THE EXTRA MILETHE MERIDIAN COMPANIES AT TETERBORO Vol. 3, Issue 2 :: 2007

In this Issue:Meridian's Website: New Features and a New Look 1Letter From the CEO 1Meridian Sets the Pace 2Meridian Consistently Awarded for Excellence and Safety 2Career Day: The faces of Teterboro’s future 2Meridian Flies the Rockies! 3Meridian Plane Folk: Betsy Wines 3Mile Markers: Hong Kong 4

Dear Customers and Employees,I just returned from my 40th reunion at the USAF Academy in Colorado. This is a picture of the chapel with a bronze model of a B-24 Liberator. The Academy buildings and grounds are filled with memorials and displays of aviation history. Our reunion focused on camaraderie, sacrifice, pride, and patriotism. We honored our fallen classmates and all of the men and women of the armed forces who have made and continue to make great sacrifices to protect our freedom.

The motto for the class of 1967 is “Ad vita ipsa justavit” or “To a life that justifies itself”. As members of the class and later as members of the USAF, we knew that we needed to continually strive for excellence. We learned that we could accomplish great things only if we worked together as a team.

I’m fortunate to still be a member of an elite team that strives to be the best that it can be. That team is Meridian, and our task is running a great aviation business. I was proud to serve in the USAF, and I’m proud to work with the professionals at Meridian.

Recent surveys by Professional Pilot Magazine and Aviation International News confirm that Meridian has exceptional facilities and capabilities. Those surveys confirm that we are exceeding our customer’s expectations by delivering a truly extraordinary experience.

Thank you to our customers and to our dedicated employees.

Ken Forester

Meridian’s Website: New Features and a New LookMeridian proudly launched its sleek new website at the National Business Aviation Association show in Atlanta this September. The project came to fruition after months of efforts to capture the essence of the Meridian Companies and provide a thoughtful interactivity that makes it easier for our clients to get the answers and quotes they want quickly. You can now chat with a live person in our Air Charter division on the site. The process is simple and is in direct response to our clients who want to see our high level of individualized customer service have a presence online.

www.meridianaircharter.com

www.meridianteb.com

Career Day The faces of Teterboro’s future

Meridian Teterboro took part in the 2nd annual Aviation Career and Education Expo at Teterboro Airport this sum-mer. The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey’s event for 7th and 8th graders is a precursor to the Newark Airport Job Fair for high school students.

Career Day offers an aviation insight. The kids are thrilled to see the jets and hangars that house them. Along with the wow and spectacle, the children are educated on the broad spectrum of aviation careers, the education required for each position and potential salaries they could earn.

Meridian volunteered as a venue on the tour. Approximately 250 students in five groups traveled around the Teterboro Airport. Meridian team members led students through our new facility. The students were in awe of our movie theater and the panoramic view of the airport from the third-floor balcony. The Meridian Maintenance team invited the stu-dents into the hangar where they gave them a glimpse of career opportunities in jet maintenance.

Other stops on the tour included the Aviation Hall of Fame and the Port Authority emergency services with demonstra-tions from Homeland Security and the SWAT division.

Meridian Sets the PaceOnce again, Meridian led United Way’s Annual Teterboro 5K Run. Ken Forester, CEO of the Merid-ian Companies, set the pace inside his Cessna 172 for the 800 runners who lapped the tarmac at Teter-boro for a good cause. This year marked the 10th anniversary of the run. The runway at the nation’s

busiest private airport was temporarily closed for the event. The sunny July morning attracted many, including Meridian’s FBO President Steve Chando-ha and Marketing Manager Maureen Maloney. First-time runner Maloney said, “The airport employees and the whole community come together for the cause; it was an exhilarating experience and I was proud to be a part of it.”

Meridian Consistently Awarded for Excellence and SafetyFor the seventh year in a row, the Meridian Jet Cen-ter earned the FAA Diamond Award Certificate of Excellence, and this year, eight Meridian mechan-ics were presented the FAA, Aviation Maintenance Technical (AMT) Award.

The FAA’s Ali Ispahany presented each crew member his award at Meridian’s Teterboro headquarters.

“Our commitment to safety and investment in train-ing is unrelenting,” said John Langschultz, Merid-ian’s Jet Center VP. “Delivering a safe and airworthy aircraft is Meridian’s top priority.”

Pictured: Mark Muller, John Bahrenburg, FAA’s Ali Ispahany, Pete Rawson, Lou Ramm, Phil Gonzalez, Jonathan Kindler, Meridian President Dennis O’Connell, Don Paynton, and Meridian Jet Center VP John Langschultz.Not Pictured: Jeff Prescott and Nick Taddei

Meridian Flies the Rockies!With our beautiful Falcon 900, based in Denver’s Centennial Airport, Meridian has crossed the Continental Divide to bring its customers a new level of service. “The Denver charter market has long been key for leisure travel with its abundance of natural beauty, but now Denver has become an integral city in the US economic landscape as well”, states Director of Sales Andrew Ladouceur. “Flying in and out of the mountainous environment takes a special crew and a special plane, and the three-engine Dassault Falcon 900 could not be better suited for the mission,” he adds.

Meridian has become a part of the Denver business landscape, recently co-hosting a charity golf outing with Mercedes Benz, as well as notching a prominent feature in Denver’s 5280 Magazine. This aircraft is available for charter, and can be seen it detail on our website at www.meridianaircharter.com.

Meridian Plane FolkBetsy WinesBetsy Wines, Me-ridian Teterboro’s VP Customer Service Repre-sentative and Human Resourc-es, has been winning awards, accolades and bragging rights for Meridian for over a decade. Her spirit, commitment and work ethic exemplify Meridian’s core values and award-winning practices. Since 1996 Betsy has been voted #1 on the Profes-sional Pilot Magazine survey of “Best FBO Employee,”—an award she hum-bly accepts on behalf of her team. This year, she wasn’t alone in the top ten for Meridian; she was joined by Vic-tor Seda, a point Betsy always makes when she receives praise for her top spot. “I couldn’t be happier and more proud of Victor,” she proclaims. She instinctively adds, “My staff makes me look good.”

In 1985 Betsy was interning as a para-legal while working as a Meridian flight school dispatcher. Although Betsy

earned a political science degree with a minor in paralegal studies, working at Meridian revealed a passion in her for aviation and luckily for Meridian, her career took a divergent path. Two years later she was promoted to cus-tomer service manager, and she con-tinued this ascent to her current spot as VP Customer Service Representative and Human Resources. “I fell in love with aviation,” she adds, “The pilots and customers are the most apprecia-tive group of people you can work with. They make me feel good … they recog-nize that I try hard for them.”

Betsy has been there as Meridian blazed its path through the aviation services industry. “I never imagined the com-pany growing in the way it has,” says Betsy, “but I knew we would do well with Ken [Forester, CEO] and Steve [Chan-doha, president of Meridian Teter-boro] leading.” For Ken Forrester and Steve Chandoha, the admiration is

mutual. “I can describe Betsy’s cus-tomer service skills in one word: Text-book. She is 100 percent focused on our customers, and truly loves what she does,” says Steve “It is a pleasure to work with such a talent.”

Betsy met her husband John who was a flight instructor when she started with the company; he is now a 737 Cap-tain with Continental. They have two children, Megan and Sean. Her suc-cess has come from a simple philoso-phy. Alongside the Pro Pilot awards on her office wall is a plaque that reads: “Good, Better, Best, Never Let it Rest ‘til Your Good is Better and Your Better is Best.”

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MiLE MARkERS: HONG kONG Meridian recently touched down in Hong kong. The region was a British Overseas Territory until the transfer of its sovereignty to the People’s Republic of China in 1997.Originating as a trading port in the 1800’s, Hong kong has be-come a key global, financial center. Hong kong has nearly 7 million people and is one of the most densely populated areas of the world. The official dialect is Cantonese but Mandarin, the mainland dialect, is also spoken. English is a language widely used in the financial and services businesses. Hong kong’s cli-mate is subtropical and is susceptible typhoons in the warmer summer months; the best weather for travel is in the spring.Hong kong’s bright lights and spectacular views attract many visitors. The most popular sightseeing attraction is The Peak Tower that overlooks Victoria Harbour and the city. The seaside Stanley Market on the south side is also a tourist favorite for shopping and a traditional cuisine.

485 Industrial AvenueTeterboro AirportTeterboro, NJ 07608

Toll Free: 800.882.2333Phone: 201.288.5459Fax: 201.288.1229

Email: charter@meridianaircharter.com charter@nycjets.com

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Welcome to the Meridian FamilyNorma Acevedo • Anthony Banome • Rick Bentley • King Soloman Brown • Sarah Campbell • Rachel Chapman • Shawn Dawkins • Eileen Connolley • Donovan Cossia • Doug Craig • Scott DeFrank • Asbel Duvallon • Rosa Garcia • Art Johns • Marc Perez • Leonardo Pita • Rosie Quinn • Marcus Richey • Bill Taylor • Charles Taylor • Angelos Tofiles • Al Tomarchio • Kevin Tucker • Ines Venancio • Ryan Walsh

Happy Anniversary to the following employees:1 Year Anniversary: Williams R. Brito • Geovanny Criollo • Daniel Delgado • Harry J Doneman • Tanecia F. Headley • Allison Hibbert • Karol Kulesza • Michael Ianuale • Maureen Maloney • Mark McCourt • Javier Paulino • Delia Roldan • Ronald Roldan 5 Year Anniversary: Haakon Aurdal • Francisco Cabrera • Michael Manning • Alexy Mendez 10 Year Anniversary: Randall A. Arrigo • Philip E. Boyer • Louis E. Ramm • Robert J. Santangelo15 Year Anniversary: Maren F. Gallo

Congratulations to the following employees on their promotions:Art Disabunjong • Marvin Gordillo • Estrella Reynoso