Former BBJ COO Joins King Aerospace
King Aerospace credits its great company culture for attracting some of the most respected, well-known professionals in the aviation industry. That includes the company’s most recent addition: Jeff Barstow, former chief operations officer for Boeing Business Jets.
“Jeff turned down other companies’ offers when he left Boeing after more than four decades and, instead, chose King,” says Jarid King, King Aerospace president. “He raves about our culture — our people and our passion. Those are the things that set us apart from the competition. We just happen to work on airplanes.”
Barstow joins King Aerospace as senior vice president. His responsibilities include coordination and support for VIP and government customers in the maintenance, repair and overhaul (MRO) for BBJ/VIP aircraft. King Aerospace is in the process of adding another 90,000-square-foot hangar to its 200,000-square-foot hangar space at the Ardmore (Oklahoma) Industrial Airpark. The larger footprint will enable King Aerospace to support Boeing 737 and 757 narrow-body aircraft as well as 747, 767 and 777 wide-body aircraft. It will also allow King to diversify its product line to grow into green completions, a longtime corporate goal. In addition to VVIP interior refurbishment, maintenance, avionics and paint, the Ardmore campus also provides depot services for military and government aircraft.
“I’ve long admired Jerry and Jarid King’s servant-leader philosophy, as it aligns with mine,” says Barstow. “They lead by example, sharing their passion for what they do, showing kindness through their actions — all while striving for excellence. At this point in my career, I want to be part of a team of difference-makers. I’ve found the right home to share my experiences to help others.”
In addition to serving as COO and director of business operations for Boeing Business Jets, Barstow’s 41-year career at Boeing included management roles for the 737 P-8 Poseidon, 737 and 757 airplane programs. He also served as finance estimating leader for Boeing Commercial Airplanes. He has been the leader of the National Electrical Contractors Association (NECA) Superintendents Course Leadership Module. In this role, he provided mentoring and advisory guidance, introducing leadership principles, communication tools and motivational leadership, presenting unique leadership learning opportunities to course participants and guided discovery of personal talents, skills and abilities. He graduated from Washington State University College of Business and Economics and has completed advanced studies with The Wharton School and University of Washington Michael G. Foster School of Business.