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Duncan Aviation is pleased to announce that Ryan Rudd has joined its Paint and Interior Sales Team at the company's Provo, Utah, facility. Rudd's enthusiasm for anything with an engine has been a lifelong interest, and he's excited to share his passion for aviation with Duncan Aviation team members and customers.
"Although I haven't been here for long, I absolutely love it. I love being around airplanes," said Rudd. "The culture and people at Duncan Aviation are amazing, and everyone has been helpful and kind. My career plan is to learn all I can about the aviation industry and provide our customers the service they're accustomed to getting at Duncan Aviation."
With two grandfathers who were pilots, one of whom started a small airline out of Long Beach, California, Rudd has been passionate about aviation since he was a child. Growing up, Rudd attended every airshow he could, constantly talked airplanes with his grandfather, and eventually built a Kitfox in his mentor's garage. Although Rudd had flown numerous hours by the time he was 15, he hasn't completed his Private Pilot's license, but it's on his to-do list.
From the time he was eight-years-old, Rudd was fascinated by high-performance cars, and in high school, he started his own import business after successfully winning an auction for a white 1993 Nissan Skyline in Victoria, Canada. After graduating from high school, he worked at a JDM Legends in Murray, Utah, doing restoration work on rare cars that were never offered to the US market.
After several years, he took advantage of an opportunity to work at the Harley Davidson dealership in Linden, Utah, working in a variety of different capacities including finance and as the General Sales Manager.
"At the time, I'd never owned a Harley, but I've always been passionate about anything with an engine," says Rudd. "I now own a 1942 WWII Harley that had been abandoned in Poland after the war."
"One day, I spent an hour talking to an interesting gentleman about motorcycles," says Rudd. "Eventually, he pulled out a pen that had Duncan Aviation on it, and I told him I was really curious about what the company did. I asked him what he knew about Duncan Aviation, and he said, ‘Well, I own it.' He invited me to come for a tour of the facility, and I went the next day."
Rudd found the tour—given by none other than Robert Duncan—fascinating, and a few years later, ready to make a change, he attended the National Business Aviation Association (NBAA) convention in Las Vegas, Nevada, with the intention of introducing himself to some of the people from Duncan Aviation.
"I was invited to join the Duncan Aviation team for dinner, and it was a great networking experience," says Rudd.
Rudd and his wife Kenzie have been married for nearly 11 years, and they have four children: Violet (8), Emery (6), Margo (3), and Jack (1 ½). He and his wife love to ski together and both are certified scuba divers. As a family, they enjoy playing with their kids and riding bikes.
"When you get a bicycle as a kid, it's your first taste of freedom," says Rudd. "I think it's a great activity for kids, and we love riding together as a family."