Will Succeed Retiring SVP Ron Chapman

Cessna Aircraft Company told ANN Friday it has named Mark Paolucci, currently vice president of Citation Sales, to replace retiring Senior Vice President Ron Chapman as head of the company's highly rated customer service organization. Paolucci will also assume Chapman's position on Cessna's Senior Leadership Team.

Paolucci will be based at Cessna company headquarters in Wichita, KS and will assume his new responsibilities beginning August 21. Chapman will retire October 2.

"Mark is the right individual to be stepping in for Ron to guide Customer Service as it continues to meet the demands of our growing global customer base," said Cessna Chairman, President and CEO Jack Pelton. "Ron has built the group into one of the best in the world with unparalleled customer loyalty, and we've gotten the awards to prove it. Mark's experience with our customers around the world, and with our product line, makes him uniquely qualified to take over our customer service operations as we continue to expand our global presence."

Paolucci joined Cessna in 1979 as a design engineer and has worked in both special missions/government sales and commercial sales. He was named vice president of international sales in 1994, and vice president of Citation sales in 2002. Paolucci holds a Bachelor of Science degree in aviation technology from Central Missouri State University.

"Mark has a wealth of experience that lends itself to this new post," Pelton said. "He knows our products. Most important, he knows the value of listening to the customer and this is a mantra for our customer support organization."

Chapman's 37-year career at Cessna started in 1969 as a supervisor in customer accounting. In 1974, he was tapped to head Cessna's parts distribution organization and continued to take on more senior roles within the customer support group. He has led Customer Service since 1996 and was named senior vice president in 1999.

"Ron essentially created and perfected our world-class customer service group. There is no question Cessna's role as the world's general aviation leader is due in large measure to the excellent service reputation established by Ron and his staff. The bar he set is pretty high, but I know Mark is eager to raise it," Pelton said.

Cessna is the world's largest producer of general aviation aircraft with products ranging from single-engine piston aircraft such as the 172, to high end business jets such as the Citation X, the world's fastest commercial or business aircraft.    

FMI: www.cessna.com