NBAA YoPros Team Up With Regional Groups to Grow, Strengthen Business Aviation

April 1, 2024

NBAA Young Professionals in Business Aviation (YoPros) have kicked off a nationwide initiative to partner and collaborate with regional industry groups with a shared goal of further strengthening business aviation and fostering its next generation of leaders.

As part of this initiative, YoPros – NBAA’s group dedicated to building relationships between emerging leaders in business aviation – will be working with various organizations at the local and regional levels to create opportunities for young business aviation professionals to forge connections, discover potential job opportunities and envision new career paths.

The announcement comes in the wake of a successful event last month in Fort Worth, TX, organized by YoPros, the North Texas Business Aviation Association (NTBAA) and the South Texas Business Aviation Association (STXBAA), which drew an energetic crowd of several hundred participants, many of whom were in town for NBAA’s 2024 Schedulers & Dispatchers Conference.

“This event set a precedent, while simultaneously creating a blueprint for future YoPro/regional group collaborations,” said Jordan Scales, NBAA YoPro Council vice co-chair and aircraft manager at Clay Lacy.

“The key takeaway from this monumental occasion was that we’re stronger together,” said JV Clemente, STXBAA membership chair and sales executive, AEG Fuels. “We hope the success of this event will encourage NBAA to continue collaborating with other local and regional groups.”

Creating opportunities for young professionals to discover and explore opportunities in business aviation will help support the industry in the longer-term, as it faces a challenging workforce environment in the coming decades.

The most recent forecast by CAE shows that business aviation will need to attract more than 100,000 new employees by 2032 to meet projected industry growth – including 32,000 pilots and 74,000 business aircraft maintenance technicians.

“The business aviation industry has a robust network of passionate professionals from all walks of life, with endless opportunities to make meaningful, mutually beneficial connections,” said Lina Sabbah, NTBAA programs and events committee director and aircraft solutions and acquisitions at Business Jet. “NTBAA, STXBAA and NBAA YoPro all strive to develop and foster relationships within the industry.”

Kyle Lamb, NTBAA secretary, and associate aircraft manager at Clay Lacy, added, “Networking events are made to bring new people together. What better way than to collaborate with amazing organizations that have similar missions?”

Founded in 2014, NBAA’s YoPro program is dedicated to building relationships between emerging leaders who are working at NBAA member companies across the business aviation industry. Learn more about NBAA’s YoPro program.