Leadership

Growing a business takes drive, passion and determination.  Over fifty years ago, AirBorn was founded to manufacture electronic connectors for use in aircraft.  Two years later, there were 12 employees and the company occupied just 1,100 sq. ft.  Today, we are a highly-diversified manufacturing company employing roughly 1,400 people worldwide in nine plants with over 300,000 sq. ft. of manufacturing space.  

Leaders chart an effective course into the future even when industry and market uncertainty make for difficult decisions.  AirBorn is fortunate to have such expert leadership – throughout its history and into the present.

“Do not go where the path may lead, go instead where there is no path and leave a trail.” — Ralph Waldo Emerson  

Cindy Lewis, CEO

Ms. Lewis has served as President and Chief Executive Officer since 1998. She joined AirBorn in 1986 serving in multiple roles, including VP of Mat

More »

Ms. Lewis has served as President and Chief Executive Officer since 1998. She joined AirBorn in 1986 serving in multiple roles, including VP of Materials Management, VP of Manufacturing, and Chief Operating Officer.  Ms. Lewis has over 30 years of relevant industry experience including management positions with Gerber Scientific and Tobacco Sales Distribution.  She serves as President for the Southwest Chapter of the ESOP Association and advisory board member for The CEO Institute. Ms. Lewis has also served as an advisory board member for BBVA Compass Bank and Faradox Energy Storage.  She holds a BBA from the University of Texas at Arlington and a Certificate of Professional Development from Wharton.

Michael Cuff, CTO and Sr. VP - Engineering/New Product Development

Mr. Cuff joined AirBorn as a machined parts inspector in 1963. In 1992, Mr. Cuff was named SVP of Engineering and CTO. He has over 50 years of rele

More »

Mr. Cuff joined AirBorn as a machined parts inspector in 1963. In 1992, Mr. Cuff was named SVP of Engineering and CTO. He has over 50 years of relevant industry experience and has served multiple roles throughout his career at AirBorn including manufacturing management, materials/purchasing /inventory management, sales and marketing management and manufacturing/industrial engineering management, tooling and automation, product design and quality control management.  Mr. Cuff studied Mechanical Engineering and Mathematics at the University of Texas at Arlington and Studio Art at Southwestern University in Georgetown.

Robert McGahan, CFO

Mr. McGahan joined AirBorn as a CFO in 2009. He has over 20 years of relevant industry experience. Prior to joining AirBorn Mr. McGahan has served

More »

Mr. McGahan joined AirBorn as a CFO in 2009. He has over 20 years of relevant industry experience. Prior to joining AirBorn Mr. McGahan has served multiple roles throughout his career at Coca-Cola, and Dell, Inc.  Mr. McGahan holds a BA and an MBA from the University of Mississippi and is a Certified Public Accountant.

Robert Kleinschmidt - Sr. VP - Sales and Marketing

Robert Kleinschmidt joined AirBorn as a Senior Vice President, Sales & Marketing in 2014 and leads the sales, customer service, and marketing team
More »
Robert Kleinschmidt joined AirBorn as a Senior Vice President, Sales & Marketing in 2014 and leads the sales, customer service, and marketing teams and activities for AirBorn.  Prior to joining AirBorn, Robert has worked in various sales, marketing, and general management roles at Panduit Corp and TE Connectivity, including extensive international experience working out of Singapore, Hong Kong, and London. Robert holds a BS in Mechanical Engineering and an Executive MBA from London Business School.

Viki Besch, CHRO, Senior VP - HR

In the long run, it's people who make your company a success.  Managing that resource takes experience and strength.  Viki Besch has been at
More »
In the long run, it's people who make your company a success.  Managing that resource takes experience and strength.  Viki Besch has been at the helm of our HR department for over 10 years, keeping our workforce robust and cultivating loyalty.

Viki is a member of the Society for Human Resource Management and holds the certification of SPHR (Senior Professional in Human Resources.) She is also a Six Sigma certified Green Belt.  Viki earned her BA and MBA from Concordia University.

Bill Pitchford, VP – International Business

Bill joined AirBorn in 1999 as Director of International Sales & Marketing and was promoted in 2006 to Vice President of International Business wi
More »
Bill joined AirBorn in 1999 as Director of International Sales & Marketing and was promoted in 2006 to Vice President of International Business with responsibility for our international distribution network and AirBorn Sales Teams.  Bill is also Managing Director of our manufacturing location in the UK, supporting our successful and continued expansion into the European market.  Previously, Bill was Managing Director of a competing connector company and has vast experience in connector and cable assembly markets.

Trained in mechanical engineering, Bill has brought many years of international sales and marketing experience to drive AirBorn’s worldwide growth.

Bob Guck, Division President - Little Falls

Bob joined Central Minnesota Tool (CMT) in Little Falls, MN in 1999 serving as the Controller/CFO. Following AirBorn's purchase of CMT in 2007, h
More »
Bob joined Central Minnesota Tool (CMT) in Little Falls, MN in 1999 serving as the Controller/CFO. Following AirBorn's purchase of CMT in 2007, he moved into the role of Division President. Having been involved in manufacturing for over 30 years, serving in the finance and general business management roles, Bob is an expert in his field.  He holds a technical degree in Finance.

Chris Wegmann, VP - Corporate Strategic Program Management and Chief Compliance Officer

Chris Wegmann began his career at AirBorn over 12 years ago as our Plant Manager in Addison, TX.  He was promoted to VP - Manufacturing five year
More »
Chris Wegmann began his career at AirBorn over 12 years ago as our Plant Manager in Addison, TX.  He was promoted to VP - Manufacturing five years later and now leads our Program Management team as well as maintaining our legal compliance.  Prior to AirBorn, Chris honed his manufacturing and plant management skills at places like Aavid Thermalloy, Dart Manufacturing and Swift Cor.  He graduated from the U.S. Military Academy at West Point and served in the U.S. Army as an Infantry Platoon Leader, Company Commander, and Battalion and Brigade Air Operations Officer before beginning his civilian life.

Chris is a member of the International Compliance Professionals Association (ICPA), the International Association for Contract & Commercial Management (IACCM), and the Society for International Affairs (SIA).

1
Customize Your Solution

AirBorn will work with you to design and build a product to your specifications.

Learn More
AirBorn History

Find the Chronicles of AirBorn, complete with vintage photos, via this link:

Take Me There