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PIQUA, Ohio — February 22, 2001 — Hartzell Propeller today announced several promotions in the organization for its OEM Sales and Top Prop™ Sales teams. The personnel changes are a result of the formation of Hartzell’s new Aircraft Applications Engineering group which aligns Hartzell’s engineering expertise with its existing sales and marketing department.
Hartzell’s OEM Sales group has added Kevin Karam as an account representative for the team. In his new OEM Sales role, his responsibilities include direct sales to several of Hartzell’s general aviation OEM and modifier customers, with a specialization in the agricultural aircraft market. Karam, who joined Hartzell in April 1998, originally served as a member of the Top Prop sales team. In this capacity, he gained valuable experience working with STC’d products and customer support. This experience carries over into his new sales role, enabling him to effectively service Hartzell’s new modifier customers. Karam holds a bachelor of arts in aviation management from The Ohio State University.
Several Hartzell personnel have also transitioned to the Top Prop sales team, whose primary responsibility is the development and oversight of the sales, distribution and support for the Top Prop Performance Conversions STC propeller kit program.
Ken Johnson has been selected to oversee all Top Prop sales efforts in his new position as the Top Prop sales manager. Prior to serving in this capacity, Ken was a Hartzell OEM account representative. He joined the company in June 1997 after a career with Textron Lycoming where he was responsible for a variety of sales and engineering functions.
Johnson earned a bachelor of science in aerospace engineering from the Parks College of St. Louis University and holds several licenses from the FAA. He is a Certified Flight Instructor, Instruments (CFII), an Airline Transport Pilot (ATP) and an Airframe and Powerplant Mechanic (A & P) with an Inspection Authorization (IA).
In addition to Johnson’s new role, Nancy Allenbaugh has been appointed as a sales representative for the Top Prop group. In her previous position as a marketing analyst for the company, she specialized in Hartzell’s Web development efforts. Allenbaugh joined the company in October 1996 as a technical support analyst and has spent the majority of her time with Hartzell as its warranty administrator. She received a bachelor of arts in business administration from Otterbein College.
“As Hartzell continues to grow and leverage its position as the world’s leading provider of aircraft propellers, including prop conversion kits, it is critical to have experienced and effective team players with a strong customer focus like Allenbaugh, Johnson and Karam,” said Hartzell’s Senior Vice President of Marketing, Applications and Customer Support Mike Disbrow. “These individuals will undoubtedly continue the success of Hartzell’s OEM and Top Prop sales efforts.”
Hartzell Propeller Inc. is the world’s leading manufacturer of propeller systems, well known for its advanced engineering and manufacturing capabilities. The company is rich in aviation heritage tracing its beginnings to relationships with Orville Wright and Glenn Curtiss. Significant technical innovations include the industry’s first full-feathering propeller for light twins, the first fully reversing propellers for corporate turboprops and the industry’s first composite structure blades. Hartzell was recently selected by NASA as the exclusive propeller partner for its General Aviation Propulsion (GAP) program – developing the next generation of general aviation propulsion systems.
