Ed Dolanski was named President and Chief Executive Officer of Aviall in July 2013. Aviall, a $3.4B wholly owned subsidiary of The Boeing Company, is the world’s largest provider of new aviation parts and related aftermarket services. Ed joined Aviall in 2007 as Senior Vice President Operations and was promoted to Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer in January 2010. Prior to joining Boeing, Ed served at the Raytheon company as; Vice President Mission Support of the Network Centric Systems business (NCS), Vice President Aftermarket Businesses and Customer Support of the Raytheon Aircraft Company (Hawker & Beechcraft) and Chief Information Officer of the Aircraft Integration Systems business (AIS).
Ed Dolanski, Aviall, a Boeing Company
Ed’s experience also includes 14 years with Walmart Stores, Inc., where he held progressive positions at the corporate office within Information Technology and Supply Chain Management.
Ed received the DiversityFIRST Award for 2012 as well as the Champions of Diversity Award for 2014 from the Texas Diversity Council and serves as a member of the Board. Ed also serves on the board for Irving High School’s Aviation Academy.
Ed attended Vanderbilt University Owen Graduate School with an emphasis in finance and e-business. He also holds a bachelor’s degree in Organizational Management from John Brown University.
What would your company like to see happen in North Texas? Aviall chose to base our headquarters in North Texas for many reasons, among them Texas’ great reputation for supporting businesses both big and small. Our company thrives in this region due to support from pro-business advocates such as the North Texas Commission, a solid talent pool of potential team members and a largely business-friendly atmosphere.
We would like to see North Texas continue to move forward in its business-friendly policy and advocacy efforts. It is crucial we maintain a stable and accessible economic environment, generate jobs for the people in our community and continue to expand trade opportunities for companies in both Texas and throughout the country.
How has your organization made an impact on the North Texas region? Aviall is passionate about giving back to the communities in which we operate. We give back to multiple charitable organizations worldwide, both through team member and company financial contributions as well as donations of our time. We are truly thankful for our long-tenured relationships with organizations such as United Way, the North Texas Food Bank and others.
In North Texas in particular, we employ nearly 800 individuals at our corporate world headquarters. We partner with local Chamber of Commerce organizations to support their efforts in enabling pro-business legislation and advocating for regional, state and national issues.
What is the number one piece of advice you would offer to an aspiring leader? I recently spoke at a conference for North Texas CIOs and technology leaders. The group asked me to present on the topic of transitioning from a CIO to a CEO, elaborating on my critical career movements along the way.
Instead, I chose to speak about what really propelled me into leadership. There was a pivotal point in my journey where I made a conscious decision to care more for others than for my own advancement. This choice to funnel my energy into creating success for others, supporting their career development before my own, presented new, unexpected leadership opportunities time and time again. I would advise aspiring leaders to invest in the individuals on your teams. That investment ultimately creates a stronger workforce, serves the customer and brings long-term fulfillment.
What would you attribute your success to in business? I ground myself in three personal priorities: faith, family and career, with faith and family absolutely coming before all else. My success in my career can be wholly attributed to my strong roots in my beliefs and the unwavering support and selflessness of my wife and son.
What is your favorite spring activity? Though I am not sure this will come as a shock, I have actually been interested in aviation since the age of seven. Since then, I have spent a considerable amount of time scratch building remote control airplanes and flying as a private pilot.
Who would you consider to be your biggest role model? My Dad provided a very well balanced example of how to deliver business results while taking care of a family. As I continued to grow, I discovered the individual that truly modeled selfless leadership is my Lord and Savior, Jesus. He put others before himself and consistently demonstrated humility when he could have easily leveraged his position to “make a point” or “force his will”. He used a servant leadership approach to “teach others to fish” versus simply feeding them.
What do you see as the biggest opportunity for our region? We have an opportunity in North Texas to set an example for the state of Texas as well as the entire country. The decisions we make and the economic progress we enable here can serve as a model for economic growth on a much larger scale.
What are some of our challenges? In the current political environment, we face recurring political issues around international trade, tax legislation and other common business concerns. These examples not only affect businesses but also the people of North Texas’ individual long-term prosperity. We should always note these challenges take strong leadership and the public and private sectors working together collectively to make North Texas the best it can be for business and for its citizens.
What do you think our region should focus on for continued success? I hope we can continue to tackle the tough issues head-on. Let’s prioritize and shine light on the difficult conversations, and lean on the businesses in North Texas to support our region’s growth and the prosperity of North Texas citizens.
Comments