Company Name: Mountain Air Helicopters, Inc.
Industry Sector: Aviation
Results of MBDA Assistance: $4.1 Million Loan & 3 Jobs Created and/or Retained
MBDA Support: Access to Capital & Strategic Business Consulting
Dwight Jones’ love of flight and entrepreneurial spirit is what drove him to start his own business, Albuquerque-based Mountain Air Helicopters, in 2003. Like most minority-owned businesses, start-up was difficult due to repeated denials for business loans. Determined to pursue his dream Mr. Jones started with a leased helicopter. That was ten years ago. Today Mountain Air Helicopters owns 10 aircraft, in large part due to the assistance of the Albuquerque MBDA Business Center.
During Mountain Air’s first year of operation, Dwight Jones sought help from the Minority Business Development Agency and is still working with them today. “Over the years, MBDA has put us on the right track and in touch with the right people,” declares Mr. Jones. According to Anna Muller, Project Director for the Albuquerque MBDA Business Center, she and her team helped Mountain Air with contract negotiations and 8(a) certification. Most recently, Ms. Muller’s team helped restructure Mountain Air’s accounting methods to accurately reflect the company’s net worth and net operating income. This enabled Mr. Jones to secure a $4.1 million loan for the purchase of two new helicopters, and add two pilots and one mechanic to his crew.
Mountain Air Helicopters provides safe, professional, customer-oriented utility flight services to commercial, state, and federal government organizations. They are an FAA-certified air carrier and external load operator specializing in high-altitude operations with a fleet of Eurocopter AS350B3 A-Star, Aerospatiale SA315B Lama, and Hughes 500D helicopters.
