Management Bios
AARON P. HOLLANDER
Aaron P. Hollander, CEO and co-founder of First Equity Group, has combined his passion for aviation, motor sports and business. Aaron Hollander started his career at First Equity in 1985 advising the aerospace and defense industries on the some of the most significant transactions impacting those sectors. As principal he has led the turn around and growth for a number of aviation, defense and motor sports companies. Today, Mr. Hollander is Chairman & Chief Executive Officer of First Aviation Services Inc. and Chairman & Chief Executive Officer of Imtek, LLC. From 2001 to 2009 Mr. Hollander also held the position of Chief Executive Officer of the Skip Barber Racing School.
Prior to co-founding First Equity, Mr. Hollander worked for the Boston Consulting Group, and was a CPA and CMA with Arthur Young & Company, (now Ernst & Young). Mr. Hollander holds SEC Series 7, 63, 24 and 27 licenses.
Mr. Hollander received his B.S. in Economics from the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania and earned an MBA with distinction from Harvard Business School, where he received the Copeland Award for marketing.
Mr. Hollander holds an Airline Transport Pilot (ATP) license with instrument, multi-engine, helicopter, seaplane and Type ratings for Learjet 25/35/55 and Lear 45. He has been a speaker at various aerospace industry conferences, including the National Business Aircraft Association, AIAA and the Federal Aviation Administration as well as in Congressional Committees.
He has been on the board of directors or served in a volunteer capacity for numerous not for profit organizations including the Boy Scouts of America, Leukemia and Lymphoma Society and the American Red Cross. Mr. Hollander also served as the Chairman of the Fairchester Chapter of the Young Presidents Organization (YPO). Mr. Hollander resides with his family in Weston, CT.
Ahmed M. Metwalli, Ph.D.
Dr. Ahmed M. Metwalli joined Aerospace Products International, Inc. (API) as President and Chief Operating Officer in June 2007. He brings with him more than thirty years of significant experience in the Aerospace Services and Aviation Distribution business.
Prior to June 2007, Dr. Metwalli was Vice President of Business Development and Distribution at Kellstrom Industries in Miramar, Florida. He joined Kellstrom in 2003 as Vice President of Sales and Customer Support.
Dr. Metwalli began his career with Lockheed Corporation in 1973 when he joined Lockheed Aircraft International, A.G. as the training manager. During that period, Dr. Metwalli continued to serve as Professor at California State Polytechnic University, Pomona, until 1982 when he returned to Lockheed as Director of Research and Analysis. He held that position until 1984 when he was promoted to Director of Business Development. In 1988, he was appointed Director of Strategic and Business Planning of Lockheed Aircraft Service Company and was named Director of Division Development and Planning in 1993.
Dr. Metwalli moved to Lockheed Martin Aircraft and Logistics Centers in 1997 to become Vice President of Strategic Planning and Communication. He spearheaded the consolidation of Lockheed Martin Aircraft Center, Lockheed Martin Logistics Management, Lockheed Martin Aerostructures, and Lockheed Martin Aeronautics International into Lockheed Martin Aircraft and Logistics Centers and developed a five-year strategy that grew the business to annual sales of $800M. In 1999, he was promoted to the Vice President and General Manager of International Operations position and tasked to turn around a stagnant line of business.
From 1999 to 2003, Dr. Metwalli was Vice President and General Manager of International Operations, Lockheed Martin Aircraft and Logistics Centers. Based in Greenville, SC, he led a $250 million business that served customers worldwide in a variety of areas including maintenance, modification and upgrade, manufacturing, commercial spares and component repairs, engine maintenance, repair and overhaul, technical services and training. He was responsible for the management of business operations, wholly-owned subsidiaries and joint ventures in Argentina, Saudi Arabia, China, Taiwan, Egypt and Australia. These business units employed over 4,000 personnel.
Dr. Metwalli earned his Ph.D from the State University of New York at Albany and a Master’s degree in Executive Management form the Peter F. Drucker Graduate School of Management of the Claremont Graduate University. He is also a graduate of the Lockheed Senior Management Institute. In 2001, Dr. Metwalli was inducted in the Claremont Graduate University Alumni Hall of Fame. He and his wife, MaryEllen, have two grown children.
David Lesniak
David took over as President of Imtek in the spring of 2006. Under his leadership, the company has developed and introduced a variety of new products and services, streamlined operations and enhanced customer relationships. Continuing the company’s innovative heritage, David led the development and introduction of Imtek’s patent-pending GPSmail technology, which enables direct marketers to include personalized map-routes and driving directions in direct mail advertising campaigns. David has also been responsible for developing and introducing unique direct marketing solutions that serve the needs of specific vertical markets in the retail and healthcare industries.
Prior to joining Imtek, David was President & CEO of Sunshine Media, a leading publisher of local business-to-business trade magazines with six titles in print in over 125 markets across the US and Canada. Sunshine Media maintains in-house printing and production operations and publishes titles serving the residential and commercial construction, residential real estate, hospitality and healthcare industries. David led the buyout of Sunshine from its founding owner with a combination of private equity capital and bank debt. While heading Sunshine Media, David transitioned the business from family ownership, introduced new products and services and implemented new sales and operational systems. Refining a local market publishing model, he successfully launched over 75 new local and regional publications across the US in less than 2 years.
Prior to Sunshine Media, David was Chief Operating Officer of Direct Mail USA, a business-to-consumer direct marketing and customer analytics company. Direct Mail USA provided a variety of marketing and promotional services to home furnishings, automotive and other luxury retailers as well as consumer financial services companies. David oversaw the sales, product development, financial, analytics and operations functions. He was responsible for the successful development and introduction of proprietary, neural-network based customer modeling services and the compilation of a several national consumer marketing databases.
David is a 1996 graduate of Harvard Business School, where he received his Master’s of Business Administration. He is also a recipient of a Master’s of Science degree in Operations Research from the State University of New York and a Bachelor’s of Science degree in Engineering from the Rochester Institute of Technology.