Newspapers / Piedmont Aviation Employee Newsletter / Oct. 1, 1986, edition 1 / Page 7
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Pi's success has roots deep in our past Since deregulation of the airline industry in 1978, Piedmont has grown dramatically. We now serve more cities east of the Mississip pi than any other airline, and next year, we hope to carry our banner across the Atlantic to London. But Piedmont's success story began long be fore 1978. The company was founded 46 years ago by T.H. Davis who, in 1940. purchased Camel City Flying Service and changed its name to Piedmont. Piedmont has grown stead ily over the years, due in a large part to its solid base of employees, people who have made Pied mont and caring one in the sanie. Four hundred and forty-nine of these em ployees were honored October 2 at the Annual Service Awards Banquet held at the Benton Convention Center in Winston-Salem. Tivo em ployees. both now retired, were recognized for 45 years of service. Howard Cartwright, vice president-maintenance and engineering, and Joe Fix. manager-shop maintenance. GSO. both began with Piednwnt in 1941. Other hon- orees included 19 employees with 35 years of service. 54 with 30 years. 96 ivith 25 years. 209 with 20 years, and 69 with 15 years. Following is a brief sketch of what Piedmont was like when these people Joined the conipany. AjOi/u£. 1941: Piedmont’s roots number of employees: 25 net income: $1,642 Piedmont Aviation was incorporated July 2, 1940 as an aircraft sales and service operation. All stock in the company was privately held. At that time. Piedmont obtained a lease to conduct its business at the Winston-Salem Municipal Air port. now know as the Smith Reynolds Airport, and received distributor franchises from Piper Aircraft Corporation and from Stinson Aircraft. Until the outbreak of World War II. Piedmont was active in aircraft sales and service, flight training, and aircraft repair and engine overhaul. The company’s primary and advanced flying schools were approved by the Civil Aeronautics Administration in 1940, and the repair and over haul facilities were approved by the same agency in 1941, making Piedmont the only repair station between Washington, D.C., and Atlanta, GA. BtfiEomim were placed into effect in every department, and the Board of Directors adopted the company’s first profit-sharing retirement plan. On January 28, 1952, the CAB issued a report recommending a ten-year renewal of our certifi cate. the longest period ever recommended for a local service carrier. 1956; a bright new era number of employees: 900 total revenues: $7.5 million net income: $50,281 In 1956, Piedmont announced an order for 12 new F-27 prop-jets at a cost of $540,000 each, with options for 12 more. The company moved to a new headquarters building and maintenance hangar complex. That building now houses Employee Services, and the hangar is part of GAG’s operations. That year, the CAB began processing our appli cation to extend service to Chicago (we finally inaugurated service on December 1, 1969), and we filed a new application for service between DCA and CVG. For the year, we achieved the highest load factor to date in our history —52.83 percent. In addition, we expanded the facilities for Fixed Base and established a new employee retirement plan. 1966: Piedmont joins the jet age number of employees: 2,300 total revenues: $43 million net income; $1.5 million The year 1966 was "an outstanding year not only in earnings, but also in route development, financing, employment, eciuipment, purchases, sales and the establishment of several Company and industry records,” Til. Davis rejjortcd to stockholders. Early in the year, we ordered six 737-200s with an option for six more, the largest pure-jct order-and-options agreement in the local scrvicc airline industry. The price of the six aircralt, along with spare parts, groimd support cc|uip- mcnt, and a llight simulator, totaled $25 million. The number of seats on each aircraft —90. In April, Piedmont announced the purchase of 10 FH-227B twin-propjet aircraft which seated 44 each, and in October, the YS-11 was ilown to Winston-Salem for a demonstration. A new advertising campaign, "Route of the Pacemakers,” was introduced early in tlie year, and Piedmont began service on November 15 to New York (IXIA). In December, Piedmont and the Forsyth County Airport Commission announced plans for a $1 million expansion program at Smith Reynolds Airport. The building, completed in 1968, became our headquarters. 1 1946: an airline still a dream number of employees: 150 net income $283 During the World War II years. Piedmont devoted its entire efforts to the war program through government-contracted flight training schools. In 1944 Piedmont had filed an applica tion with the Civil Aeronautics Board (CAB) re questing authorization to conduct scheduled local service operations in the Southeast. It wasn’t until April 4, 1947 that the CAB issued its opin ion in what became known as the Southeastern States Case which included the selection of Pied mont to operate an airline. The case was ap pealed, then reconfirmed on December 12, 1947. 1951: our record—“outstanding” number of employees: 531 total revenues: $3.9 million net income: $144,562.76 The year 1951 was by far the most successful for both the airline division and the fixed base division in Piedmont’s 11-year history. Boardings rose 53.21 percent to 189,831, and RPMs in creased to 44,379,426. Our fleet grew to 10 DC- 3s, each equipped with 24 seats. In recognition of the enthusiastic and coopera tive effort of Piedmont employees, wage increases ftfomon T:, HiftLwes 1961; satisfactory progress number of employees: 1,317 total revenues: $8.4 million net income: $473,089 Earnings were the best ever in 1961. During the year, we inaugurated service between ORF and TYS. To handle our growth, we opened a new maintenance facility and a crew base for pilots and flight attendants at ROA. Rondo Gregory, a security guard who had been with the company since 1946, became the first person to retire from Piedmont. At the annual stockholders meeting in May, Piedmont declared its first stock dividend. ”Ask Me About PX” be came the new sales slogan referring to the Pied mont Excursion Plan. In August we entered into a contract with TWA to purchase all of its re maining fleet of 17 Martin 404s and its entire inventory of spare parts for $3,250,000. 1971: “the turnaround year” number of employees 3,123 total revenues; $98.2 million net income; $819,333 In 1970, Piedmont had lost $2.6 million, due primarily to ’’depressed business conditions,” T.H. Davis, Piedmont's president, reported in the 1971 annual report. ”We are very pleased to report that for Piedmont, 1971 was indeed a ’turnaround year’ in that our company experienced a reversal of the downward trends in business and profits which has prevailed during recent years.” On Valentine’s Day, Piedmont joined citizens of Onslow County to dedicate the new Jacksonville (OAJ) airport. In May, the Central Reservations Office (CRO) opened in Winston-Salem with 335 agents. CRO handled over 300,000 calls that first month. In July, Piedmont became the first U,S, carrier to sign for a collision avoidance system. A letter of intent was signed with McDonnell Douglas for a time-frequency device called EROS II. Also dur ing the summer, flight attendants began wearing new uniforms and by the fall, a jacket dress en semble had become available for female station agents. A new advertising campaign with the slogan ”Lx)ok where we’re going” was introduced in August, and at FAY, Piedmont began experiment ing with curbside check-in for passengers. On November 28, the Sunday following Thanksgiving, Piedmont set a new single-day boarding record, enplaning 12,256 passengers.
Piedmont Aviation Employee Newsletter
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Oct. 1, 1986, edition 1
7
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