GLI Pool Products’ CEO Conducts Business on Fly
YOUNGSTOWN, Ohio -- Having to wait to go through airport security inspired Gary Crandall to do his own flying.
As he stood in the security line at LaGuardia Airport in 2008 for the return trip from a vacation weekend, Crandall turned to a friend, a pilot, and asked why they were putting up with the screenings when the pilot could fly them home. He suggested renting aircraft for such weekends.
It isn’t that easy, his friend responded, because of the lack of planes to rent in Youngstown and the need for renters’ insurance, among other factors.
“So I said, ‘Fine, teach me to fly and I’ll do the rest,’ ” he recalls. Two days later, he booked a Cessna 172 from Western Reserve Flight Center at Youngstown/Warren Regional Airport and took his first flight lesson. He then flew every day the next five months, weather permitting, and received his pilot’s certificate.
Crandall, president and CEO of GLI Pool Products in Youngstown, now flies extensively for his business.
“I fly anywhere in North America now,” he says. “I visit customers in Boston, New York City, Charlotte, Toronto, Orlando, New Orleans, Dallas, Los Angeles, Las Vegas, Chicago and all points in between.”
In fact, he responded to questions for this story as he was in the midst of a three-week road trip – make that air trip – to five cities.
Over the years, he has logged 1,100 hours of flight time. “Honestly, that is more than a lot of commercial pilots,” he remarks.
Starting out with a Piper Archer two weeks after his first flight lesson, Crandall has changed planes a couple of times and now flies a pressurized, turbine-powered, six-passenger Piper Meridian acquired in July 2011. “I typically fly it at 27,000 to 28,000 feet in altitude,” he relates, “which gets me over most of the weather.”
The advantages of having his own aircraft are endless, Crandall says. Living just 10 minutes away from the regional airport, where his plane is hangared, he can be in the air 45 minutes after leaving his driveway. “No security lines. That’s a big one for me and my passengers,” he says.
“Also, I can typically get into airports nearer my destination than the commercial guys can,” he continues. “I can hit three or four cities in three days and be back home, or I can fly to Chicago, have three meetings and be home for dinner.”
However, he also has to stay sharp and rested “and I have to be Stan Boney,” he remarks. “It is very important to stay in touch with changing weather conditions.” Although he also has to make sure to maintain the plane, “like any other hobby, I enjoy that.”
Crandall’s Piper now is in the new T-Hangar at the regional airport.
“The bones of our airport – the tower, the instrument approaches, the runways and taxiways – are surpassed nowhere,” he says. “It is a fantastic facility. Easy in and out. Great location. We really have it all.”
Well, all except hangar space, he laments. “I have never been to an airport the size of Youngstown that has fewer hangar options for private planes,” he says. “It is a shame as it is otherwise a great facility.”
The new hangar is the first to be built at the airport in years, and lack of infrastructure funds inhibits further hangar development. “That is the problem that has caused many private planes to vacate the field for other options,” he says.
EDITOR'S NOTE: First published in the October edition of The Business Journal.
Copyright 2013 The Business Journal, Youngstown, Ohio.
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