News
DART on target with management changes
March 4, 2011 By Carey Fredericks
March 4, 2011, Oceanside, Ca. - DART Helicopter Services has announced a change in the company’s leadership. Additionally, Jeff Shapiro and Ron Gladnick have sold their investment interest in the business to DART’s existing shareholders.
Mike O’Reilly, President of Eagle Copters, Ltd., in Calgary, Alta., has succeeded Jeff Shapiro as DART’s President and CEO. Shapiro will continue to work with DART in an advisory and transition capacity. O’Reilly will remain with Eagle Copters in addition to assuming his new responsibilities at DART. Steve Joseph will continue to serve as DART’s Chief Operating Officer.
“Looking back at what these guys have accomplished is remarkable,” said O’Reilly. “Jeff and Ron have truly left a positive mark on this industry, and our catalogue speaks volumes.”
“We all thank Jeff for his vision, commitment to excellence and consistent hard work, and wish him the best in his retirement,” said O’Reilly. “He led DART Helicopter Services to become a global presence in the helicopter aftermarket industry in a very short time, and we intend to follow his founding principles by expanding our markets, increasing our product lines and improving our comprehensive technical capabilities and customer support services in the future, just as DART has done for the last decade under Jeff’s outstanding leadership. Our focus will always be on product excellence and customer satisfaction that Jeff emphasized so completely.”
“Ron, the founder of Apical, also deserves credit that’s hard to put into words,” continued O’Reilly. “His entrepreneurial vision has given us many of the unique products that have revolutionized helicopter emergency floatation systems, systems that have helped make DHS the successful company that it is today.”
Shapiro and Gladnick will be in the DART exhibit during Heli-Expo to wish all their friends a farewell. Customers, media representatives and other visitors are welcome to visit the DART Helicopter Services exhibit, No. 4628, at Heli-Expo 2011 in the Orange County Convention Center, Orlando, Fla., March 6-8.
