Taking Flight: Navigating Industry Changes with Metro Aviation

The 2020 pandemic has drastically changed the business landscape and put the medical aviation industry under the spotlight. When COVID hit, air services became an essential service to give access to healthcare across urban and rural areas alike and they have remained at the forefront of business preoccupations since.

Case in point: in 2022, NASA launched a new mission to research and gather data on advanced air mobility. If they reach their ambitions, in five years technologies like air taxis and drones will be integrated into public services.

So today, we get to the heart of the aviation industry, to understand where it’s been, where it’s going, and how to navigate the changes ahead. And we hear the story of Metro Aviation, the largest private air medical operator in the United States, and a family business like no other.

With Todd Stanberry, vice president and co-owner, we dive into 40 years of business history and build a roadmap for a dense and fast-changing business landscape. We discuss strategies to hone your business expertise and keep a competitive edge and find out how to balance business tradition with leadership development and technological integration.

Tune in with host Ari Marin and Todd today and get ready for take off.

Highlights:

The early days of Metro Aviation (3:39)
How Mike Stanberry booked his first jobs (6:51)
Metro’s launch into air medical services (8:51)
When Todd joined the family business (11:13)
Navigating a dense market – the case of medical aviation (14:38)
Specialization as a competitive edge (18:41)
Metro Aviation’s completion expertise (20:56)
How to balance traditional leadership while embracing the future (22:55)
Connecting with the talent inside your ranks (25:08)
“I don't have a crystal ball, but I can tell you what needs to change.” (27:49)
The future of aviation is electric (29:35)
Todd’s personal aspiration for years to come (31:45)

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Read the full show transcript.

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Meet the Host

Ari Marin, SVP, Family Enterprise Advisor, Cadence Asset Management & Trust and the new host of Cadence Bank’s In Good Companies (IGC) podcast, says his idea of “good company” is being around creative, insightful people who enjoy sharing personal stories about the things that helped make them successful.

From 9 to 5, Marin is a Cadence Bank senior vice president and family wealth strategist, whose specialty is consulting with family-owned and small businesses. Now, he’s squeezing in IGC hosting duties, bringing in a new voice and fresh perspectives.

As a lawyer with a master’s in taxation from Villanova, Marin holds his own in the business world. But hosting IGC gives him a new way of engaging with entrepreneurs and experts to learn smart ideas and new ways of doing things.

Outside the office, Marin is a history fan and podcast aficionado who loves reading and exercising with his two dogs: Friday–aka “the angel”--and Mahla, the stubborn Shih Tzu with selective hearing.

Meet the Speaker

Todd Stanberry is Vice President of Metro Aviation, Inc. Though having grown up around helicopters and airplanes, Todd joined the company in 2008 after 13 years in commercial real estate. Todd loves coming to work and gets to wear a lot of hats, including riveting things like contract negotiation and administration and responding to potential customers’ requests for proposals. But, his big focus is ensuring the Metro family – both immediate and extended – all have the tools they need to be the absolute best at what they do.

Todd earned his bachelor’s from Louisiana State University in Shreveport. He is a former board member of the Association of Air Medical Services, the MedEvac Foundation International, Past President of the Board of Trustees for Southfield School, Past President of the Downtown Shreveport Lions Club and an active member of Noel Memorial United Methodist Church. Todd and his beautiful (and extremely tolerant) wife Michaela have been married for 22 years. They have two teenage children, Mathis (16) and Quinn (13), so they appreciate your prayers.

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