SCOTT BALFANZ

SCOTT BALFANZ serves as the president of Western Aero Services, one of the three aviation-focused Western Aero® portfolio companies he and his wife, Kimberly Balfanz own. Scott has been in this role for more than 25 years and has earned an industry-wide reputation for delivering the highest standards of integrity, reliability and excellent customer service.

Scott has spent his entire career in the aviation services industry. From the very start, he worked in a variety of roles at Frontier Leasco, which was the aircraft leasing division for Frontier Airlines. Shortly thereafter, he worked as a ramp agent for Frontier Horizon and then in the purchasing department at Continental Airlines.

Scott worked his way up through the industry and finally landed a role at Ports of Call Travel Club as their Material Coordinator.

It was at Ports of Call where he was first introduced to the particular aircraft that would become a staple of his success-the Boeing-707.

While working at Ports of Call, Scott gained the trust of upper management and began to establish valuable industry contacts. In the late 1980's, when Omega Aviation, based in Shannon, Ireland, purchased the assets of Ports of Call, its owners suggested that Scott start his own business, with Omega becoming its first customer. With the acquisition of a small inventory and a rolodex of key industry contacts, Scott founded Western Aero Services, focusing on securing and selling aircraft parts and equipment, primarily in the military and cargo sectors of the aviation industry. The company quickly became known for having one of the largest privately held inventories in the world of 707s and DC-10/KC-10 spares. 

Twelve years later, in 2002, the success Scott and his team achieved at Western Aero Services paved the way for the launch of Western Aero Repair, a nearby FAA/EASA-approved airframe repair station. Both companies continue to focus primarily on the military and cargo sectors and have received numerous industry awards and certifications for quality. With the acquisition of American Jet Industries in 2015, the Western Aero portfolio of companies now serves as a 360-degree resource to all segments of the aviation community—with the highest quality aircraft parts and equipment sourcing and state-of-the-art repair services.