“We were literally two guys in
a garage when we started our company,” remarked
Larry Heilbron on the humble start to the company he
and his partner, Terry Turner, founded a few months
after 9/11. They had each just lost their jobs at
an aircraft refurbishing company and rather than
take another job offered in West Palm Beach and have
to pack up his family, Heilbron asked Turner if he
wanted to go into business together. Turner agreed
and with an initial investment of $1,000 each, they
started Interiors in Flight, Inc., a custom
manufacturing company specializing in aircraft
interior refurbishment. The challenges were many
for these entrepreneurs who launched their first
business in mid-life, after many years of being
employees. “Like I always said, we know how to do
airplanes but we didn’t know how to run a business,”
said Heilbron. Coincidentally, he saw an ad in the
newspaper for the SBDC at UCF’s Advisory Board
Council. “I thought the program could help us,”
said Heilbron. Although the company had just
reached the program’s minimum annual revenue
requirement of $500,000 at the close of 2005,
Interiors was accepted into the program and a board
was formed to address the company’s needs. Experts
in sales and marketing, finance, strategy,
operations, and management comprised their board of
advisors. Heilbron and Turner have grown and
thrived as managers with the support and mentoring
of the program. “Every time that we’ve had a
question or an issue the advisory board is always
there. It’s so priceless to have people that are
professionals advise us,” commented Heilbron. And
yet a board member recently remarked that one of the
partners’ greatest keys to success is that they are
receptive to the advice and input of the board.
When Interiors In Flight became
a client of the Advisory Board Council in early
2006, they had revenues of $500,000 and seven
full-time employees working in a 4,000 sq. ft.
production facility. By the close of 2007, the
company had experienced a dramatic growth spurt.
Revenues rose to nearly $1 million and staff
increased to 17 full time employees in order to
manage the volume. Moreover, the company moved into
a larger production facility and now operates out of
a 6,500 sq. ft. workshop in an Orlando industrial
park. Yet the changes in the company run much
deeper than numbers alone. “How we look at the
business is different now,” said Heilbron. “Before
we were always putting out fires. Now we prevent
them so they don’t even start.” Turner added,
“We’re more involved in planning the business now.
The board has helped us in a lot of ways to make
better decisions for the company.”
As an FAA approved repair
station, Interiors in Flight offers refurbishment
and repairs for executive and corporate aircraft.
Their services comprise full service interior
modifications and refurbishment and may include:
upholstery, cabinetry, carpets, paint, paneling, and
all interior soft goods on the plane. The firm’s
high quality refurbishment covers the cabin,
cockpit, lavatories, galleys and even the cargo
holds. Interiors in Flight counts as its customers
many of the major aircraft manufacturers in the
business including Cessna, B/E Aerospace, and
Gulfstream.
Since going through the
Advisory Board Council program Heilbron and Turner
now see the business in a different light.
"We've definitely matured as business owners,"
commented Turner. "We have a new confidence
now. Instead of looking at the business as
just a paycheck, it's where our future is.
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Larry Heilbron, Jill Kaufman and Terry
Tuner
“We’re more involved in planning the business
now. The board has helped us in a lot of
ways to make better decisions for the company.”
“We have a new confidence now. Instead of
looking at the business as just a paycheck, it’s
where our future is.”
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