vol. XVIII no. 2 Page 1 2 3 4 While he enjoys waxing nostalgic about his days at Georgia State and the Robinson College, Skip Bowling, 71, still has plenty of other things to do. A former U.S. Army helicopter pilot – and executive with Lockheed Martin Corporation – Skip stays busy these days consulting and serving as vice chairman of the board of the Pemco Aviation Group, a company specializing in aircraft services. He is also involved in the investment business with Tennenbaum Capital Partners, serving as an independent director for Special Value Expansion Fund, LLC. Skip’s activities keep him traveling and also keep him in tune with the aviation business. He says that what he learned as a student at Georgia State still comes in handy. "Times have changed," said Skip, "but much of the practical business knowledge taught at Georgia State still applies." Skip obtained his undergraduate degree from Georgia Tech, but said, "For me attending Georgia State really provided a course correction. After obtaining my MBA in management, I was able to move into other areas of the business such as operations and strategic planning." Skip started with Lockheed Martin as a co-op student. After his military duty, he returned to Lockheed Martin, where he spent 43 years, rising to the position of president of Lockheed Martin Aeronautics International. On whether he influenced his son Chuck to attend Robinson, Skip said, "It wasn’t so much that I influenced Chuck to attend Georgia State, it’s just that it was the right thing for him to do to attend an institution with a solid business program to best help him achieve his goals." Chuck’s mother, Linda, in her own right well known in the Atlanta area as a founder of the Festival of Trees celebration, also encouraged him to pursue a career in the hospitality business. On the aviation business today, Skip points out that there are really only two large aircraft manufacturers – Boeing and Airbus – and the playing field is not always level since Airbus is a consortium subsidized by various governments throughout Europe. And what could the commercial airline industry have done to avoid its current plight? "It’s too late now, but things would have been a lot better off if there was phased-in deregulation." Previous Page | Top Back to A Shared Experience

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