wiley curran

Investing in Value

Deals can’t always be done over the phone.
Lower Middle Market Private Equity investor Wiley Curran knows no matter how much legwork happens beforehand, there’s no substitute for face-to-face contact.

“In our business, you’ve got to look the seller in the eye at some point,” said Curran, President of Curran Companies and Airshare shareowner since 2013.

“We were working very hard on an acquisition of a business in the telecom space. Things were reaching a tipping point, but we had to get out to California. We needed to see the sellers in person to get everything over the edge.”

‘Critical to Getting That Deal Done’

A day before the trip, Curran received a phone call from an Airshare Owner Services Specialist, advising him of a massive snowstorm threatening the schedule.

“We’re taking some proactive steps understanding your tight schedule,” the Owner Services Specialist said, advising Curran’s party to leave that day. “We’ve taken the liberty of getting the plane ready. The crew’s ready to go – you just tell us when you want to leave and we’ll make it happen.”

A few hours later, Curran’s party was in Paso Robles, California, beating the snowstorm out of town.

“Scheduling snapped into action. Operations snapped into action,” Curran said. “You could tell there were eight different wheels in motion to make sure we’d be successful. Those are the actions – the connecting the dots behind the scenes – that sets Airshare apart from anyone. It truly feels like someone is in your office working right along side you. That’s a powerful thing.”

The result?

“It was a very productive trip. I can tell you it was critical to getting that deal done.”

A Tool to Grow Business

Most of the time, Curran uses Airshare as a business tool for his family’s investment group.

The company can fly a group of people from its Kansas City headquarters to Grand Junction, CO, work a full day, and come back that night. Something that’s impractical using commercial airline schedules that require a night’s stayover and connecting flights.

“It allows us to get there when we need to, on our schedule,” he said. “We get privacy after the meeting that we can use in a quality way. Overall, it’s a real business asset.”

But unlike other private travel options, Airshare isn’t extravagant. That’s why it works well for Curran Companies.

“A lot of people think that flying privately is this hugely excessive proposition. Where you’ve got two people on this big giant jet with crystal glasses and espresso makers,” Curran said.

“But that’s not what Airshare is about. They’re about providing a really high degree of service, getting people from A to B, and acting as their flight department.

“Airshare is truly my flight department. They’re my trusted aviation expert. Safety always comes first. But they’re thinking about my pocketbook as well as theirs. Because of the ability to only use what you need, at the end of the day, Airshare is not an excessive business tool. You get great value out of it.”

Great Value for Middle Market Companies

That equation rang true for Curran, whose group makes its business capitalizing efficient, middle market companies. So much so that Curran Companies invested in Airshare in 2016.

“Airshare customers get great value in safety, price, fleet capability, personalization and reliability,” he said. “Those are the real things that no-frills, no-nonsense middle market companies demand. And Airshare delivers that unlike any other program in the marketplace.”

That helps companies that value key personnel’s time; businesses that need to get to hard-to-reach places; or those that need to move multiple executives to the same place.

Airshare helps manage schedules that are constantly changing and plans that have to be kept.

“Their customers are roll-up-their-sleeves hard workers. The type that have to get out there and see two of their customers right now,” Curran said. “But then they absolutely have to get home to see their third-grader’s talent show.”