On December 21, Meridian celebrated the 20th anniversary of our Line Service Manager, Nehemias Camacho. “Camacho”, as he is commonly called by his colleagues and friends, started his career at Meridian as a Line Service Technician in December of 1998 while also enlisted in the U.S. Air Force. He served as Crew Chief for the KC-130, the tanker version of the C-130 Hercules modified for aerial refueling. He was honorably discharged from the military in September of 2003 and was promoted to Line Service Manager in June 2005.
Since then, he has focused heavily on safety and keeping the ever-growing Line Service department adequately trained to operate on the Meridian ramp safely and effectively. This has been a huge task as his department has doubled in size from 30 to 60 since his promotion.
“It’s important for people to see the ‘ties’ on the ramp. It shows everyone that we’ve done this before, and we know it works. It’s always been my philosophy to lead from the front and to show everyone that Management understands what it’s like to work on the ramp. It shows that we’re a team.”
Camacho commented on the Meridian culture and Management by saying, “It’s a rare thing to walk into work, every day for 20 years, and still be working for the same people; to see the same people every day and to interact with the CEO as frequently as I do. It just doesn’t happen anywhere else.”
Camacho, reflecting on his career, cannot wait to see what the future holds and hopes for many more years with Meridian.
Congratulations Camacho for 20 great years with the company!
Tag: line service
Meridian, the award-winning private aviation company, is pleased to announce that it has successfully completed ground handling and servicing training for large cabin and mid-cabin Gulfstream aircraft. Gulfstream offers the training in partnership with FlightSafety International, who developed the curriculum for the training courses. The program is designed to raise awareness for aircraft safety during servicing and improve dispatch reliability. The training is available to fixed-base operators (FBOs) that handle Gulfstream aircraft.
The two online training courses are designed for line service technicians and cover large cabin Gulfstream (G350, G450, G500, G550, G650) and mid-cabin Gulfstream (G150, G200, G280) models.
“We are always seeking new ways to improve the customer experience,” said Jeff Torres, Line Service Training Coordinator. “Adding another level of expertise only adds to the quality service we offer our customers, and in this case, those who operate or travel on a Gulfstream model aircraft.”
Gulfstream recognizes those FBOs that have successfully reached 100% Line Technician completion of the training. Meridian Teterboro and Meridian Hayward have completed both the mid-cabin and large cabin training. Subjects covered in the training include aircraft parking, towing and mooring, water servicing, window cleaning, snow and ice removal, and a comprehensive tour of the aircraft itself.
“Meridian is dedicated to continuous improvement opportunities which help us maintain the highest standards,” adds Carlos Rodriguez, General Manager of Meridian Hayward. “We are pleased to have attained another endorsement which adds to our commitment to safety, reliability and outstanding customer service.”
This past week, a few Meridian Hayward employees had the privilege of taking a ride in a Vietnam era assault helicopter known as the Huey. This was courtesy of EMU Inc., a non-profit organization that is located across from our facility in Hayward, CA. For the past year, we have been fueling their helicopter, and they took the time to thank our line service and customer service teams.
EMU derives its name from the radio call sign of the 135th Assault Helicopter Company, which was composed of both U.S. Army and Royal Australian Navy personnel. Because of this unique composition, the 135th was considered an Experimental Military Unit, hence its call sign EMU. Today, EMU Inc. is a non-profit organization that serves three important purposes:
1. To preserve the history of the Huey Helicopter and the memory of the men who served in the 135th Assault Helicopter Company and all AHCs in Vietnam.
2. To own and operate accurately recreated helicopters utilized by the 135th AHC during its service in Vietnam and to make these aircraft available to museums, air shows, public displays and for the support of Veterans affairs.
3. To recognize and offer emotional support to Combat Veterans with PTSD of all eras through comradery and contact with the Huey.
We at Meridian would first like to thank everyone who fought in the 135th Assault Helicopter Company for their service. We would also like to thank EMU for taking the time to recognize our employees and providing them with an experience they’ll never forget.
Meridian Hayward became one step closer to reality last week when the first class of recruits arrived in Teterboro for an extensive two weeks of Customer Service and Line Service training. This is our first class of Line Service and Customer Service Representatives (CSRs) to join our West Coast operation, and they will be the ones to set the standard for future employees. Our Line Service employees began their first day of training on August 15 at Hayward Executive Airport in Hayward, CA. Afterwards, they met with the CSRs and the team was sent to Meridian’s facility in Teterboro last weekend to begin their first day on Monday, August 22. The starting class for Meridian Hayward will consist of 4 CSRs, 7 Ramp Agents, 1 Customer Service Supervisor and 1 Operations Manager for a total of 13 employees. During new hire orientation, we received great feedback from everyone, as they were excited to be with us and motivated to work together as a team. Their collective focus will be to help make Meridian Hayward #1.
Marcia Maki, Customer Service Supervisor, and Carlos ‘Tiny’ Rodriguez, Operations Manager, are leading the training for the new hires. They have both recently moved into their respective positions to lead the Hayward teams. Marcia joined us from Castle & Cooke in California, and Carlos relocated from Meridian Teterboro to join the team in Hayward. Last week, we had a total of 9 new hires in Teterboro for training – 2 Customer Service Representatives (CSR) and 7 Ramp Agents. Two more CSRs will be coming to Teterboro for training in September.
Ramp agents have started their on the job training (OJT) as part of the training curriculum. They have been learning our equipment and procedures by shadowing employees. CSRs have also started on-the-job training by working the front desk and learning how to handle inbound phone calls, which can get very hectic at times. Each new recruit is learning the ‘Meridian Way’ and absorbing the company culture, so when our customers visit our Hayward location, they can expect to receive the same high level of service that they get in Teterboro. The first round of training in Teterboro will last from August 21 until September 2. The group will then return to Hayward during the week of Labor Day, where they will be practicing what they had learned on the newly-paved Hayward ramp before returning to Teterboro for one last round of training.
The new Ramp Agents are Robert Lopez, William Devine, Bryan Kwee, Eduardo “Eddie” Picazo, Lennard “Cheetah” Davis, Leonardo “Leo” Mendoza and Joshua Moon. The new Customer Service Representatives include Bridgette Hendricks and Fotoon Giananni. Two more new CSRs, Christopher “Chris” Jones and Janet “Jenny” Deitschman, will arrive in Teterboro for their respective training on September 6, and the Ramp Agents will return on September 12 for their second round of training.
The background story of each new hire is as diverse as the group itself. Six of the seven Ramp Agents have never been to New York City before this trip. One of the recruits had just experienced his first flight (ever). We have a professional boxer in the group (1-0 record), a Tuskegee Airmen descendant, a costume designer, a bike builder, and several volunteers who support their communities by working in soup kitchens or rebuilding houses. The list goes on and on!
Marcia Maki, Customer Service Supervisor, is looking ahead, “The training in Teterboro will be a great learning experience for our Hayward team as they prepare for Day One. There’s no better place to cut your teeth than at the busiest General Aviation airport in the country, and probably the world. We are working hard to make sure that each one of our new hires feels comfortable in their respective roles before we open our doors. So far, things are going well and our trainees seem to be really enjoying the experience. We are very happy to have such an enthusiastic and talented group!”
Carlos Rodriguez, Operations Manager, had this to say, “I’m excited that we were able to find such a talented and diverse group of individuals who are so motivated and enthusiastic about joining our company and learning the Meridian culture. From our Customer Service Reps to the Ramp Agents, this class of recruits will be the foundation for which we build on, and I believe they will proudly carry the Meridian reputation to Hayward and the West Coast.”
Meridian Hayward is expected to open at the end of September, 2016.
Meridan Teterboro was voted the best of the busiest FBOs worldwide as well as taking the #5 spot in the U.S. and Canada FBOs surveyed.
The survey results include the U.S. and Canada top rated facilities according to the responses of pilots, dispatchers and users of FBOs. The catagories that users were asked to rate were line service, passenger amenitities, pilot services, and facilities
According to AIN: ” Meridian Teterboro is a new addition to the Top Ten list with a rating of 8.74, up from last year’s 8.59, although it should be noted that under the new system, Meridian would have been number 10 last year. This year it comes in at # 5″. .
Teterboro airport was again voted the busiest airport for business aviation and Meridian earned the higest FBO rating at Teterboro .t u
he categories that users were asked
to rate were line service; passenger amenities; pilot services; and facilities
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As written in AIN :
“Meridian Teterboro is a new addition to the Top Ten list, with a rating of 8.74, up from last year’s 8.59, although it should be noted that under the new system, Meridian would have been number 10 last year. This year it comes in at number 5.”
As written in AIN :
“Meridian Teterboro is a new addition to the Top Ten list, with a rating of 8.74, up from last year’s 8.59, although it should be noted that under the new system, Meridian would have been number 10 last year. This year it comes in at number 5.”
sers were asked
to rate were lamenities; pilot services; and facilities
he categories that users were asked
to rate were line service; passenger amenities; pilot services; and facilities