A customer-centric approach is what helped develop Heliwagon Inc. into what it is today: A highly successful, passionate and innovative company with a desire to serve helicopter operators to the fullest extent possible.
That hasn’t changed as the company enters an exciting new stage with its new CEO, Dr. Gordon Jiroux. Customers are still top-of-mind, and Heliwagon wants to serve them better.
“What we live by every day is customer service,” said Heliwagon president Brad Seibold. “We want to take care of our customers, we want to be there for our customers. If they have questions, if something happens, we want to be there for them. We are customer-first, sales second.”
Jiroux has been called one of the most knowledgeable and skilled professionals in the helicopter industry, a long-time pilot who is also president, CEO and chief flight instructor with the Universal Helicopters flight schools.
He acquired Heliwagon in early February, adding it to a suite of companies that includes Night Flight Concepts, a Robinson Helicopter dealership in Utah, and service centers in Arizona, Kansas and Texas.
“I saw the opportunities to grow Heliwagon as a company and as a brand,” said Jiroux. “The Heliwagon product is nothing short of perfection. When I bought my first Heliwagon, I could not believe that I had been pushing or tugging my helicopters for the last 35 years. What a waste of time and energy.”
The Heliwagon is an innovative product that entered the market in 2009, changing the way pilots move their helicopters. It’s a wireless, remote-controlled landing dolly that eliminates the need for tugs and tows.
“We want to continue to move the company forward by making sure everyone that has the skills to land on a Heliwagon, has one for their helicopter,” said Jiroux. “But the customer-centric philosophy will stay the same. We will always put customers and their safety first by offering operational and pilot training with every purchase.”
Pilots land on the platform, which has industrial-grade casters and drive wheels and is coated with a thick, tough, durable and non-skid polyurethane liner that is resistant to fuels, hydraulic fluids and other caustic chemicals.
Then pilots or other staff can maneuver the platform from inside or outside the helicopter, using a remote control that operates at 2.5 gigahertz and has an operating range up to 500 feet.
“If you’ve got clients and it’s raining or it’s cold or it’s windy, you can actually leave them in the helicopter and drive them into the hangar and then load inside the hangar,” said Seibold.
“For pilots, one of the benefits they really like is, if they’re coming in and the wind changed … instead of trying to land in a crosswind they can take the remote, rotate it and always land nose into the wind.”
The Heliwagon offers 360-degree walk around visibility, with 100 percent positive control during aircraft movement on the ground. It eliminates hangar rash, maneuvers easily in tight areas, has an 8,000-pound weight capacity and its drive system eliminates the need to chock the wheels.
Heliwagon sold its first two platforms in the summer of 2009 and the idea was well-received in the industry. Demand was so great, the company sold about 100 platforms in its first five years.
“People loved it. They loved the idea,” said Seibold. “They couldn’t believe that it was the first time this kind of product was coming out into the market, and over the course of the next couple of years, we really grew fairly quickly.”
With Jiroux as its new owner, Heliwagon has exciting plans for expansion that will open up new markets and increase its exposure within the industry.
“It’s extremely exciting to just have so many other avenues to sell your product and be creative and create a new buzz,” said Seibold.
The biggest advantage of Jiroux’s ownership is his experience and his involvement in the helicopter industry, said Seibold. “He’s been in the industry for over 35 years, has many contacts, a ton of knowledge, and then his resources to really promote and think outside of the box in promoting [the products].”
The goal is to make Heliwagon bigger by meeting customers’ needs, giving them more solutions and serving them to the highest possible standard.
“Our customers are more important to us than making the sale,” said Seibold. “We want to have this great product that’s going to change the way they move their helicopter.
“But we also want to let them know that we’re there for them, that we’re there to take care of them. And if they ever have an issue, we built our name on great customer service with a great product.”
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