At Aerodyne Industries we recruit, retain and develop a talented and diverse team of engineering and management professionals. We pride ourselves in everything we do and stand by our sought-after reputation. Our senior managers have distinguished careers in both the aerospace and Department of Defense industries directing large operational support contracts with an extensive range of personnel and subcontract teams.
To become an integral part of the talented team at Aerodyne Industries, view available positions on our Careers page.
MANAGEMENT TEAM
Andrew Allen - Chief Executive Officer
Andrew (Andy) Allen, CEO, has 30 years of experience in the aerospace industry. As a former United States Marine Corps Lieutenant Colonel, Marine test pilot and NASA astronaut, he understands the critical role of information technology, design engineering, human factor engineering, sustaining engineering, maintenance, operations and safety compliance. Following his service with NASA and the Marine Corps, he has performed in senior leadership positions at the NASA Kennedy Space Center (KSC), NASA Johnson Space Center (JSC) and NASA Headquarters, where he has proven his ability to lead organizations exceeding 4,500 personnel.
Andy has seven years of experience at KSC, having worked directly for NASA and with United Space Alliance (USA). During his tenure with USA, Andy served as Associate Program Manager for Ground Operations. In this position, Andy's organization provided maintenance and operational support to the ground infrastructure required for space flight support. Andy was successful in managing change at NASA when budget cuts required a 50% reduction of the employee base (from 8,000 to approximately 4,000 in ground operations) with no significant reduction in work scope. His team not only performed the level of work required, but also introduced new efficiencies. As a result, overtime was reduced by more than 60 percent and there were more on-time launches than in previous years, and fewer in-flight anomalies. Andy was responsible for USA's shuttle return to flight effort after the Columbia disaster, which required the recovery, identification and subsequent modification of critical space shuttle components and related systems prior to the launch of Discovery nearly 30 months later.
Andy has also held several positions at Honeywell, including VP of Space Programs and Requirements where he led business development for Space Exploration Programs, VP of Sales & Customer Marketing for Space Systems where he generated $600,000,000 in space systems business, and VP of International Military Aircraft Programs where he was responsible for over $800,000,000 in annual sales and 400 customers in over 40 countries.
Lee Williams - Chief Operating Officer
Lee Williams is a veteran manager who, over 18 years, has led several large organizations. His experience includes five years as Vice President of Field Operations for Honeywell's Industrial Automation and Control Systems (2,500 personnel), four years as Vice President of Industrial Operations for Honeywell in Europe (2,000 personnel) and eight years as leader of Honeywell's space business supporting NASA (2,400 personnel). Lee has extensive experience in transitioning management processes, tools and skills mix requirements to meet changing business requirements and reduce operating costs. Lee has a proven record of effectively structuring complex organizations and making them work. He is a noted management expert who has been sought out to develop systems for companies such as the newly formed United Launch Alliance (ULA).
Michael Varga - Executive Vice President
Michael Varga leads the business development strategy and implementation for Aerodyne. Mike is also the co-founder and CEO of Tandel Systems, a sister company to Aerodyne that provides back office support and serves as a resource for experienced engineers and processes. Previously, Mike was an executive with Honeywell Space Systems for 22 years. Mike was Director of Growth and Portfolio Management, responsible for growth strategies, M&A and R&D budgets for a $500M a year business. Prior to this, Mike was Director of Commercial Systems Operations, an entrepreneurial organization that grew very rapidly within the Space Systems Division. Mike also held successive engineering positions, culminating with the position of Chief Engineer for Honeywell's Avionics and Control Systems Division in Clearwater, Florida. He was actively involved in the development and deployment of various avionics integrated systems for NASA's Shuttle and Space Station Programs.
Kim Vogel - Vice President of Engineering
As Vice President of Engineering for Aerodyne, Kim is responsible for all product and project development, quality, and budget. Kim also sets and drives the vision for Aerodyne's product strategy. Previously, Kim served as Vice President of Operations and Engineering for Tritheim Technologies/PublicCARD, a smart card and applications company that he founded in 1995. During his tenure at Tritheim, he was chief architect of Tritheim's product line. Kim has been awarded numerous patents from the United States Patent Office in connection with his work. Kim holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Electrical Engineering from South Dakota State University.
Vince Poole - Vice President of Technical Services
Vince Poole is responsible for customer relationships, contract management, staffing and project execution. Prior to joining Aerodyne he was the Vice President for Digital Rights Management at Publicard. He has also held various engineering positions at Honeywell's Space Division in Clearwater, FL. Vince graduated from the University of South Florida with a Bachelor's degree in Electrical Engineering and Master's degrees in Computer Engineering and Business Administration.
