Midwest Aircraft Refinishing - “We knew there was a market to refurbish Cirrus planes, but found that others didn't want to get into that side of the business because the Cirrus airplane is unique in that it is made out of composite materials rather than aluminum and it's difficult to paint,” said Robillard. “Some people weren't happy getting their planes painted at regular shops.”
Please make sure that Javascript and cookies are enabled on your browser and that you are not blocking them from loading.
Midwest Aircraft Refinishing
Despite the company's success, potential closure in Hibbing was on the horizon not long ago, said Robillard. About four years ago, the company planned to expand, but a complex permitting issue with the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency over emissions for a planned new paint booth cost the company $100,000 in permit costs, a $25,000 fine and delayed expansion.
Midwest Aircraft Refinishing
Refinishing airplanes is a tedious and time consuming. It takes an average of six weeks for the company's 10 employees to paint an airplane and refurbish an interior, said Robillard. Many customers opt to have both the exterior and interior refurbished, he said.
To meet demand, a new 10,000 square-foot addition is under construction. The addition, adjacent to its current facility, will be leased from the Chisholm/Hibbing Airport Authority. The new building will include a paint booth and a “clean hangar,” in which three newly-painted airplanes can be stored.
Virnig, Chief Executive Officer Ross Robillard and Vice President-Secretary Kristopher Carlson all worked at Cirrus Aircraft in Duluth before starting Midwest Aircraft Refinishing. Robillard worked in the Cirrus detail shop and in research and development. Virnig worked in the paint shop. Carlson was in charge of the detail shop.
“A couple of customers that brought in a couple old, ratty Cirrus liked our work and our name started getting out there,” said Robillard. “It took about three years before we started getting a reputation and where people knew we existed.”
Depending how an airplane is cared for, refinishing can be needed anywhere from five years up to nearly 20 years after it is new, said Robillard. On average, most planes need repainting and refurbishing about 10 to 12 years after new.
This profile is powered by Birdeye. Over 90,000 businesses use Birdeye everyday to get more reviews and manage all customer feedback. Birdeye helps millions of local businesses to be found online with all their reviews and accurate business information. Learn more about Birdeye
“They're a very exciting group,” said Germolus. “These aircraft come in from all over the world, which I think is the most exciting part of the business. We have people bring their planes here from Europe. They get a chance to see the region, spend some money here, and we get to visit with them about economic development with our partners like the airport authority and the IRRRB. You never know who might want to locate a business in the region.”
“Some of the planes are flown in here and some are shipped,” said Robillard. “We're bringing in a lot of money from out of the area and there's a lot of money we spend locally. We get our paint in Virginia and our upholstery in Duluth.”
airplane painting shops near me, small aircraft paint shops, midwest aircraft refinishing hibbing mn, best aircraft paint shops, aircraft paint shops near me, aircraft paint restoration, airplane paint shop, griggs aircraft refinishing