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.”