John Ingram has always been an entrepreneur at heart. Starting a lawn mowing business at the age of 13 ignited a passion within him and he operated that business with a partner until college. His professional career began after completing his civil engineering degree where he worked at Denver International Airport and San Jose International Airport.
Ingram registered as a professional engineer in six states, and at the age of 31, began building an aviation practice with a Texas-based architecture and engineering firm. He ventured out on his own with two business partners in 2008 to found Jviation, ultimately building a nationally recognized firm with 130 employees providing services to over 100 airports.
Jviation Inc. is a professional services company focused on the aviation industry. The firm provides personalized and highly skilled planning, engineering and architecture services to airports, airlines and the cargo industry. While at the helm of the company, Ingram was awarded the AAAE Corporate Cup of Excellence and has grown U.S revenue from $0 to $25 million annually since Jviation’s inception.
Windows of opportunity open and close all the time, said Ingram. “The most important risk I took was to start Jviation in the midst of the financial crisis while unemployment was soaring,” he said. “The timing was integral to the success of Jviation, irrespective of the current financial markets, because that was when the window of opportunity opened.
In 2020, Ingram also found a window of opportunity when Jviation was acquired by Woolpert Inc. Ingram continues to manage his executive team, setting new records each year for sales and revenue. “The vision of Jviation merged with Woolpert provides a national platform by adding 25 more offices to service our national client roster,” said Ingram. “The vision is to share, embody and live the founding principles into the future, with all the expanded roster of employees since the merger.”
As a leader, Ingram said his secret superpower is to build deep and meaningful relationships. “I believe the four most important attributes for leaders today are listening to employees and clients, doing the right things for the right reasons, taking the high road in all circumstances and having the ability to make decisions,” he said. “This industry and career have afforded me personal and professional development beyond my expectations and I’m grateful for the opportunities to build companies, cultures, careers, projects and character.”
