New state tax break will benefit Winner Aviation

By Don Shilling

The company owner was considering leaving Ohio if his taxes weren’t reduced.

VIENNA — A new state tax break will help Winner Aviation expand its operations at the Youngstown-Warren Regional Airport, its owner said.

Gov. Ted Strickland recently signed a bill that eliminates taxes on general aviation repairs and parts sales.

Rick Hale, Winner Aviation owner, said his company will be able to compete more strongly against repair operations in states such as Michigan and New York that have passed similar tax breaks. Hale has been working with the Regional Chamber, state Sen. Capri Cafaro of Liberty, D-32nd, and state Rep. Sandra Harwood of Niles, D-65th, for more than two years to push for the law change in Ohio.

Winner Aviation draws in planes from throughout the Northeast and Midwest for repair work. Its maintenance operation has nearly $4 million in sales and employs about 40 people.

Hale said he thinks he can bring in more work and create more jobs because he can pass along lower costs to plane owners.

Without the change, the future of Winner Aviation’s maintenance department was in question, he said. It was getting difficult to persuade customers to pay more than his competitors in order to cover the tax, he said.

“I would have had to strongly consider moving our maintenance operation out of the area,” he said.

Hale said aircraft need to have a major overhaul of their engines after every 3,600 hours of flight time and a smaller overhaul at 1,800 hours. Those jobs cost from about $250,000 to $500,000, he said. The tax on a bigger job was about $17,000.

Winner Aviation does work on various types of planes, from small training models to corporate jets. It is an authorized service center for several manufacturers and engine makers.

Winner Aviation also provides charter flights, manages the fueling and handling of all planes using the airport, and functions as the customer service operation for Allegiant Air. Overall, Winner Aviation has about 70 employees and nearly $7 million in annual sales.

Hale bought the business in January from Winner International Corp. in Sharon, Pa. Hale had been the chief executive and president since 1995.

shilling@vindy.com