Leadership

Growing a business takes drive, passion and determination.  Over 60 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 1,500 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

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

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Cindy has served as President and Chief Executive Officer of AirBorn since 1998. She joined AirBorn in 1986 serving in multiple roles including VP of Materials Management, VP of Manufacturing, and Chief Operating Officer.  Cindy has over 30 years of 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 & Sr. VP – Engineering/New Product Development

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

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

Michael Cole, COO

Mike is a seasoned executive with 30+ years in the passive electronic, connectors, cable assembly market place. Most recently, Mike served as Presi

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Mike is a seasoned executive with 30+ years in the passive electronic, connectors, cable assembly market place. Most recently, Mike served as President and Minority Owner of Meritec Inc. and Senior VP and GM of Data Communications for TE Connectivity. In October 2016, Mike came on board at AirBorn as Chief Operating Officer. Mike earned a B.S. in Business Administration & Marketing from West Virginia University.

Bill McManus, CFO

Bill joined AirBorn in 2009 and currently serves as VP of Finance and Chief Financial Officer. Bill has over 26 years of finance and accounting exp

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Bill joined AirBorn in 2009 and currently serves as VP of Finance and Chief Financial Officer. Bill has over 26 years of finance and accounting experience.  Prior to joining AirBorn, he served in a variety of technical and operational finance roles during 14 years at Dell Inc. and 4 years at IBM. Bill earned a BBA in Accounting from the University of Texas at Austin and is a Certified Public Accountant in the state of Texas.

Robert Kleinschmidt, Sr. VP – Sales & Marketing

Robert Kleinschmidt joined AirBorn as a Senior Vice President, Sales & Marketing in 2014 and leads the sales, customer service, and marketing team
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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).

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AirBorn History

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