Background
Republic Airways is one of the U.S.’ largest regional airlines headquartered in Indianapolis, IN. Founded in 1974, it operates a fleet of over 220 aircraft and approximately 900+ daily flights transporting passengers across the U.S., Canada, and the Caribbean.
Central to Republic Airways’ value of safety is the comprehensive training provided to its crew of pilots, flight attendants, and maintenance staff. Republic Airways announced in 2021 that they would expand their training facilities by adding a 105,000-square-foot aviation campus in Carmel, Indiana, to enhance cohesion and efficiency. This vision took shape as a two-phase project, including a state-of-the-art training center, a 276-room hotel to house trainees, and a new corporate headquarters.
Challenge
Construction on Phase I of the project began in Q3 of 2021 with strict deadlines to keep the expansive project on track for completion in Q2 of 2023. As structures started to take shape, Jim Widmann, Program Manager at Republic Airways, was tasked with selecting a partner to integrate low-voltage technologies in the new training center and hotel- including access control, video surveillance, sound and A/V, and wireless access points. However, choosing the right partner would be crucial to the project’s success, as supply chain disruptions and longer-than-expected lead times due to the COVID-19 pandemic threatened the timeline.
Solution
Recognizing the importance of a reliable partner, Republic Airways selected Tech Electronics, known for its 60-year history of solid vendor relationships. The outlined objectives of the partnership included cost-effective, scalable, flexible, and upgradeable low-voltage solutions in the training center and hotel- including classrooms, conference rooms, brief/debrief rooms, collaboration rooms, office spaces, and the auditorium. With inflexible deadlines and supply chain issues in mind, Tech Electronics strategically chose technologies from their vendor base, including Lenel, Milestone, Kramer, Crestron, Shure, and Draper, to secure and equip the facilities and fulfill the desired objectives.
Outcome
The partnership between Republic Airways and Tech Electronics proved to be a success, as evidenced by the on-schedule completion of the first training session and the hotel’s opening in early 2023.
”This project was the first experience Republic Airways had with Tech Electronics. The relationship with Tech's project manager (Alan Virgin) and the project team was outstanding; I can't say enough great things about them. They are among the best teams I've worked with in my long IT career.
Jim WidmannProgram Manager, Republic Airways
Looking forward, Tech Electronics is eager to build upon the partnership formed during the months of collaboration with the Republic Airways IT team. As the facilities mature, Tech Electronics anticipates providing system services that exceed the excellence of the initial technology implementation.
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