Gary Kelley To Retire, Veteran Team Takes Over

Garmin has named Philip Straub as vice president, managing director – aviation. In this newly created role, Straub will lead all facets of Garmin’s aviation business, including product development, flight operations, certification, sales, marketing, and support. The move follows the retirement announcement of Gary Kelley, its vice president of marketing, at the end of the year.

Straub (pictured) joined Garmin in 1993 after earning a BS degree in electrical engineering and was a key contributor and leader in the creation of the GNS 430/530 and G1000 integrated cockpit systems. In addition to his engineering skills, Straub is an accomplished pilot and holds an airline transport pilot certificate for multi-engine, as well as a flight instructor certificate with single-engine, multiengine and instrument privileges.

Straub has appointed Carl Wolf as vice president, aviation marketing and sales, a role previously held by Kelley. Wolf, an avionics industry veteran, joined Garmin in 2002 and in his new role will oversee all Garmin aviation sales and marketing activities globally, including OEM, aftermarket/retrofit, government and military sales, portable sales, marketing, and product management. Wolf holds an airline transport pilot certificate for multi-engine, and has logged over
4,500 flight hours.

Straub also appointed Frank McLoughlin as vice president, aviation engineering, assuming the role previously held by Straub. McLoughlin will oversee engineering design, software, program acquisition of Sequoia Instruments, from which Garmin acquired AHRS and air data technology.

Gary Kelley (pictured) joined Garmin in 1992 as director of marketing, during which time he oversaw the development of Garmin’s global marketing, sales, support and advertising strategies in the early days of the company. His experience and enthusiasm for aviation led him to become deeply involved in Garmin’s aviation sales and marketing division. Kelley has been a tireless contributor to the aviation industry, serving as a board member of the General Aviation Manufacturers Association (GAMA) and the NBAA (National Business Aircraft Association) - AMAC board of directors.

Previously, he represented Garmin as a member of the executive board for the Aircraft Electronics Association (AEA).

“Gary led the early formation of our sales and marketing efforts around the world, and those early contributions provided the foundation of the world-class company we have become today,” said Cliff Pemble, Garmin’s president and chief operating officer. “Gary leaves us having made many contributions, but his special legacy is the development of our aviation business including the introduction of game changing products like our GNS 430 and 530, and the G1000 integrated cockpit system. Most recently, he’s led the charge to bring Garmin avionics into larger, Part 25 aircraft. Gary’s passion for aviation and the relationships he nurtured over the years were instrumental in moving Garmin from a startup to an established supplier of leading-edge avionics systems. We thank Gary for all of his contributions and wish Gary and his wife Pam health and happiness as they enter this new phase of their lives.”

FMI: www.garmin.com