by Mike Sharkey
Staff Writer
There are about 550-600 DeHavilland Twin Otter Aircraft in use today all over the world. The 19-seat plane was used by much of the worldwide airline industry in the 1960s, but today is used primarily by Second and Third World countries for everything from moving people to skydiving to surveillance.
It’s a safe bet that a Jacksonville-based company either sells or rebuilds parts for virtually every Twin Otter owner.
Aug. 13, Team JAS President and CEO Andy Sanfilippo and his wife Judy will mark the 23rd anniversary (and Judy’s birthday) of a company that was created out of part luck, part job loss and a big part good decision. Sanfilippo was in the aviation industry and had resigned. His previous employer decided there was no reason for him to work out his two-week notice. Instead of looking for a job, Sanfilippo started Team JAS (Judy Anne Sanfilippo) and over two decades later he owns a building on Baymeadows Way, has a thriving business and leases the rest of the space.
“As a company, we are a provider of solutions to DeHavilland Twin Otter owners around the world,” said Sanfilippo, whose company now employs about 35 people in several departments including engineering, sales, purchasing, front office, repair and the warehouse. “The Twin Otter is a high-wing, twin-engine turbo prop that was used mostly as a commuter plane in the early ‘60s. It was used in the heyday of the airline industry and it grew in the United States.”
In the mid-1980s, the U.S. airline industry shifted to using bigger planes and the Twin Otter became more popular in smaller countries. Sanfilippo says abut 85 percent of his business is international and sells to plane owners across the globe. The Twin Otter is what’s called a STOL (short take off and landing) aircraft and it’s capable of landing at very slow speeds, making it practical for small landing strips and use in mountainous regions. The fact the plane is still widely used is reflected in Sanfilippo’s numbers.
“Business is good,” he said. “In 2008, we had our best year. It was the most profitable. We are a very, very focused business and that’s the thing that makes us different. We had to develop lots of systems and procedures. We forecast and watch business to keep everything on track.
“We run the business like a $50 million business. We are not there yet, but we run it like that. Being a solutions company, we are always looking for interesting ways to make sure we satisfy the customer’s needs.”
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