2018 February PASO Magazine

BUSINESS
FRIENDLY SKIES AND GROUND CONTROL
ACI JET CELEBRATES 20 YEARS OF AVIATION SUCCESS
By Nicholas Mattson
uietly operating amidst the blaring jet
engines on tarmacs around California,
ACI Jet has built itself as a high-powered
service company for the arrivals and
departures for local travelers and visitors
to the Central Coast.
Known for its work as a Fixed Base
Operator (FBO), ACI Jet has locations at
airports in Orange County, Oceano, San
Luis Obispo, and Paso Robles, but the
company began when Bill Borgsmiller fueled
his Piper Seneca III as the company’s
first charter aircraft in 1998.
ACI Jet now employs 190 people,
operates a fleet of private jet aircraft,
and celebrates a banner year
in 2017 with a 20-year anniversary
and more growth in 2018.
“In this last year, one of the
most exciting things is a location
in North County,” Borgsmiller
said. “We are adding new aircraft
to the fleet. There is big growth.”
In concert with the expansion at the
San Luis Obispo County Regional Airport,
ACI Jet is building a 35,000-squarefoot
office complex, and an adjacent
25,000-square-foot hangar as its corporate
headquarters on the grounds.
ACI Jet was one of the quiet support
systems that has supported the growth of
the SLO airport.
“We coordinated with them, doing all
the airline support — fuel, and technical
support,” Borgsmiller said. “We worked
with the County on some of the art, and
worked with them logistical support —
that is where we were most involved.”
ACI Jet operates ground support in
Paso Robles, where its services quietly
help keep operations running smoothly
for more than just the casual traveler.
“We have the FBO up there in Paso
Robles,” Borgsmiller said, “and support
the Cal Fire tanker base and the CHP.
Bill Borgsmiller,
President and
CEO of ACI Jet
We support all the aircraft there.
More corporate flights are being
supported. Paso is seeing a lot of
traffic coming directly.”
Growth is a part of the plan for
the Paso Robles airport.
“We will see a new maintenance
facility for small aircraft, and a new
flight school,” Borgsmiller said.
“And you got a heck of a restaurant
out there as well. Joe’s Place owner [Joe
Ontiveros] has the One-Niner Diner.”
Borgsmiller suggested the chilaquiles for
breakfast.
Celebrating 20 years is giving Borgsmiller
and the team “an opportunity to
look back. We have had a lot of employees,
and looking back on 20 years, we have
been involved and given back to the community
that has given us so much.”
As a part of the Paso Robles community,
ACI Jet offers more than just charter
jet flights to the few who can afford it.
The company provides economic vitality
to the entire Paso Robles community.
“That is a place we have a huge impact,”
ACI Jet Director of Marketing and Communications
John Tucker said. “Most of the
companies who own the planes we operate
are out of the Bay Area, Montecito, and
others. We are a huge tax generator. When
someone parks a million-dollar piece of
property at Paso Robles, that revenue helps
everyone. We also provide mechanics and
engineers head of household jobs.”
Some of ACI Jet’s charter clients also
boost the Paso Robles economy after
leaving the tarmac.
“Being a tourist destination, we have
a lot of smaller planes and they fly in for
the weekend,” Tucker said. “They go to
events, restaurants, and shop.”
ACI Jet also continues to support the
community by giving direct financial contributions
to local charitable groups, and
volunteer hours.
With the impending closure of Diablo
Canyon on everyone’s mind, it is companies
like ACI Jet that are working to
strengthen the Central Coast economy
— but even ACI Jet will feel the impact.
“PG&E aircraft fly out of SLO daily,”
Borgsmiller said. “With PG&E leaving,
we wonder how that will impact local
flights, but the growth in our maintenance
we are building up sources of revenue
and jobs in both [SLO and Paso
Robles] airports. We are not a Diablo
Canyon, but we can do our little part.”
Paso Robles organizations and companies
continue to do their part as well. Much
of the business ACI Jet sees at the Paso Robles
Airport is attributed to the equestrian
industry. With Paso Robles Horse Park
earning the 2017 Beautification of the Year
Award from the Paso Robles Chamber of
Commerce, it goes to strengthen our community
as a worldwide destination.
“We [also] work a great deal to support
the military in Paso Robles,” Borgsmiller
said, “with Hunter Liggett, and as Camp
Roberts has seen more activity, we have
helped them out of Paso. It is cool to
work with those guys, because they do so
many interesting projects.”
20 FACTS FOR 20 YEARS
1. More than $1 Million in Charitable
Contributions
2. More than $22 Million in Federal Tax
Contributions
3. More than $10 Million in California Tax
Contributions
4. More than $14 Million in Property Taxes
5. More than $60 Million in Payroll
Distributions
6. More than 30.3M Statute Miles Flown
on ACI Jet Aircraft
– Venus is 25.7M Statute Miles from Earth
7. More than 102,000 Passengers Flown
– Dodgers Stadium Seats 56,000
8. More than 49,000 Flights
9. 645 Hours on Employee Flight
Department Aircraft
10. More than 8,000 Maintenance Work Orders
Completed
11. More than 230,000 Hours Worked on Aircraft
12. More than 4,500 Hours of Factory
and/or FAA-Approved Maintenance Training
13. Factory-Trained Technicians for 30 Business
Jet Models
14. More than 50 Military Operations Supported
15. More than 200,000 Gallons of Ice Loaded
onto Aircraft
– 104 Cement Trucks (9.5-cu-yard/ea)
16. More than 18,000 Miles of Aircraft Towing
17. More than 41 Million Gallons of
Jet-A Uplifted
18. More than 1.2 Million Gallons of Fuel Uplifted
in Support of California Wildfire Defense
19. More than 1.5 Million Gallons of Fuel
Uplifted in Support of Military Operations
20. More than $20 million in aircraft parts
inventory purchased
BOX BEAMS BOOK SHELVING
32 PASO Magazine, February 2018