CLEARWATER, Fla., July 11, 2011 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Avantair, Inc. (OTCBB:AAIR), the industry leader for fractional aircraft ownership and flight hour time cards in the light jet cabin category and the only publicly traded, stand-alone private aircraft operator, announced that Keith Spondike has joined the company as chief marketing officer.
Spondike, who will report to Chief Executive Officer, Steven Santo, will lead the marketing team to increase brand awareness and market share for Avantair. He will direct all of the marketing programs and be responsible for events, promotions, customer relationship management and public relations.
Prior to joining Avantair, Spondike advised senior leaders in creating unique brand differentiation strategies leading to increased awareness, growth opportunities and sales in several industries including consumer goods, environmental and high-tech.
"Keith has years of strategic marketing experience which have helped re-define global brands and grow top-line revenue," said Santo. "He brings a team perspective to all of his responsibilities and is highly skilled at coaching groups both internally and externally to higher levels of performance. We are thrilled to have Keith as part of our team."
Spondike previously led Marketing and Communications for Eclipse Aviation Corporation, where he developed the company's first customer segmentation, brand positioning and global growth plan.
Prior to his experience in aviation, Spondike played a key marketing role for 18 years with General Motors Corporation's luxury divisions. He helped lead the rebirth of the Cadillac brand, which led to a 36 percent increase in sales.
He is an aviation enthusiast in pursuit of his private pilot's license. Spondike received a Master's of Business Administration from Wayne State University and a Bachelor of Science degree in finance from Oakland University.
About Avantair
Avantair, the sole North American provider of fractional shares, flight time cards and Axis leases in the Piaggio Avanti aircraft, and the only publicly traded, stand-alone private aircraft operator, is headquartered in Clearwater, Fla., with approximately 450 employees. The Company offers private travel solutions for individuals and businesses traveling within its service area, which includes the continental United States, Canada, the Caribbean and Mexico, at a fraction of the cost of whole aircraft ownership. The Company currently manages a fleet of 56 aircraft, with another 51 Piaggio Avanti aircraft on order through 2013. For more information about Avantair, please visit: www.avantair.com.
Forward Looking Statements
This press release may contain forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act, with respect to Avantair's future financial or business performance, strategies and expectations. Forward-looking statements are typically identified by words or phrases such as "trend," "potential," "opportunity," "pipeline," "believe," "comfortable," "expect," "anticipate," "current," "intention," "estimate," "position," "assume," "outlook," "continue," "remain," "maintain," "sustain," "seek," "achieve," and similar expressions, or future or conditional verbs such as "will," "would," "should," "could," "may" and similar expressions. Avantair cautions that forward-looking statements are subject to numerous assumptions, risks and uncertainties, which change over time. Forward-looking statements speak only as of the date they are made, and Avantair assumes no duty to and does not undertake to update forward-looking statements. Actual results could differ materially from those anticipated in forward-looking statements and future results could differ materially from historical performance.
In addition to factors previously disclosed in Avantair's filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) and those as may be identified elsewhere in this press release, the following factors, among others, could cause actual results to differ materially from forward-looking statements or historical performance: general economic and business conditions in the U.S. and abroad, changing interpretations of generally accepted accounting principles, changes in market acceptance of the company's products, inquiries and investigations and related litigation, fluctuations in customer demand, management of rapid growth, intensity of competition. The information set forth herein should be read in light of such risks. Avantair does not assume any obligation to update the information contained in this press release.
Avantair's filings with the SEC, accessible on the SEC's website at http://www.sec.gov, discuss these factors in more detail and identify additional factors that can affect forward-looking statements.