Steve Smestad, President & CEO |
 With over 30 years experience in aviation, Steve Smestad founded AirFleet Capital, Inc. in 1994. Born and raised in “Big Sky Country” he received his MBA in Finance from the University of Montana. Steve has been involved in aviation and financing his entire career and has held numerous positions with aircraft manufacturers including sales, contracts, customer support and finance. He served as President, CEO and Member of the Board for a multi-billion dollar aerospace manufacturer and has been involved with the launch and delivery of new aircraft to the market. Steve is an active member of several aviation associations including AOPA, ABS, as well as a Lifetime Member of EAA. An avid flying enthusiast with a passion for general aviation, Steve is an instrument-rated pilot who began flying with his Dad in 1958. Steve now resides in Virginia where he and his wife Kathy have raised their two sons.
Click here to email: steve@airfleetcapital.com
|
|
Jim Blessing, Vice President |
 Jim has spent the better part of his career flying and/or working in the field of aviation. Jim earned his BS in Aviation from Florida Institute of Technology and has been a private pilot since 1988. This, along with his background in finance, helped prepare Jim for his position as a CFO for an airline maintenance and air charter company. Jim was a manager of an aviation security division which provided services to the commercial airline industry. Besides the private sector, Jim also has a government aviation background. He was a program administrator for DoD and United Nations projects in Canada, Africa, the Caribbean and South America. Jim is a proud member of EAA and AOPA. Aviation is also a family pastime, as Jim’s wife, Cathy, is also a pilot holding instrument and seaplane ratings.
Click here to email: jim@airfleetcapital.com
|
|
Natalie Sweeney, Office Manager |
 As one of AirFleet Capital’s first employees, Natalie is one of our greatest contract and financial resources. She received her B.S. in the field of Business Administration and has spent her career working in the aviation industry, with much of this time in the financial field. Previous work experience and her long history at AirFleet make Natalie our go-to at the office on a daily basis.
Click here to email: natalie@airfleetcapital.com
|
|
Sean Reinbeau, Relationship Manager/Operations |
 Sean brings 10 years' experience as a credit analyst and commercial lender to AirFleet’s underwriting team. He earned a Bachelor of Science in Finance from Indiana University in 1991. After graduating, he worked as a loan review analyst in Indianapolis, and then moved to Chicago where he became the youngest commercial lender in his employer's history. After leaving banking he worked for a large fiber optic cabling distributor as a credit manager, where he moved to Northern Virginia to start and run a Federal Credit office which handled all of the company's federal business. Sean has also worked as a self-employed trader of stocks, options and futures and as a securities analyst for a former SEC regulator turned expert witness. Sean is an active member of Loudoun County Virginia's Certified Emergency Response Team (CERT) and also volunteered with the Humane Society after Hurricane Katrina, an experience which resulted in his recent acceptance on HSUS's NDART team. When not working or volunteering, Sean enjoys spending time with his wife and 3 boxers, and is an avid motorcyclist and hunter who looks forward to earning his pilots' license.
Click here to email: sean@airfleetcapital.com
|
|
Robin Hendrickson, Operations |
 Robin, a Northern Virginia native, received her financial training as a customer service representative with CitiFinancial. She has a long history of experience in credit review as well as multiple years working as a loan processor and loan closer. In the years that Robin has worked for AirFleet Capital she has been a part of initiatives to make the loan process more efficient and less paperwork-reliant. Robin resides in Northern Virginia with her husband Steve, her daughter Denise (a rising soccer star), and her pets Thundercat, Oshkosh (cat) and Taffy (dog).
Click here to email: robin@airfleetcapital.com
|
|
Kym Mick, Operations |
 A veteran member of our operations team, Kym is an experienced processor. She received her B.S. in Aviation Management along with her pilot training from THE Ohio State University and has since spent most of her career in the aviation industry. Working for the OSU Flight Department, Executive Jet, Landmark Aviation and Group Genesis, Inc., Kym has put her aviation degree to good use and gained experience that makes her uniquely qualified in facilitating aircraft transactions.
Click here to email: kym@airfleetcapital.com
|
|
Vika Bennett, Operations |
 Born and raised in Russia, Vika emigrated to the U.S. in 1995 to pursue a technical career. Her two masters’ degrees -- one in Electro-mechanical Engineering and the other in Technology Management – provide an exceptional background. However, her true passion – finance -- got the best of her and she found herself in the business world. Vika’s background includes diverse finance experience in payroll, tax prepararation, credit application review, and accounting. Recent work with an aviation company as a billing specialist brought her to AirFleet. Being fluent in Russian, Vika used to translate Russian scientific materials for the Geological Survey (USGS) and volunteer as an interpreter for scientists from Russia. Vika is married with two sons and loves playing the piano and oil painting in her free time.
Click here to email: Vika@airfleetcapital.com
|
|
Stephanie Farahmand, Operations |
 Stephanie is a Virginia resident who had more than eight years of previous experience as a loan processor and loan officer before joining AirFleet Capital. Her love of finance brought her to the aircraft financing field where she became a member of our operations team. Stephanie is also a certified massage therapist and likes to spend time with her family in her free time.
Click here to email: Stephanie Farahmand
|
|
Lezonne Hertz, Account Manager |
 One of our most long-term employees, Lezonne started at AirFleet part-time as an undergraduate in 1999. In 2004, she received her BA in Psychology from George Mason University and remained at AirFleet full-time. An original member of our Operations Team here, Lezonne has since joined the Sales and Marketing Team. As a skilled loan closer and processor, trade show veteran, customer sales and relationship manager - she does it all. Lezonne is also an EAA and AOPA member in the process of receiving her private pilot's license.
Click here to email: lezonne@airfleetcapital.com
|
|
Phil Haney, Account Manager |
 Hailing from the local Northern Virginia area, Phil has resided all over the country while pursuing his interest in aviation. Combining his love of flight with love of country, Phil attended the Air Force Academy and graduated in 2003. Earning his wings at the Academy, Phil attended Undergraduate Pilot Training at Laughlin Air Force Base in Del Rio Texas flying the T-37 and T-1. After leaving the service, Phil worked as a program manager for a biotech firm in Florida before realizing that his heart remained in aviation. Out of the service and back in Northern Virginia, Phil joined AirFleet’s sales and marketing team where he puts his aviation background to good use. In his free time, Phil enjoys spending time with his wife Sheena and their dog Burnside.
Click here to email: phil@airfleetcapital.com
|
|
Megan Darling, Marketing Assistant |
 Megan joined us full-time after her internship experiences with AirFleet in the summer and winter of 2006. She graduated in 2007 from Virginia Tech with a degree in Marketing Management and returned to be a part of our sales and marketing team. Though new to the field of aviation, Megan flew in her first small aircraft and light sport aircraft through experiences at AirFleet Capital and loved it.
Click here to email: megan@airfleetcapital.com
|
|
Doug Pendleton, Regional Sales Manager |
 Doug and his family live on a mini-farm just south of Atlanta, Georgia where he manages our southeast sales office. Prior to joining Airfleet Capital, Doug was a Regional Sales Manager representing new Piper aircraft in the Southeast United States for eight years. He is an accomplished commercial pilot with approximately 6000 hours in over 100 types of aircraft. Doug also holds CFI, CFII, MEI plus A&P certificates and enjoys recreational aerobatics. In addition to his aviation experience, Doug put his Business and Engineering degrees to good use, spending 13 years as a technologist & staff engineer with the Federal Government facilities in Oak Ridge, Tennessee. Doug and his wife Pam keep busy raising their three children and tending to a variety of horses and animals.
Click here to email: Doug@AirFleetCapital.com
|
|
Brandan Smestad, Business Development |
 Brandan joined AirFleet Capital's Sales and Marketing team after his internship experiences with the company in 2005. After graduating in 2007 from Virginia Tech with a degree in Marketing Management, he joined us full time to spearhead our business development program. Growing up around aviation and continuing his involvement in the industry at AirFleet Capital, Brandan is now in the process of receiving his private pilot's license.
Click here to email: Brandan@AirFleetCapital.com
|
|
Natalie Murphy, Administrative Assistant |
 A native of Fredericksburg, Virginia, Natalie is in charge of managing our frontline operations as the voice of AirFleet Capital. She handles all the calls that come into the office and also the post-closing responsibilities of filing appropriate FAA paperwork and continuing customer communication. Previous work experience includes Landmark Aviation, where Natalie first joined the aviation field. After briefly living in Virginia Beach, Natalie moved to Northern Virginia after her boyfriend completed his service in the Navy. She is also a full-time student pursuing a degree in Business Administration.
Click here to email: nmurphy@airfleetcapital.com
|
|
Elizabeth Wright, Accounting |
 Elizabeth provides the accounting expertise for AirFleet Capital. Along with her history of experience in bookkeeping, Elizabeth also possesses an affinity for aviation, which suits her perfectly at AirFleet. She and her family are members of the flying community as proud Mooney owners and enjoy attending aviation events and other recreational activities on their weekend outings.
Click here to email: elizabeth@airfleetcapital.com
|
|
