Debi Cunningham, who serves as vice president marketing at MRO specialist West Star Aviation, is one of those rare people who usually knows the answer or, if they don’t, invariably knows someone who will. Her aviation knowledge goes back almost four decades.
“I started as a hangar office girl” with aircraft management company Garrett Aviation “back in 1985,” she recalls. “I opened work orders for maintenance packages. After about six months I moved upstairs to the contract department. I did avionics, interiors, paint, and maintenance contracts and sent them out to customers; it was a little scary at first, but I grew to love it.”
Debi Cunningham, vice president marketing, West Star Aviation. Image West Star Aviation
Cunningham learned several aspects of the business before becoming a warranty administrator, processing engine warranty items back to Allied-Signal. Then, in the mid-1990s, she decided to ‘shoot for being a salesperson’ at Garrett.
“At the time, I knew of only one other saleswoman in our entire industry. I had my work cut out. I needed to show the company I could do it. My territory was Wisconsin, Michigan, Minneapolis, North and South Dakota, and part of Canada. I was usually on the road two weeks every month and enjoyed every minute with our customers.”
Towards the end of her time with Garrett, Cunningham moved into modification sales, working with the company’s interior designers selling cabin and exterior paint modifications. By the time she left for West Star Aviation — a rebranding under new ownership of Premier Air Center at East Alton, Illinois — as its ninth employee in 2002, she knew aircraft maintenance, parts, avionics, engines, paint, and cabins.
And that was just as well as West Star was expanding. “We wore so many hats. I was the interior designer and the interior estimator. I took care of marketing, paint and interior sales, and helped do whatever else was needed. For a while I ran the sales department too, but the years passed and as we grew, I was able to take a few hats off,” says Cunningham.
Cunningham with Mike Durst, Sam Haycraft, and Jim Swehla (left to right), founders of West Star Aviation, at the 2017 NBAA-BACE show. “We’ve worked together in this industry for many, many years and we all came from the Garrett Aviation group,” says Cunningham. Image: West Star Aviation
West Star Aviation took on more facilities while Cunningham moved towards full-time marketing and continued with interior design at East Alton. Then, around 10 years ago, she demonstrated another talent — finding exceptional people.
“I hired a full time designer for Alton. Fresh out of college, she had so many wonderful ideas and took the interior department to new levels. I am just so proud of her,” says Cunningham.
Now sales engineer, interiors at Bombardier Aviation Service Sales, that designer was Emilie Harbour. Remembering how she couldn’t believe she was being given the West Star opportunity, she says: “Debi was my first boss at WSA and is now one of my best friends.”
Mike Durst, Jim Swehla and Cunningham at a July 2023 open house in West Star Aviation’s new Chattanooga hangar. Image: West Star Aviation
Women like Cunningham helped open doors for those, like Harbour, who followed, and both are now enthusiastic advocates both for women in aviation and for encouraging young people into the industry.
“We work in high schools and the college levels to get students interested and combine with educational programs at each of our major locations. We attend job fairs, give tours and provide educational platforms. Plus, we created a very successful in-house training program that combines on-the-job training with an airframe and powerplant curriculum,” enthuses Cunningham.
Her enthusiasm for West Star Aviation and the wider industry remains infectious. “I will retire one day,” she says, “but I still have a few things I’d like to accomplish. I hope to pass along my love of this industry and see people cultivate face-to-face relationships with the people they work with, and our customers, building relationships that last.
“A successful aviation company is built on communication, doing what you say you’ll do, and being trustworthy, going the extra mile.”
Cunningham dismisses her story as ‘kinda boring’, but her mantra for West Star is one that shaped her course as a self-effacing pioneer for women in the business aviation industry.
Business Aviation is no stranger to celebrity. “Our marketing team comes up with a theme each year for NBAA-BACE. When the show is in Vegas, we usually do some fun things with lookalikes,” Cunningham reveals. Image: West Star Aviation
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All images credited to West Star Aviation
