Since before he can even pinpoint, Vincent Jessel has always wanted to fly. He began his journey at age 16 when he completed his first solo flight out of Danbury airport in CT. He then formalized his interest in aviation through enrolling into Jackson University and became part of their airport management and flight operations program, where he was pursuing the ratings needed to become a professional pilot.
After a transfer to Skidmore College and a major change to psychology, Vinny graduated and began looking for a job that didn’t have a commute of 35,000 ft, but kept him involved in the aviation industry. Armed with his education and passion for flying, he began working for Veoci in 2016.
Being the twentieth hire for the company comes with a level of perspective and sense of responsibility few others can have. Since he has always worked within the aviation vertical for Veoci, Vinny has had a front row seat to the growth and evolution not only of the organization, but of the solutions and number of customers the product has been able to impact.
“We’re able to support more than 100 airports and when I started that wouldn’t have been feasible,” he shared. With over 80 solutions available, along with a team with decades of combined total years of experience, Vinny is extremely proud of where Veoci is today and the level of support available to customers.
As Veoci has grown in size and in capabilities, the main focus for Vinny and the rest of the team has always remained the same: to make our users’ lives easier. He shared how Veoci is unique in the sense that when a new regulation emerges, or when something changes in the industry, the product can adapt very quickly, and therefore, so can our customers.
When it came to figuring out how to navigate the aviation industry in the beginning, he likened it to a baptism by fire. The good news was that he quickly found that people in this field are friendly. He recalled a phone call he made early on in his career. Vinny had been chatting with someone that ultimately wasn’t in the market for a new product, but stayed on the phone with him talking about the many trips the contact had taken and the plane they had, “The fastest general aviation piston powered plane,” Vinny fondly remembered.
It was moments like these that taught him the importance of asking questions and beginning conversations with people in the area you have an interest in. An understandably intimidating task for most. Vinny’s suggestion for those in the aviation area? Whether you are looking to network, looking for a new position or trying to show a solution that can improve an airport’s operations, always remember that you both already have something in common to rely on: your individual love for flying.
Mentors in any field are key, but in this one, are especially important. Finding a person who has experience and respect within the industry that is willing to show you the ropes is a tall order, but not impossible if you go back to Vinny’s first piece of advice which is to simply talk to people.
Vinny is going to be at this year’s AAAE Conference! Stop by booth 820 to say hello to him and the rest of the Veoci team.
