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www.AviationPros.com 35 T he summer after Daniel Walker graduated from high school in 2000, he worked as an electrician apprentice for a com- mercial electrical company. The first job site that he was assigned to was the construction of a four-bay hangar for a major airline at McGhee Tyson Airport. "It was thrilling to be working just off the runway and watching all the planes arrive and depart. I knew that aviation would be a field that I would love and I began to contemplate whether my plans of attending a four-year university was the best thing for my career. I soon set up a visit to tour an A&P; school and changed my college plans and enrolled to receive my A&P; license. The decision I made as an 18 year old has turned out to be one that I have never regretted and am extremely thankful for." Walker has been employed at StandardAero Maryville (TN) for 15 years, staring at the age of 20. He is currently the operations manager for the APU LRU and AE3007 third-party repair depart- ment. He manages a team of 19 technicians and schedules day-to- day production tasks to meet or exceed customer expectations. Walker attended North Central Institute, Clarksville, TN, and received A&P;/associate's degree. Additional training includes Leadership Tools for Manufacturing Managers at the University of Tennessee Knoxville and Kaizen Facilitator Training at StandardAero Cincinnati. He credits his grandfather, an electri- cian for being a mentor and a role model by showing him the "values of work ethic and treating everyone with the utmost respect. Growing up I was fortunate to frequently see him interact with his direct employees and customers. His selfless and caring atti- tude made him well respected and trusted by everyone. It was a great example for me to follow as I pursued into my aviation career." He was awarded StandardAero Maryville's first "LEAP" award in November 2015 which recognizes the manager that displays excellence in leadership, education, achievement, and personal growth. He was nominated by Leon Dodd Jr, director of quality, StandardAero: "After only a year on the job, he was selected to be trained as a test cell operator and eventually became the singular test cell trainer in 2005. Daniel received a promotion to the role of operations manager in 2010, becoming the youngest person to fill this role at StandardAero Maryville at the age of 28. He managed a motivated, high achieving team in the build cell for an MRO that achieved industry leading marks." His career goals are to obtain more knowledge and experi- ence to ensure growth and longevity for the Maryville facility. DANIEL L. WALKER APU LRU/AE3007 3rd Party Operations Manager, 36, StandardAero, Maryville, TN W hat started as a summer job has turned into 15 years. "What has led me to stay in the industry are the people," Steinbeck says. "I enjoy meeting new people and developing relationships with individuals across the sector. I always welcome the oppor- tunity to learn about the challenges that they face and take great satisfaction in developing solutions that respond to their needs." His principal mentor has always been his father, Dennis Steinbeck, who he worked with for 10 years at Avtrak. "He was always there when I needed advice. He is an exceptional leader and motivator. He has a natural ability to work with and lead the people around him. I continue to draw inspiration from his leadership style." Steinbeck worked at Avtrak from 2002 until the company was sold to CAMP Systems. During that time, he spent several years in the customer support and training departments before transitioning into sales. By the end, he was leading the North American sales team. After that, he joined Mayo Aviation, a Part- 135 operator in Denver, as director of sales. In 2014, he joined TRAXXALL and returned to the maintenance tracking business. Initially, he ran sales in the Western U.S., and then was promoted to president, in charge of sales and customer support. Since then, TRAXXALL has grown from nine to more than 50 employees. In 2016, Steinbeck was named one of Wings magazine's "Top 20 Under 40". This year, he was named to the National Business Aviation Association (NBAA) Maintenance Committee. He is a member of NBAA, Westchester Aircraft Maintenance Association, Professional Aviation Maintenance Association, and Colorado Aviation Business Association. He says he has been fortunate to work for organizations that offer paid internships. "I greatly appreciate the opportunity to share some of my experiences with young people interested in joining our industry. I strongly believe that sales skills are virtu- ally impossible to teach in an academic environment and that real-life work experience is the best way to develop such talent. Also, I am a strong supporter of the NBAA's TRACS scholarship program and I'm happy to say that TRAXXALL is a sponsor." As for the future, Steinbeck says, "I always wanted to run a company that makes a positive contribution to the industry. However, my personality prevents me from becoming com- placent. So, today, my goal is to grow and further develop TRAXXALL. We have a great team and I want to continue to expand it. I also want our company to be a great place to work so that our employees can support their families and pursue their dreams." MARK STEINBECK President, 34, TRAXXALL Technologies, Montreal, Quebec