Leave it to a transportation company to maximize the advantages of business aviation. For Harvey N. Gainey, II, the founder, chairman and CEO of Gainey Corporation, business aircraft have been indispensable tools in managing the rapid expansion of his privately held firm. Since starting out in a rented, 15-foot by 15-foot office in September 1984, Gainey Corporation, which is headquartered in Grand Rapids, Michigan, has grown into a $300-million business that includes four trucking companies, an equipment leasing firm and a freight brokerage.

The CEO, who was named Michigan Entrepreneur of the Year in 1997, says that his company's two business aircraft--a Raytheon Hawker 800XP based in Grand Rapids and a Cessna CitationJet based in Somerset, Kentucky--have allowed him and his top executives to directly supervise all of Gainey Corporation's far-flung operations as the company has expanded.

"Growth is highly desirable," said Harvey Gainey." However, growth must be limited by our ability to manage effectively and to provide the same level of excellent service to all customers, old and new. We are probably the best example of how corporate aircraft can assist in the management of an organization, particularly one that is strung out all over the country," he declared.

Harvey Gainey believes his primary responsibilities as chief executive are to chart the company's future and motivate his employees. The latter requires that he make regular visits to all the company's facilities.

"In an effort to be with the (Gainey) people on a continuing basis in locations across the country--from California to Pennsylvania and Michigan to Florida--we decided the best and quickest way--in fact, the only way--for me to be able to be in the places I wanted to be, working with the folks on the scene, would be (to travel by) corporate aircraft. (Consequently) we make heavy use of the company aircraft. Both of them are flying 400 hours a year."

Some of Gainey Corporation's facilities--such as the ones in Somerset, Kentucky; Leesburg, Florida; and Hanover, Pennsylvania--are not easy to reach by commercial carrier.

"Somerset is a good example," said Harvey Gainey. "You would have to fly from Grand Rapids to Cincinnati, change planes and fly to Lexington, Kentucky, rent a car, then drive 75 miles to Somerset. That trip takes a good half a day, usually about five hours, which means you are going to (have to) spend the night (there) and come back the next day. We can be in Somerset in 50-55 minutes in our corporate airplane, conduct our business and be home by two or three o'clock in the afternoon and be on to somewhere else.

It was the need to travel to remote locations on short notice that originally led Harvey Gainey to charter business aircraft. But by late 1992, the company was expanding so fast that he decided that he and his executives needed their own airplane. In January 1993, the company took delivery of its first aircraft, a Learjet 31A, which was later superseded by a leased Beechjet. Then the company acquired a CitationJet and replaced the Beechjet with a Raytheon Hawker 800XP.

Today, the Hawker and the CitationJet fly Gainey's managers to one or more company sites in the same day. The business jets also are used to transport existing and potential customers directly to and from Grand Rapids.

Meanwhile, Gainey Corporation continues to expand. Just this year we opened a location in Rancho Cucamonga, California, noted Gainey. We (also) have our sights set on Seattle. We are in the process of building right now in Minneapolis, so we're expanding our reach. And with the four trucking companies, we already have about 30 locations around the country. We're on the road 50 percent of the time.

We just couldn't get around to this many places (by airline) and ever have any time at the home office, declared Gainey. I probably would have to have three or four regional vice presidents to cover this territory if I couldn't be out there on a continuing basis. I'm not saying that the way I manage is the only way you could manage a company like this. But it's my method, it's the way I succeed, and we just couldn't do it without a corporate aircraft.

Harvey N. Gainey, II talks shop with his CFO while airborne

"We've never sat down and tried to justify the cost of an airplane because... our company is hugely successful the way we are running it," concluded Gainey. "That (approach) includes heavy use of corporate aircraft, (and) I see an increased use of corporate aircraft as we continue to grow."