2nd Largest GA Mfr Adds Sales Muscle

Cirrus Design has more than tripled the size of its North American sales force. “The added sales muscle is needed to handle the growing demand for the company’s popular SR20 and SR22 personal aircraft,” says John Bingham, executive vice president of sales and marketing for Cirrus. “We have increased the sales team from seven to 24 managers.”

The new Cirrus sales force is divided into 12 regions and each will operate from new regional offices located at key general aviation airports across the country. This allows the company and the sales managers to rapidly meet the needs of clients and prospects. Bingham says he searched for sales people who “have a passion for sales success as well as flying.”

Bingham took over the Cirrus sales operation in October 2002. Since joining the company sales have continued to grow in spite of external and economic forces. The company’s rapid growth has positioned Cirrus as the second largest general aviation manufacturer in the world.

Cirrus CEO Alan Klapmeier says, “Our airplanes are attracting a new breed of pilot. General Aviation has to provide products that appeal to a wider market. Our new sales team has joined us from a variety of management backgrounds that enables us to interface with the broad spectrum of clients to whom we sell planes.”

• NORTHWEST REGION WA, OR, BC Bill Hollenbeck, Regional Director Phone: 503-645-3455 Email: bhollenbeck@cirrusdesign.com
• NORTHERN CALIFORNIA/GREATER NEVADA REGION CA, NV Walt Conley, Regional Director Phone: 831-206-9385 Email: wconley@cirrusdesign.com
• SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA/HAWAII /LAS VEGAS REGION Heike Berthold, Regional Director Phone: 310-699-7204 Email: hberthold@cirrusdesign.com Chris Eichman, Regional Sales Manager Phone: 503 784 1776 Email: ceichman@cirrusdesign.com
• SOUTHWEST REGION TX, NM, AZ Tom Bergeron, Regional Director Phone: 214-906-1698 Email: tbergeron@cirrusdesign.com Iggy Burkhardt, Regional Sales Manager Phone: 214-914-5793 Email: iburkhardt@cirrusdesign.com
• SOUTHERN MIDWEST REGION LA, MS, AR, MO, OK, KS, E. St. Louis, IL Jeff Sandusky, Regional Director Phone: 405-650-5900 Email: jsandusky@cirrusdesign.com
• SOUTHERN REGION GA, AL, TN, KY Mike McEllhiney, Regional Director 678-641-2254 Email:mmcellhiney@cirrusdesign.com Doug Whitson, Regional Sales Manager 404-353-8033 Email: dwhitson@cirrusdesign.com
• FLORIDA AND BAHAMAS Charlie Hood, Regional Director Phone: 407-896-8379 Email: chood@cirrusdesign.com Robert Neuman, Regional Sales Manager Phone: 561-573-3629 Email: rneuman@cirrusdesign.com
• MID-ATLANTIC REGION SC, NC, VA, WV, DE, MD, DC, PA Bruce Gunter, Regional Director Phone: 757-852-9520 Email: bgunter@cirrusdesign.com Gregg Malley, Regional Sales Manager Phone: 757-852-9521 Email: gmalley@cirrusdesign.com
• NORTHEAST REGION NY, NJ, CT, RI, ME, MA, VT, NH, Quebec David Mueller, Regional Director Phone: 315-436-0666 Email: dmueller@cirrusdesign.com Bill Vaccarro, Regional Sales Manager Phone: 617-320-0584 Email: bvaccarro@cirrusdesign.com
• UPPER MIDWEST REGION IL, IN, OH, MI, Milwaukee Pete Halasz, Regional Director Phone: 815-477-0432 Email: phalasz@cirrusdesign.com Rory Papenfuss, Regional Sales Manager Phone: 815-341-5080 Email: rpapenfuss@cirrusdesign.com
• GREAT PLAINS AND ALASKA REGION MN, WI, IA, NE, SD, ND, Quad Cities-IL, Manitoba Gary Black, Regional Director Phone: 218-724-0577 Email: gblack@cirrusdesign.com Jon Dauplaise, Regional Sales Manager Phone: 218-788-3827 Email: jdauplaise@cirrusdesign.com
• ROCKY MOUNTAINS CO, UT, WY, ID, MT, AB and SK Mike Kolman, Regional Director Phone: 303-517-6965 Email: mkolman@cirrusdesign.com Adam Tibbitts, Regional Sales Manager Phone: 208-841-1368

Cirrus aircraft continue to be popular with pilots outside the United States and the company plans to turn its attention to those markets. “Our next focus is to grow our sales activities in the key export markets of Europe, Australia and South Africa,” Bingham stated. Cirrus Design Corporation is currently the second largest manufacturer of general aviation aircraft in the world (and bucking for number one in a big way...). It has delivered more than 850 airplanes and doubled output in 2002. Based in Duluth, Minnesota, with an additional facility in Grand Forks, North Dakota.

FMI: www.cirrusdesign.com