Pacific National Industries, Inc.

Abstract

Eric Walsh, newly promoted director of aviation for Pacific National Industries, Inc. (PNI), is one week away from having to make his very first presentation to the company's COO and CFO. PNI is one of the country's largest chemical companies, and maintained four aircraft and a team of flight and maintenance crewmembers to facilitate executive travel to and from the company's many plants and operating complexes. Walsh enters his new position and learns how badly the aviation division needs updating: the planes need refurbishment or replacement, the staff might need retraining, and PNI has just acquired a new company that comes with its own flight division—so Walsh also needs to figure out how that fleet factors into PNI's existing one, if at all. With only a week left to prepare for his meeting, Walsh must decide where to focus his presentation. Excerpt UVA-G-0646 Apr. 18, 2019 Pacific National Industries, Inc. Eric Walsh walked across the tarmac toward the flight operations building for Pacific National Industries, Inc. (PNI). He had flown PNI COO Dwight Daniels and senior vice president and CFO Meredith Ackerman back from the company's newly acquired agribusiness in Memphis, Tennessee. Daniels and Ackerman had spoken briefly about the meeting next week, wherein Walsh would present the strategic outlook for the flight department. That meeting was weighing heavy on Walsh's mind. He had been promoted to director of aviation following former director Kevin McNamara's retirement. McNamara had been comfortable with the status quo, and the department now needed a major overhaul, according to the results of an outside consulting report. The Company PNI was one of the nation's largest chemical companies, producing and marketing chemicals, fabricated fibers, explosives, propellants, and agricultural products. PNI's goods were used in a broad range of industries throughout the world. With 2018 sales expected to exceed $ 20 billion, PNI was ranked among Fortune's 200 largest US corporations. . . .