Press Releases

Next Generation of Brown Family Takes Over Daily Operations

PIQUA, Ohio – January 31, 2000 — Hartzell Propeller chairman James W. Brown, Jr. recently announced the promotions of Joseph W. Brown and James W. Brown III to the positions of Co-Presidents for the company. In their new capacities, Joseph W. Brown serves as co-president of operations and James W. Brown III serves as co-president of engineering and customer services.
“I’m not retiring, but I am looking forward to enjoying some longer weekends,” said Hartzell chairman James W. Brown, Jr. “I’m going to focus on strategic planning issues while Joe and Jim take over the day-to-day operations…the company will do as well or better under this new organization.”

Under the new structure, Joe Brown oversees manufacturing, purchasing, quality assurance and information technology, while Jim Brown III oversees marketing, sales, product support, engineering, distribution and the Hartzell Service Center.

Joseph W. Brown joined Hartzell Propeller in 1990 and served as assistant to the manufacturing vice president. He was promoted to the position of production control manager in 1992 where he developed production schedules and matched plant capacity with market demand. In 1994 he assumed responsibility for manufacturing and was named director of manufacturing. Brown became the vice president of manufacturing in 1995 where his duties included production control, manufacturing, manufacturing engineering and shipping.

James W. Brown III joined Hartzell Propeller in 1993 as the operations supervisor for its Service Center where he had day-to-day responsibility for all production aspects of the factory-owned repair station. A year later, Brown became the director of the Service Center and in 1995 he was promoted to the position of vice president of parts and service. His responsibilities included the oversight and management of the FAA-approved manufacturer’s maintenance facility and the factory repair station which provide parts and service to Hartzell’s aftermarket customers. Brown was also responsible for Hartzell’s international distributor network.

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. For more information on Hartzell, visit the Web at www.hartzellprop.com.