Will Assume Duties On December 1, 2014

Columbia Helicopters is pleased to announce the appointment of Jim Rankin as the company’s new President and Chief Executive Officer. This hiring – effective December 1 of this year – follows the retirements of current Chairman of the Board Nancy Lematta and current CEO Michael Fahey, and the promotion of Stan Wilson from president to Chairman of the Board of Directors.

Both Lematta and Fahey will hold positions on the Board of Directors.

Rankin joins the Columbia Helicopters management team after most recently serving as President and CEO of Air Wisconsin, a regional airline, a position he held since August 2006. He has also previously served as President and CEO of Skyways Airlines, and is an ATP pilot with 11,000 flight hours and type ratings in the King Air 350/1900 and MD-80 aircraft. He is very active in the aviation industry, including representing the industry on the FAA’s NextGen Advisor Committee among other leadership and advisory positions.

“We are very pleased that Jim has joined our company in this latest growth phase,” said Wilson. “We have never hired a president and CEO from outside of the company before now, and we didn’t make this move lightly. We feel that he is the perfect candidate to lead Columbia Helicopters into the future, and the person best able to continue the legacy of Wes and Nancy Lematta.”

“As I’ve come to appreciate over the past few months, Columbia Helicopters is a unique company with an amazing history,” said Rankin. “Currently, our company has a number of advantages over its competitors, advantages that we will use to their fullest, to accelerate Columbia into the future.”

“Equally, we are appreciative of the service to Columbia Helicopters by Nancy and Mike,” continued Wilson. “They have been part of this family for many years, and the recent success of this company can be tied directly to their vision and leadership. We are pleased that both of them will continue to serve the company through this transition, and I expect that we will benefit from their insight and experience.”

Nancy joined the Board of Directors in 2008 and assumed the Chairman of the Board position in February 2010. Nancy became involved in Columbia in 1962 when she married Mr. Wes Lematta.

Mike Fahey assumed the Presidency of Columbia upon Roy Simmons’ retirement in April of 1999. He joined Columbia in 1975, where he was responsible for its accounting systems, computer operations and finance control. For the majority of his employment Mike has also been involved in contract negotiations for both domestic and foreign operations. In January 1, 1998, he assumed the duties of Executive Vice President in addition to those of Vice President of Finance, until he became President in April of 1999.

Stan Wilson was named President of Columbia Helicopters in February 2013, has been the Vice President of Finance since April of 2000, and he will become Chairman of the Board in December 2014. He joined Columbia in 1986 as the Assistant Controller and worked in that capacity until January 1997, when he was promoted to Assistant Vice President of Finance. He assumed the responsibilities of Vice President of Finance upon Mr. Mike Fahey’s promotion to President. Stan is responsible for the Information Systems and Human Resources functions as well as his responsibilities in the finance and accounting area.

FMI: www.colheli.com