The Aerospace Executive Podcast

One of the most unusual businesses in space starts with a Cold War fighter jet. Starfighters Space operates the world’s only Mach 2+ commercial fleet—a handful of F-104 Starfighters flown by a small cadre of pilots. Could these aircraft help shape America’s future in space? The company recently went public, and I wanted to understand the business behind the speed. I sat down with CEO Tim Franta to discuss where space technology is heading, how companies fund their ambitions, and why he chose to take Starfighters Space public. We also explored how SpaceX has reshaped the industry—opening doors while making life harder for others. An unconventional company. A high-stakes market. And a fighter jet with another mission.   What You’ll Discover In This Episode  How one pilot turned a fleet of 60-year old jets into a space company Setting the world record for rate of climb Why many small space projects are now getting funded How inexpensive component testing can save $250 million satellites Where they find pilots in during a pilot shortage Why they’re building a ‘Wind Tunnel in the Sky’ Ripple effects of SpaceX and Blue Origin pulling out of ridesharing

AI is opening up new warfighting capabilities, but behind the scenes, the government is constrained by power, energy, and compute. What happens when the government has a problem that can’t be solved by writing checks?   Marc Murphy, CEO of Ignite Digital, joins me to share how AI is driving rapid change in the Department of War, including government procurement processes.    He points out that the administration has created new procurement onramps, “Five years ago, we wouldn't have dreamed of moving through a federal procurement in 15 days. They've created those processes that allow that to happen.”   What You’ll Discover In This Episode    How data overload can be handled by a key shift in thinking Why AI tools can’t be treated as ‘one-size-fits-all’ Where real warfighting priorities comes from How government is reaching into the commercial sector for better tech Procurement changes allowing mid-market companies to compete with large primes Where private equity and VC are heading in defense tech and dual-use tech How rapid prototyping and fast procurement processes can give the US an advantage in modern conflicts   About the Guest Marc Murphy is CEO and CGO of Ignite Digital. As an investor, operator and builder, he has more than 20 years of experience leading high-growth, results-focused technology companies. As CEO of SPARC, LLC, he led the company to its 2016 acquisition by Booz Allen Hamilton (NYSE: BAH). He is a 2025 EY Entrepreneur of the Year finalist and holds an active Top Secret security clearance.   Learn more about Ignite Digital at ignite-digital.com/ and connect with Marc on LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/marcmurphy1/   About Your Host Craig Picken is an Executive Recruiter, writer, speaker, and ICF Trained Executive Coach. He is focused on recruiting senior-level leadership, sales, and operations executives in the aviation and aerospace industry. His clients include premier OEMs, aircraft operators, leasing/financial organizations, and Maintenance/Repair/Overhaul (MRO) providers, and since 2008, he has personally concluded more than 400 executive-level searches in a variety of disciplines. Craig is the ONLY industry executive recruiter who has professionally flown airplanes, sold airplanes, and successfully run a P&L in the aviation industry. His professional career started with a passion for airplanes. After eight years’ experience as a decorated Naval Flight Officer – with more than 100 combat missions, 2,000 hours of flight time, and 325 aircraft carrier landings – Craig sought challenges in business aviation, where he spent more than 7 years in sales with both Gulfstream Aircraft and Bombardier Business Aircraft. Craig is also a sought-after industry speaker who has presented at Corporate Jet Investor, International Aviation Women’s Association, and SOCAL Aviation Association.   Resources For more aerospace industry news & commentary: https://craigpicken.com/insights/.  To learn more about Craig Picken, visit https://craigpicken.com/. 

The GE Aerospace acquisition of CPP is in the news. But it’s not just defense tech that’s commanding massive multiples. Meghan Welch returns with her colleague, Hubert de la Vauvre, to share the latest on M&A in aerospace, defense and beyond. Their experience leading Brown Gibbons Lang & Company (BGL) has them working with clients on both buy and sell side.   They’re seeing  more companies related to missile systems, munitions, maritime or key programs commanding EBITDA multiple off of an earnings base a full year forward. Even instances of PE paying entirely in equity and then financing after the fact so they're not subject to financing contingencies.   Meghan calls what she’s seeing, “A bit of the wild, wild west…it's crazy.”   What You’ll Discover In This Episode    Why GE Aerospace paid 26x forward earnings for CPP The overlooked capability every strategic buyer wants right now How long-term agreements went from Holy Grail to handcuffs What Chromalloy reveals about the fight for manufacturing capacity Two high-growth markets in data centers…& which is a safer bet Converging trends that can help US manufacturers catch up Much, much more   About the Guests Meghan Welch is the Managing Director of Brown Gibbons Lang & Company (BGL). Hubert de la Vauvre is a Director and a senior member of BGL’s Metals & Advanced Metals Manufacturing and Industrial Automotive & Aftermarket investment banking teams.    GBL is a leading independent investment bank and financial advisory firm focused on the global middle market. The firm advises private and public corporations and private equity groups on mergers and acquisitions, divestitures, capital markets, financial restructurings, valuations and opinions, and other strategic matters. For more information, visit www.bglco.com or connect with Meghan or Hubert on LinkedIn.    About Your Host Craig Picken is an Executive Recruiter, writer, speaker, and ICF Trained Executive Coach. He is focused on recruiting senior-level leadership, sales, and operations executives in the aviation and aerospace industry. His clients include premier OEMs, aircraft operators, leasing/financial organizations, and Maintenance/Repair/Overhaul (MRO) providers, and since 2008, he has personally concluded more than 400 executive-level searches in a variety of disciplines. Craig is the ONLY industry executive recruiter who has professionally flown airplanes, sold airplanes, and successfully run a P&L in the aviation industry. His professional career started with a passion for airplanes. After eight years’ experience as a decorated Naval Flight Officer – with more than 100 combat missions, 2,000 hours of flight time, and 325 aircraft carrier landings – Craig sought challenges in business aviation, where he spent more than 7 years in sales with both Gulfstream Aircraft and Bombardier Business Aircraft. Craig is also a sought-after industry speaker who has presented at Corporate Jet Investor, International Aviation Women’s Association, and SOCAL Aviation Association.    Resources For more aerospace industry news & commentary: https://craigpicken.com/insights/.  To learn more about Craig Picken, visit https://craigpicken.com/.  

An American fighter goes down in hostile territory. Recovering the crew requires multiple aircraft, enormous resources, and putting even more lives at risk. What if an autonomous aircraft could fly into that same environment, extract the crew, and return without risking another pilot?   That's one of the possibilities Michael Cervenka, Chief Commercial and Strategy Officer of Vertical Aerospace, is exploring.   Drones have limitations in range and payload. Helicopters are incredibly capable, but they're complex and expensive to operate and maintain. Vertical Aerospace sees an opportunity between the two.   With its Valo aircraft, Vertical is developing a common platform for electric, hybrid-electric, and eventually autonomous flight. The ambition goes well beyond flying passengers between cities. Think military logistics, personnel recovery, and missions where sending a conventional helicopter may be too expensive or too dangerous.   In this episode of The Aerospace Executive Podcast, Michael joins me to discuss how Vertical Aerospace is working to close the gap between drones and helicopters, what it will take to bring these aircraft into service, and why the future of eVTOL could be much bigger than the air-taxi market.   What You’ll Discover In This Episode    Why Vertical Aerospace survived the eVTOL hype cycle when others failed The critical decision that reduced risk and cleared a path to deployment How battery, hybrid and military variants all share one platform The supply chain decision that prevents being locked into outdated batteries How operating costs open new mission opportunities in electronic warfare, surveillance, reconnaissance and intelligence Why they chose to work with operators rather than be an operator How unglamorous commercial uses are already driving 1,500 pre-orders   About the Guest Michael Cervenka is the Chief Commercial and Strategy Officer at Vertical Aerospace Group Ltd. Senior business and engineering exec with over two decades‘ experience in aerospace and across a wide range of disruptive technologies.  Successfully incubated novel business concepts while building large global multi-disciplinary teams. Strategic agility and influence to set up and deliver significant business transformation. Strong business savvy with extensive commercial, customer and supplier experience.  Learn more at https://vertical-aerospace.com/ or connect with Michael on LinkedIn.    About Your Host Craig Picken is an Executive Recruiter, writer, speaker, and ICF Trained Executive Coach. He is focused on recruiting senior-level leadership, sales, and operations executives in the aviation and aerospace industry. His clients include premier OEMs, aircraft operators, leasing/financial organizations, and Maintenance/Repair/Overhaul (MRO) providers, and since 2008, he has personally concluded more than 400 executive-level searches in a variety of disciplines. Craig is the ONLY industry executive recruiter who has professionally flown airplanes, sold airplanes, and successfully run a P&L in the aviation industry. His professional career started with a passion for airplanes. After eight years’ experience as a decorated Naval Flight Officer – with more than 100 combat missions, 2,000 hours of flight time, and 325 aircraft carrier landings – Craig sought challenges in business aviation, where he spent more than 7 years in sales with both Gulfstream Aircraft and Bombardier Business Aircraft. Craig is also a sought-after industry speaker who has presented at Corporate Jet Investor, International Aviation Women’s Association, and SOCAL Aviation Association.    Resources For more aerospace industry news & commentary: https://craigpicken.com/insights/.  To learn more about Craig Picken, visit https://craigpicken.com/.  

Money isn’t the only thing flowing into aerospace from Silicon Valley.   So are the ideas, the methods and the mindset! Anders Forslund, Founder and CEO of Heart Aerospace, joins me to talk about one of the biggest challenges in aviation: reinventing the regional aircraft. Heart believes hybrid-electric propulsion can change the economics and possibilities of short-range commercial flight. And they’re not just talking about it…  they’re building it. The proof is in the X1 prototype. Anders and I discuss what it takes to turn next-generation technology into a practical, certifiable and commercially viable aircraft and why the future of aviation won’t be determined by technology alone.   We get into: Why hybrid-electric may be the practical path forward for regional aviation • What Heart is learning from the X1 • The enormous challenge of bringing new technology into a highly regulated industry • And how Silicon Valley thinking is shaping aerospace manufacturing and certification   About the Guest Dr. Anders Forslund, Founder and CEO of Heart Aerospace, is an aerospace entrepreneur whose research at MIT on uncertainty & robustness in aircraft propulsion earned the Charles M. Manly Award in 2019. Previously, he founded ELISE, Sweden’s national electric aviation initiative. Learn more at https://www.heartaerospace.com/  or connect with Anders on LinkedIn.   About Your Host Craig Picken is an Executive Recruiter, writer, speaker, and ICF Trained Executive Coach. He is focused on recruiting senior-level leadership, sales, and operations executives in the aviation and aerospace industry. His clients include premier OEMs, aircraft operators, leasing/financial organizations, and Maintenance/Repair/Overhaul (MRO) providers, and since 2008, he has personally concluded more than 400 executive-level searches in a variety of disciplines. Craig is the ONLY industry executive recruiter who has professionally flown airplanes, sold airplanes, and successfully run a P&L in the aviation industry. His professional career started with a passion for airplanes. After eight years’ experience as a decorated Naval Flight Officer – with more than 100 combat missions, 2,000 hours of flight time, and 325 aircraft carrier landings – Craig sought challenges in business aviation, where he spent more than 7 years in sales with both Gulfstream Aircraft and Bombardier Business Aircraft. Craig is also a sought-after industry speaker who has presented at Corporate Jet Investor, International Aviation Women’s Association, and SOCAL Aviation Association.    Resources For more aerospace industry news & commentary: https://craigpicken.com/insights/.  To learn more about Craig Picken, visit https://craigpicken.com/.     For videos of the X1 including the first test flight, visit: https://www.heartaerospace.com/x1   Also check out these resources mentioned in the show:   Heart Aerospace YouTube channel   Heart Aerospace LinkedIn Page   Anders Forslund Y Combinator Interview:  The World’s Largest Electric Aircraft Just Flew

Defense is changing. Fast. For decades, weapons development was measured in years, sometimes decades. That model is being challenged. A new generation of defense-tech companies, backed by serious venture capital, is approaching the problem differently: Move fast. Build fast. Iterate fast. Mach Industries recently raised $300 million in Series C funding, valuing the company at $1.8 billion. But this is the number that caught my attention: 71 days. That’s how long it took Mach to take its Venom 3D-printed jet-powered unmanned aircraft from sketch to flight. Think about that. Just 71 days from an idea on paper to something flying through the air. This represents a much bigger shift taking place in defense: Asymmetric warfare. Low-cost. High-volume. Unmanned. Systems that can be developed quickly, manufactured at scale and deployed without the traditional timelines and economics of major weapons programs. But designing something quickly is one thing. Building thousands of them is another. Nathan Diller, President and CSO of Mach Industries, joins me on The Aerospace Executive Podcast to talk about what’s driving this transformation, how defense manufacturing has to change—and the enormous challenge of scaling this new generation of weapons systems. The defense industrial base is changing. And it’s happening quickly.   What You’ll Discover In This Episode  The near future arsenal of attack drones and munitions this defense tech startup is mass-producing for war Mach’s 4-part approach to building next gen unmanned platforms F-35 vs attack drones & where low-cost, high-volume wins on the battlefield Why PE and VC money is flowing to defense tech startups The pharma blueprint defense startups are following The surprising skillset his company can’t hire fast enough   About the Guest Nathan Diller is the President and Chief Strategy Officer of Mach Industries. Nathan previously served as CEO of Divergent. Learn more at https://machindustries.com/ or connect with Nathan on LinkedIn.   About Your Host Craig Picken is an Executive Recruiter, writer, speaker, and ICF Trained Executive Coach. He is focused on recruiting senior-level leadership, sales, and operations executives in the aviation and aerospace industry. His clients include premier OEMs, aircraft operators, leasing/financial organizations, and Maintenance/Repair/Overhaul (MRO) providers, and since 2008, he has personally concluded more than 400 executive-level searches in a variety of disciplines. Craig is the ONLY industry executive recruiter who has professionally flown airplanes, sold airplanes, and successfully run a P&L in the aviation industry. His professional career started with a passion for airplanes. After eight years’ experience as a decorated Naval Flight Officer – with more than 100 combat missions, 2,000 hours of flight time, and 325 aircraft carrier landings – Craig sought challenges in business aviation, where he spent more than 7 years in sales with both Gulfstream Aircraft and Bombardier Business Aircraft. Craig is also a sought-after industry speaker who has presented at Corporate Jet Investor, International Aviation Women’s Association, and SOCAL Aviation Association.    Resources For more aerospace industry news & commentary: https://craigpicken.com/insights/.  To learn more about Craig Picken, visit https://craigpicken.com/.    Check out this episode on our website, Apple Podcasts, or Spotify, and don't forget to leave a review if you like what you heard. Your review feeds the algorithm, so our show reaches more people. Thank you!

In the defense industrial base, everyone knows the primes dominate the big programs, but that leaves a huge gap in the middle.  Startups don’t scale, the primes can’t move fast, and decades of consolidation have hollowed out the space in between. For years, everyone has recognized this gap, but no one has really solved it. The primes are getting bigger, the small innovators get attention but struggle to scale, and the middle tier keeps shrinking.  Meanwhile, the need for companies that can deliver speed, value, and scale has only grown more urgent. That’s starting to change. A new class of “next-gen primes” is emerging, companies that can think like small disruptors but deliver like established contractors. They’re leaner, faster, and built for the kind of problems the bigs won’t touch. One of the leaders of this movement is John Albers, retired Marine Colonel and now CEO of Albers Aerospace. After diving into entrepreneurship, he became a voracious student of business and started building what he calls a next-gen prime.  In less than a decade, he’s grown Albers Aerospace into a nine-site operation by combining organic growth, acquisitions, and a relentless focus on lean execution and leadership development. In this special replay episode, John shares how Albers Aerospace is reshaping the defense industrial base, what it really takes to scale in this space, and why leadership culture, not technology alone, drives speed and impact.   You’ll also learn; How Albers Aerospace scaled from a one-man shop to 9 sites through a mix of organic growth and acquisitions Why humility and getting your “rear end kicked” is often the most important leadership lesson How over-consolidation at the top has created a roll-up opportunity for mid-tier defense companies Why financial literacy and leadership training are as important as operations in a fast-growing business Why speed, lean execution, and value, not allowable costs, win contracts in today’s environment How John thinks about building impact for the warfighter and the industrial base, not just chasing dollars     Guest Bio John Albers is the founder and CEO of Albers Aerospace, a Dallas-area defense and aerospace company organized into three business units. Since its founding in 2015, Albers Aerospace has grown rapidly through acquisitions and organic expansion, delivering innovative products and services to today’s warfighter. A retired U.S. Marine Corps Colonel with 24 years of active duty, John served as a fleet pilot, flight instructor, and developmental test pilot. As an entrepreneur and senior executive, John brings more than 35 years of leadership and operational experience across defense acquisition and private industry. He thrives in fast-paced environments, excels at building and aligning teams, and is deeply committed to developing people while driving organizational growth. Visit https://www.albers.aero/ and connect with John on LinkedIn.      About Your Host Craig Picken is an Executive Recruiter, writer, speaker and ICF Trained Executive Coach. He is focused on recruiting senior-level leadership, sales, and operations executives in the aviation and aerospace industry. His clients include premier OEMs, aircraft operators, leasing/financial organizations, and Maintenance/Repair/Overhaul (MRO) providers, and since 2008, he has personally concluded more than 400 executive-level searches in a variety of disciplines. Craig is the ONLY industry executive recruiter who has professionally flown airplanes, sold airplanes, and successfully run a P&L in the aviation industry. His professional career started with a passion for airplanes. After eight years’ experience as a decorated Naval Flight Officer – with more than 100 combat missions, 2,000 hours of flight time, and 325 aircraft carrier landings – Craig sought challenges in business aviation, where he spent more than 7 years in sales with both Gulfstream Aircraft and Bombardier Business Aircraft. Craig is also a sought-after industry speaker who has presented at Corporate Jet Investor, International Aviation Women’s Association, and SOCAL Aviation Association.    Check out this episode on our website, Apple Podcasts, or Spotify, and don't forget to leave a review if you like what you heard. Your review feeds the algorithm so our show reaches more people. Thank you!    For more aerospace industry news & commentary: https://craigpicken.com/insights/.  To learn more about Craig Picken, visit https://craigpicken.com/. 

“The AI data center build-out is already the biggest infrastructure project, inflation-adjusted, that we've ever undertaken as a society.”  That’s Sebastian Schaal, co-founder and Managing Director of Luminovo, an AI software company specializing in electronics supply chain management. I wanted to talk to Sebastian about how executives respond when key components are seeing 20X the demand of pre-2022 levels.   What You’ll Discover In This Episode  How 20-year old electronics have become a hidden risk for aerospace and defense companies How AI data centers are disrupting your electronics supply chain The model VC’s pushed him to build…and what he built instead Leadership lessons from building a team of 100+ Why Sebastian turned down more VC money (and who’s funding him now)   About the Guest Sebastian Schaal is the Co-Founder and Managing Director of Luminovo, an AI software company that aims to turn electronics supply chain into a competitive advantage. He is also the Revenue department lead, overseeing and aligning activities across Growth, Sales, Customer Success and Revenue Operations. Connect with Sebastian on LinkedIn or sign up for the Luminovo newsletter.   About Your Host Craig Picken is an Executive Recruiter, writer, speaker, and ICF Trained Executive Coach. He is focused on recruiting senior-level leadership, sales, and operations executives in the aviation and aerospace industry. His clients include premier OEMs, aircraft operators, leasing/financial organizations, and Maintenance/Repair/Overhaul (MRO) providers, and since 2008, he has personally concluded more than 400 executive-level searches in a variety of disciplines. Craig is the ONLY industry executive recruiter who has professionally flown airplanes, sold airplanes, and successfully run a P&L in the aviation industry. His professional career started with a passion for airplanes. After eight years’ experience as a decorated Naval Flight Officer – with more than 100 combat missions, 2,000 hours of flight time, and 325 aircraft carrier landings – Craig sought challenges in business aviation, where he spent more than 7 years in sales with both Gulfstream Aircraft and Bombardier Business Aircraft. Craig is also a sought-after industry speaker who has presented at Corporate Jet Investor, International Aviation Women’s Association, and SOCAL Aviation Association.    Resources For more aerospace industry news & commentary: https://craigpicken.com/insights/.  To learn more about Craig Picken, visit https://craigpicken.com/.  

The transition from being a rockstar in your vertical to leading at the C-suite level is one of the hardest jumps in modern business.  Not because you aren’t capable, but because the job changes faster than anyone prepares you for, and the timeline to become effective has collapsed from years to months. You used to have a multi-year runway to listen, learn, and settle in. Now the proving ground has accelerated, and you’re expected to think enterprise-wide, set direction, shape culture, and operate with conviction almost immediately. And that’s where so many leaders get blindsided. They step into the role with deep expertise, strong track records, and every intention of succeeding. But they quickly discover that the behaviors that powered their rise don’t automatically translate to the top job.  The stakes are higher, the scrutiny is sharper, and the margin for a slow learning curve is gone. Boards, investors, and teams are already forming judgments before you’ve even taken your seat. And without realizing it, new executives find themselves operating on outdated instincts in a completely different environment. Bill Koch is a former CEO who now coaches leaders navigating some of the most high-pressure environments. He helps new CEOs compress the transition, build real executive presence, and operate with clarity and confidence. In this episode, we talk about how to accelerate that transition, how to understand how you’re actually being perceived, and how to adapt fast enough to avoid losing ground in your first critical months.   You’ll also learn; Why the jump from functional mastery to C-suite leadership is so challenging How the timeline for becoming effective has collapsed, and what that means for new executives. The behaviors that helped you rise and why they can quietly derail you in a senior role. How to understand the difference between vertical thinking and enterprise thinking. Why a 360 assessment is often the first real mirror a new executive has ever seen. How boards and teams perceive you long before you think they do Why private equity environments expose leadership weaknesses faster than any other setting. How to cultivate executive presence that signals quiet confidence, not overcompensation. The importance of building a “personal boardroom” to think clearly under pressure.     Guest Bio Bill Koch is an executive coach with more than 25 years of C-suite and senior leadership experience across public companies, private enterprises, and private equity–backed firms. A former CEO himself, Bill brings a rare blend of operational depth, boardroom insight, and executive maturity to his coaching practice. His work centers on one mission: helping high performers become highly effective enterprise leaders. For more than a decade, Bill has served as a trusted advisor to CEOs and senior executives navigating high-pressure, high-visibility roles. He coaches leaders across Fortune 500 companies, growth-stage organizations, and academic institutions—guiding them through pivotal transitions, accelerated timelines, and complex leadership challenges. His clients turn to him to gain clarity, sharpen judgment, and build the confident executive presence required to lead at the top. Bill’s clients include American Express, Apple, Boeing, Goldman Sachs, John Deere, Mars, MGM, McKesson, Toyota, and others. To learn more, visit https://www.kochleadership.com/ or read Bill’s latest insights on Forbes.  About Your Host Craig Picken is an Executive Recruiter, writer, speaker, and ICF Trained Executive Coach. He is focused on recruiting senior-level leadership, sales, and operations executives in the aviation and aerospace industry. His clients include premier OEMs, aircraft operators, leasing/financial organizations, and Maintenance/Repair/Overhaul (MRO) providers, and since 2008, he has personally concluded more than 400 executive-level searches in a variety of disciplines. Craig is the ONLY industry executive recruiter who has professionally flown airplanes, sold airplanes, and successfully run a P&L in the aviation industry. His professional career started with a passion for airplanes. After eight years’ experience as a decorated Naval Flight Officer – with more than 100 combat missions, 2,000 hours of flight time, and 325 aircraft carrier landings – Craig sought challenges in business aviation, where he spent more than 7 years in sales with both Gulfstream Aircraft and Bombardier Business Aircraft. Craig is also a sought-after industry speaker who has presented at Corporate Jet Investor, International Aviation Women’s Association, and SOCAL Aviation Association.    Resources For more aerospace industry news & commentary: https://craigpicken.com/insights/.  To learn more about Craig Picken, visit https://craigpicken.com/.      Check out this episode on our website, Apple Podcasts, or Spotify, and don't forget to leave a review if you like what you heard. Your review feeds the algorithm, so our show reaches more people. Thank you! 

Aerospace has always been a cyclical industry, one sector up, another down, capital moving cautiously between them. That’s not what’s happening right now. Every major sector is ripping at the same time, for completely different reasons. Commercial is coming back online. Aftermarket and MRO have been running hot since COVID. Defense is being pulled forward by geopolitical demand. Business aviation has settled into a stronger, more stable “new normal.”  It’s rare to see this kind of synchronized momentum across the entire ecosystem, and when it happens, it changes how capital behaves. For years, aerospace exits were predictable. You built a solid business, ran an M&A process, and sold. IPOs were barely part of the conversation. Industrial manufacturing wasn’t exactly exciting to public market investors. Now, IPOs are not only viable, but they’re also often the better option. Industrial businesses that used to be seen as slow, capital-heavy, and unsexy are suddenly being revalued as AI-proof, infrastructure-critical, and in some cases, direct beneficiaries of the AI boom.  And that shift is forcing a new level of sophistication from operators. Because today, you’re not just deciding whether to sell; you’re deciding how to exit in a market with more options than ever before. At the same time, there’s a quiet risk underneath all of this. Fuel prices, geopolitical instability, and supply chain pressure. None of these have gone away. So the question isn’t just how long this run continues; it’s whether operators are actually prepared for the version of the market we’re in now. In this episode, I’m joined by the Global Head of Aerospace and Aviation Investment Banking at Jefferies, Nick Fazioli. He breaks down what’s really driving this moment across aviation, defense, and industrials, and what it means for operators thinking about growth, capital, and exit strategy.   You’ll also learn; How “boring” industrial manufacturing became one of the most attractive investment categories Why IPOs are suddenly back, and in some cases outperforming traditional M&A exits How AI is indirectly reshaping aerospace valuations through energy, infrastructure, and supply chain demand The rise of continuation vehicles and why operators now have more exit paths than ever before Where private equity and institutional capital are actually placing bets right now (and why MRO is so competitive) The hidden risks: fuel prices, geopolitics, and consumer pressure, and how quickly they could impact the system Why operators need to become far more strategic, not just in building businesses, but in positioning them for exit     About the Guest Nick Fazioli is the Global Head of Aerospace and Aviation Investment Banking at Jefferies, where he leads one of the most active practices across commercial aviation, business aviation, and aerospace services. Over the past 16 years, he’s been at the center of some of the most significant transactions in business aviation, including the sale of Marquis Jet to NetJets and West Star Aviation’s exit to Greenbriar Equity Group. With a front-row seat to M&A, capital markets, and the evolving investor landscape, Nick brings a unique perspective on where capital is flowing and how operators should be thinking about growth and exit strategy in today’s market. Connect with Nick on LinkedIn.  About Your Host Craig Picken is an Executive Recruiter, writer, speaker, and ICF Trained Executive Coach. He is focused on recruiting senior-level leadership, sales, and operations executives in the aviation and aerospace industry. His clients include premier OEMs, aircraft operators, leasing/financial organizations, and Maintenance/Repair/Overhaul (MRO) providers, and since 2008, he has personally concluded more than 400 executive-level searches in a variety of disciplines. Craig is the ONLY industry executive recruiter who has professionally flown airplanes, sold airplanes, and successfully run a P&L in the aviation industry. His professional career started with a passion for airplanes. After eight years’ experience as a decorated Naval Flight Officer – with more than 100 combat missions, 2,000 hours of flight time, and 325 aircraft carrier landings – Craig sought challenges in business aviation, where he spent more than 7 years in sales with both Gulfstream Aircraft and Bombardier Business Aircraft. Craig is also a sought-after industry speaker who has presented at Corporate Jet Investor, International Aviation Women’s Association, and SOCAL Aviation Association.    Resources For more aerospace industry news & commentary: https://craigpicken.com/insights/.  To learn more about Craig Picken, visit https://craigpicken.com/.