On August 19, Meridian celebrated Victor Seda’s 20-year anniversary with the company. Victor joined Meridian as a Customer Service Representative (CSR) in 1999. In 2008, he was promoted to Customer Service Manager and now supervises a staff of 22 colleagues.
Over the years, Victor has received numerous accolades for his outstanding customer service. He has consistently been ranked in the top of this category by Professional Pilot (ProPilot) Magazine in its annual PRASE Survey. Joining him in this honor is our own Betsy Wines. Together, both of them have been named among the top five CSRs in the country by ProPilot for the last 12 years!
Victor came to Meridian from the restaurant industry. He says he loves aviation and really loves working at Meridian. “Working here is awesome,’ he says. “Everyone is like family and I look forward to coming to work every day.”
Victor says he really enjoys the interaction he has with people in his job. It can be very busy at times, and he says that’s what he really enjoys. “I like being at the front desk and dealing with our customers. There’s always something different going on and I am certainly never bored!”
Meridian is incredibly proud of Victor, and all our dedicated Customer Service staff. We’re so glad for your long tenure here and all of the years you have represented Meridian.
Congratulations Victor!
Tag: Manager
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!
Heather DeRegis, Flight Operations Manager, celebrated 20 years as a member of the Meridian Air Charter team on April 20. Heather started her career with Meridian in 1998 after earning a Bachelor of Science degree in Aeronautics & Management from Dowling College in Oakdale, NY.
Heather joined Meridian as a member of our Charter Sales team. As corporate aviation at Teterboro Airport intensified over the years, in 2001, she transitioned into Flight Operations as a Coordinator. Now, Heather is our Flight Operations Manager and she continues to come into work every day with a smile and positive attitude.
Heather was extremely grateful to her colleagues for the recognition, and had this to say, “I can’t believe how quickly 20 years have gone by. It seems like yesterday that I started here, and both the airport and the company were very different back then. Now I am looking forward to the next 20 years with Meridian!”
Congratulations Heather for 20 years with Meridian!
This past weekend, Craig Ferguson, Meridian’s Safety Manager, and his immediate family participated in the Mercedes-Benz Marathon in Birmingham, AL. Now in its 17th year, the Mercedes-Benz Marathon Weekend of Events has become a Birmingham tradition. The event has helped raise millions of dollars for local charities throughout its 16-year history.
Craig’s mother, Ann, and his two sisters, Kate and Carrie, participated in the half marathon (13.1 miles), while Craig and his father, John, participated in the full-length marathon (26.2 miles). All five members of the Ferguson family finished the race donning Meridian t-shirts and three of them managed to place in their respective age groups!
- Craig Ferguson: 4:19:49 (26th in age group) – Marathon
- John Ferguson: 4:34:52 (4th in age group) – Marathon
- Kate Gaskin: 2:06:38 (55th in age group) – Half Marathon
Astonishingly enough, this was Craig’s father’s 65th marathon! He said this of the event, “We have done some running before, but this is the fist time we’ve all come together to do this. The goal for me was to finish and have fun”. While John admits he does not see his running career ending anytime soon, he said his current short-term goal is to have completed 75 marathons. At his current rate of participation, we have no doubt he’ll be able to complete this task in 3 years.
We at Meridian are proud of Craig and his family for completing such an incredible feat and thank them for representing Meridian with t-shirts at the event’s finish line. In addition, we would like to wish them great success in their future running careers.
On January 4, Steve Chandoha, President of Meridian Teterboro, celebrated 30 years as a member of the Meridian team. Steve started his career with Meridian in 1988 after earning his Master of Business Administration/Master of Aeronautical Science from Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University. He also received his Bachelor’s degree from Embry Riddle.
Steve joined Meridian as Flight School Manager. As corporate aviation at Teterboro intensified, Steve moved to the FBO side of the business and served as Line Service Manager. He then moved up to General Manager, Vice President and became President of Meridian Teterboro in 2002.
Steve got the aviation bug early–around age 15. He loved flying and got his glider license and then his pilot license and various ratings while at Embry-Riddle. As his career progressed, his focus turned more to the business side. While no longer actively flying, Steve obviously loves aviation, and loves working at Meridian.
“Every day is different,” says Steve. “You start your day planning certain activities, then something comes up or something happens and the day totally changes.”
While each day is different, the one thing that always stays the same is the supportive attitude of Ken Forester, Owner and CEO. Steve says that his support and encouragement fosters a culture that contributes to the longevity of so many employees. “There is an amazing group of talented people that work here; many of them for well over 20 years. It is a true pleasure to work with them every day.”
Steve says it is hard to believe that it has already been 30 years since he joined Meridian. He still looks forward to coming to work every day and is excited about what the future holds for the company.
Congratulations Steve on 30 years with Meridian!