The Extra Mile - July 2016

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Left: The Meridian Team at the 2016 Schedulers & Dispatchers Conference in Tampa, FL. Meridian Exhibits 8 2016 has been a busy year so far with Meridian participating in several key events. In January, we proudly exhibited at the 2016 National Business Aviation Association (NBAA) Schedulers & Dispatchers Conference (SDC2016). This year’s conference was held in Tampa, Florida, at the Tampa Convention Center from Tuesday, January 19 through Friday, January 22. The program included dozens of innovative education sessions, various networking events and ample opportunities to give back to the local community. A record 2,800-plus attendees and 517 exhibitors took part in the event. Meridian was well-represented with members of our Charter Operations, Charter Sales, Aircraft Management, FBO Fuel Sales and Marketing teams at the show. “We strive to enhance the attendee and exhibitor experience each year and, as a result, more and more people understand this is the place to be,” said Mike Nichols, NBAA’s Vice President of Operational Excellence and Professional Development. “Schedulers and dispatchers are the buyers and they are empowered to come here and make choices, while gaining valuable skills and knowledge through robust education sessions.” SDC2016 included many new features, including an increased focus on humanitarian efforts in support of the host city by holding a food packing event for Feeding America Tampa Bay. About 200 conference attendees volunteered their time to pack 800 bags of food so needy children and their families would have food for the weekend. Additionally, this was the sixth year the conference collected gently used business clothes for local charities. This year, a total of 4,379 garments were collected, breaking last year’s record of 1,500 items. Many scholarships were also awarded at SDC2016, with thousands of dollars in monetary and training scholarships presented to dozens of individuals, including Meridian’s own Matt Lipka. Next year’s conference (SDC2017) is scheduled for February 7 through 10 in Fort Worth, Texas, and we look forward to again being on hand. Later in January, Meridian sent a team of eight to West Palm Beach International Airport (PBI) to represent the company at the year’s first NBAA Regional Forum. Although the weather was a bit challenging with heavy rains throughout the South Florida region, the business aviation community was undaunted, and more than 2,200 people turned out for the January 28 event. With 120 exhibitors and 25 aircraft on static display, the event set an attendance record for NBAA’s South Florida forums. Florida State Senator Maria Sachs, who represents the Palm Beach area, welcomed attendees to her state, noting it’s first in the country for aircraft manufacturing, and officials plan to work hard to stay number one through tax and other initiatives. NBAA President and CEO Ed Bolen agreed, saying, “Florida is a great place for business aviation. The industry has a bright future in this country and around the world.” He did acknowledge that business aviation is facing an attack from those in Congress looking to create a privatized ATC system, funded by user fees, as part of the debate underway in Washington over reauthorization of the Federal Aviation Administration. Such proposals, Bolen noted, could severely limit business aircraft operators’ access to airports and airspace. Bolen urged attendees to contact lawmakers using NBAA’s online Contact Congress tool, and make their voices heard on the issue. “We’ve got to make our voice heard, let’s do that today,” he said. “Our concern is this can move forward so fast, it could be over before you see the details.” Meridian, as well as other exhibitors, views the regional forums as important events for seeing current customers, as well as meeting new ones. The importance of NBAA regional forums also extends to the future of the industry, with students from nearby Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University and elsewhere coming to talk with attendees and exhibitors and learn what business aviation may offer them in terms of career options. Two more NBAA regionals were scheduled this year, including the forum in Van Nuys, CA held on June 9, and the forum in White Plains, NY to be held on September 15. Meridian exhibited at the Van Nuys regional and plans to be at the show in White Plains as well. We hope to see you there! Meridian also exhibited at the annual European Business Aviation Convention & Exhibition (EBACE) in Geneva, Switzerland, May 24-26. This three-day event was a great experience for Meridian, with seven of our team in attendance. As in previous years, EBACE was held at the Palexpo Convention Center. The convention center is conveniently located at Geneva Airport (GVA), which uniquely offers attendees the ability to visit exhibitor booths and the static display in one location.
plane folk Nora Jacob Customer Service Representative Nora Jacob joined Meridian five years ago as a Customer Service Representative (CSR). She says, “Meridian has done for me what previous companies and positions didn’t. We are a family, and service is just what we do.” Nora worked for another FBO prior to joining Meridian. She also had the opportunity to spend some time last fall working on the charter side of Meridian. In that position, she had to interface with other FBOs on a regular basis. Having those experiences definitely made an impression on Nora. “I now understand why we are rated so highly in the various FBO surveys. Our philosophy is we always go above and beyond, and not everyone else does that.” Nora says she is truly a people person, which is one of the reasons she asked to transfer back to Customer Service. “The move to charter was a good learning experience for me, but I missed personally interfacing with our customers. I really enjoy dealing with everyone we serve, from the pilots to the passengers.” Nora says that customer service is something that comes naturally to her, and while you can’t really train for it, there are always things that you can learn. Nora participated in the Motivating Employees course during the Ritz Carlton training that took place earlier this year. She said the course was very interesting, as it came from a manager’s point of view. “We discussed how important it is to keep your employees happy. If they aren’t happy, you won’t get the level of service you expect, especially on a consistent basis. “Everyone on the Meridian team strives to do the best job they can,” Nora adds. “As our Company Mission Statement says, ‘our mission is to consistently deliver a truly extraordinary experience, leaving our customers feeling welcomed, well cared for and confident that they made a smart choice.’ I am proud to work for a company that puts such a high priority on always putting the customer first.” Meridian Holds Company-Wide Training Class At Meridian, we pride ourselves on providing outstanding customer service. But even the best can always be better! In March, we invited all of our employees to take part in the well-respected Ritz Carlton Training Program. “We have always had annual training courses provided by an outside company to our FBO employees,” said Betsy Wines, Vice President of Customer Service and Human Resources. “This year, we thought we would expand the training class to include all of our employees.” The training took place March 28-30 at Meridian’s Teterboro headquarters. There were three different course programs offered, which varied by an individual’s position in the company and their tenure. The Memorable Customer Service course was geared toward those employees who had been through the Ritz Carlton Training in 2014 and was designed as a refresher course. The Customer Service Re-energized course was for those employees that have joined Meridian since 2014, and lastly the Motivating Employees course, designed for Managers and those who supervise other employees. “Everyone does customer service, whether they know it or not,” continued Wines. “We felt that everyone in the company would benefit from having the opportunity to participate in one of the courses, and come away with something they could put to use in their everyday activities.” Shante Cooper, a Customer Service Representative, joined Meridian in October 2015. When asked about her thoughts on the training, she shared what she learned from a presentation called ‘Give Em’ the Pickle.’ “The story was very unique and demonstrated how important the little things matter,” Shante said. “It made me realize that even the smallest detail can make a large impact on a customer.” Shante added that since joining Meridian, she has a new outlook on customer service. “Meridian is truly a company that goes above and beyond to provide the best customer service. I am proud to be part of the team.” Don Paynton has been with Meridian for 12 years in the Aircraft Maintenance area and is currently Assistant Chief Inspector. Don attended the Memorable Customer Service class and said what he found intriguing was how the attention to detail, or lack thereof in certain instances, could make or break a customer’s evaluation of the company. “It is very easy to say ‘job accomplished’, but has it been accomplished with the integrity and devotion to detail that is expected from demanding clients? I would like to answer that question ‘yes’,” said Don. “And with pride in knowing that attention to detail, communication and all aspects of what was asked of us has been performed in a friendly, courteous and professional manner.” Paynton feels that these workshops remind employees that “we are in the service industry, and the most important assurances that we are succeeding in our duties are the compliments and thanks we get from satisfied customers.” That sentiment seems to resonate with others that attended the various workshops. “One of the most important things many of us took away from the supervisory training class was that we need to empower our employees,” added Wines. “It is always about the customer, no matter what job function you perform. The customer comes first, and it is everyone’s responsibility to make sure that happens.” 9
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