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32 airportbusiness November 2015 Growing up Thomas (Tom) E. Roda, PE, recalls being drawn to engineering and construction because he liked the idea of building new things where nothing existing before. In college he had an opportunity to work on a varie- ty of civil engineering projects as part of a small firm. Here, he found himself drawn to the airport and airline related projects. Today, Roda is the technical director of Atkins' North American aviation technical production staff. In this role he is responsible for the technical and operational performance of aviation planning and engineering professionals across the country including resource management, workload forecasting, quality assurance and staff development. Throughout his career, Roda has held a variety of key roles on projects including project manager, quality control manager and lead engineer. As a project manager, he has provided oversight and coordination of multi-discipline teams on diverse project types such as new building construction, building expansion, pavement construction and repair, planning studies, forensic investigations and more. This has provided him with direct involvement in nearly $10 billion worth of capital improvement pro- jects at more than 35 airports throughout the United States, Caribbean and the Middle East. Roda earned his Bachelor of Civil Engineering degree from the Georgia Institute of Technology in 1999. DID YOU KNOW? RODA earned the highest rank in the Boy Scouts of America, Eagle Scout, at the age of 13. DID YOU KNOW? For his 35 th birthday, JEFVERT flew a Gulfstream GIV to LA. Thomas Roda: Builds the Future Technical Director, Aviation Atkins Age: 39 Years in Aviation: 18 Memberships: FAC, AAAE, ACC, Continuing Florida Aviation Systems Planning Process Director of Sales Paragon Aviation Group Age: 37 Years in Aviation: 16 Memberships: Pacific Northwest Business Aviation Association, Schedulers and Dispatchers Committee, International Operators Committee Scott Jefvert found his passion for aviation early in life. He traveled quite a bit as a kid, both by car and by plane, but of course his favorite means of travel was by plane. He recalls that he'd be glued to the window seat, and that he loved watching the slats and flaps extend and retract during takeoff and landing. On every trip, he says he would ask to see the flight deck cockpit and talk with pilots about their experience flying airplanes. Jefvert's father also had his private pilot's license, and flew his family around some during childhood. At that point, Jefvert knew he would one day take the controls and learn how to fly. In high school, he started working on his private pilot's license, and continued in college to eventually receive his instrument rating from Galvin Flying Services. After graduating from Washington State University, he had his first career job in aviation as the director of Line Service Sales for Galvin Flying Services. There, he performed various duties, including marketing and advertising projects, client database management, vendor and tenant relations, as well as business development and client retention. After 12 years, he was ready to take the next step and join Paragon Aviation Group. As the company's director of sales, he works with a vast independent FBO membership group and continues to work on business development, relationship marketing, and sets sales activities to meet both short- and long-term goals. Much of Jefvert's time is spent traveling to industry trade shows and events, FBO auditing, as well as continued contact with both 91 and 135 flight departments traveling throughout Paragon's member network. Outside of Paragon Aviation Group, Jefvert is an active board member in the Pacific Northwest Business Aviation Association, Pacific Rim Schedulers and Dispatchers Association, and works with the Raisbeck Aviation High School's internship program locally in Seattle. Scott Jefvert: Flew Into FBO Leadership