwide, including overseeing a territory covering East and West Malaysia, Brunei, Bangladesh, Thailand and Nepal.
A recent business transfer back to the United States landed Waske in Bridgeport where he would soon form a friendship on the tennis court with Dr. Robert Martino. Just so happens, Martino, who operates the largest dental organization in the state – Wilson Martino Dental Associates – had the business expertise Waske was looking for in order to start his own business. The result is EASW (Engine & Airframe Solution Worldwide, LLC) located at the North Central West Virginia Airport. The company will celebrate its one-year anniversary Oct. 2.
“Ed has been in the airplane business his whole life,” said Martino. “He’s one of maybe 100 people in the whole county that has this expertise and he was working here locally.
“He told me it wasn’t working out here. He was going to move. I thought this community shouldn’t lose a person with his talent so we decided to give (our own business) a try…selfishly I didn’t want to lose my tennis partner,” he continued.
EASW primarily does the maintenance on companies specializing in quarter share jets. According to Waske, in quarter share companies, companies and personnel buy a part of the aircraft so they then have access to the whole fleet. They are popular among executives and sports figures. When the jets need maintenance, EASW is one of several companies throughout the world that accommodates them. EASW also provides technical support to several companies as well.
“For example, and I have to explain it in dental, say you were a patient of mine and I was working on you and I was baffled, “ said Martino. “I would call a guy from New York to fly in. That’s kind of what (we’ll) do.”
In just one year, EASW has sent employees for support to Mexico, Louisiana, Florida and New Mexico among others. Martino said that because of Waske’s expertise, other companies similar to EASW will call on them when they have a problem and need assistance.
“It’s neat that a place here in (Bridgeport) is doing this stuff all over the world, and they’re calling for us,“ said Martino. “We’re pretty proud of that.”
According to Waske, several of his employees recently traveled to Phoenix to work on an airplane a major company couldn’t fix for two weeks. His employees were able to fix it within a half day.
“That’s the reputation we’re getting and that’s exciting,” said Martino.
Waske said for years he has wanted to operate his own business. Consideration to do that occurred long before he met Martino.
“Twice before in my career I was going to do this and I let little things scare me away,” said Waske. “But you just get to a point in life that you know it’s time to do it and this was the perfect opportunity.”
Waske said before opening up his own business, the local company he was transferred to wanted to transfer him again – this time to Arkansas.
This time Waske said he wanted no part of it.
“I wanted to stay here,” said the Akron, Ohio native. “They wanted me to move, and I couldn’t do it. I’d been in 11 countries in 23 years. I’d had enough.”
EASW was recently named a certified repair station by the FAA.
They have also begun doing support for Pratt & Whitney Canada on helicopter engines. The joint partners say the company has recently made a niche for servicing helicopter engines.
“I used to do all the helicopters for (my former company),” said Waske. “There were three of us for all of the United States at that time.”
Waske said he and Martino added Worldwide to their business name because he still has former bosses all over the United States and Europe calling on him for support.
“There are very few people in the organization that have worked on all of the products that I have personally worked on,” said Waske. “It’s nice they’re still wanting to call me up and ask me questions.”
Waske and Martino are hoping that their expertise in the business will mean continued success at NCWV Airport.
“Five years from now we feel this airport is going to be really strong and we hope we’re one of the reasons for that,” said Martino.
EASW is one of several companies doing business on the grounds surrounding the North Central West Virginia Airport. While EASW is an independent company, several major aerospace companies do business in Bridgeport. Top companies such as Pratt & Whitney and Bombardier are long-time members of the Bridgeport aerospace community.
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