To respect the privacy (and the humility) of our technician, we have changed his name for the purpose of this story.

At Airway Services, safety is always at the forefront of everything we do. That includes when we’re working on projects and it even includes when our technicians are off the clock, simply living their lives.

Such was the case recently when one of our technicians, let’s call him Charlie, rushed to try and save the life of a stranger on the side of the road. 

Back in April of this year, Charlie was driving down the road and saw a vehicle veer off the side of the road and hit a telephone pole. 

“He hit the telephone pole on the driver’s side of his truck and, when he did that, his truck landed parked in the middle of the road,” Charlie said. “I saw it all happen, and another gentleman did too, so we both got out and went to his truck to see if he was awake.”

He wasn’t. 

Charlie said the man was unconscious and also had a very slight pulse.

At the same time, the man’s wife also happened to be driving down the road, coming home from a baseball game. She pulled over and Charlie asked her if the man was diabetic, or if he had any other health concerns that might have contributed to the accident. 

She confirmed that he was, in fact, diabetic. 

“So I went to check for a pulse again,” Charlie remembered. “And I didn’t feel one. I didn’t feel anything. So, I started performing reps [chest compressions] while the ambulance and the firetrucks and all of those were on their way. I kept doing reps. And I’d say it was probably not even two minutes or so before the firetruck and ambulance came over and then they took over, and the police showed up and I gave them my report.” 

Previously, Charlie had worked as a firefighter. So he was trained in First Aid and CPR. 

“Ever since I was, like, 16 or 17 I’ve always been CPR certified,” he stated. “Because you just never know. This was the first time I ever had to use it, but I used to fight wildfires and stuff like that, so we were trained for that.” 

First aid training is also a major component of Airway Services. 

As our website states, “With an industry-leading commitment to safety, our goal at Airway Services is to achieve zero incidents every day. That commitment to excellence in our safety standards is the key reason our technicians receive continuous, comprehensive and state-of-the-art safety training and employ the latest in safety technology.”

Part of that training includes First Aid and CPR. 

“Airway’s training was a pretty good refresher,” Charlie revealed. “I think it had been, like, a year since I had done a CPR class. So when I went to Airway and they did their First Aid and all of their other training, it really kicked in and helped me remember things.” 

Though this was the first time Charlie had ever needed to utilize his training, he didn’t hesitate to begin issuing chest compressions on the man, as soon as he realized that he needed them.

When something like this happens, when tragedy strikes and you are thrust into a position that you never expected to be in, four things can happen. Most human beings experience one of four responses: Fight, Flight, Freeze, or Fawn. All of these reactions are perfectly normal, but when faced with a do-or-die situation, one like what Charlie was in, it was important to act. To fight. And that’s exactly what Charlie did. He fought for this man. He did everything he knew how to do and he didn’t stop fighting until actual medical personnel arrived on scene. 

“During the moment, I didn’t really feel anything at all because I was just pumped so full of adrenaline,” he said. 

He could have just driven off. He could have looked the other way and said ‘Not my problem.’ But that’s not the kind of man that Charlie is. When he saw something was wrong, when he saw somebody was in trouble, he didn’t hesitate. He rushed to the scene and did everything he could to save the life of a man he had never met. 

And he didn’t do it for the recognition. He didn’t do it for the accolades. He did it, simply, because it was the right thing to do. 

At Airway Services, we train our people to be the best employees they can be. We give them opportunities to better themselves, to train, to learn something new. There are many things about this job that we can teach. But we can’t teach integrity. We can’t teach courage. Those are things that have to be inherent; they have to come from inside. Charlie, as well as every other member of the Airway Services Crew, has that integrity. He has that courage.  And it was something he carried with him, long before he ever walked through our doors. 

“I just sort of did what I thought was right,” he said. “You know, if that was me in that position, I would want somebody to try and help me.” 

When it comes to wind energy projects, Airway Services sets the highest standards of service and expert solutions, and a big reason for that is their training program.

Of course, when it comes to any of their services, safety is the most important factor to consider, which is why they focus much of their training program on how to safely perform the tasks required of the job.

“The main focus of our training is helping our guys to recognize the up-tower hazards that they’re gonna encounter on the job, as well as how to mitigate that risk,” said Dustin Jenson, the Director of Safety and Training for Airway Services. “We focus a lot on fall protection and proper climbing techniques. But rescue is also a big part of our training. If something goes wrong up tower, our team needs to be prepared to get an injured worker down tower quickly and safely.”

Jenson said that the Airway Services training program also focuses on climbing, fall protection, first air techniques, fire awareness, and basic manual handling.

“We also get into some of the technical side,” Jenson stated. “We do electrical safety training, like how to recognize potential for an electrical shock or an arc flash. We teach our folks how to recognize the equipment that poses certain levels of risk, and the higher levels of risk when it comes to high voltage electrocution and arc flashes, and how to protect themselves. We also teach them the PPE (Personal Protective Equipment) that’s required to be able to work in those environments.”

Additionally, the Airway Services team learns about confined space awareness – how to recognize confined spaces and some of the processes that need to be put in place before actually entering a confined space.

It’s not just the safety aspect that the training program focuses on, however. Airway Services also provides technical training that focuses on basic electrical, mechanical, and hydraulic training that ensures each technician understands what is actually taking place in the work that they do.

Before the creation of this training program, technicians would spend a few hours learning the basics of tower maintenance, and some of the safety hazards that go along with that. But both technicians and supervisors realized that this kind of work required a much more thorough, well-rounded, intentional training program.

“The first thing that we did was put together a training plan,” Jenson said. “We turned from an as-needed basis to a very structured process for when we hire a technician. We outlined the training requirements that they had to have. We committed time to that training, and we went from a two or three day training up to about a minimum of two weeks of training, and then we committed to that kind of timeline. And we made sure that all of our teams went through the same training program. We’ve added courses over time. We’ve dedicated more time, more resources, and more personnel to be able to deliver that training, to make sure that we have the best team possible.”

And that’s exactly what they do have. Airway Services has seen an uptake in employee satisfaction and they have also gotten an enormous amount of positive feedback over the years, commending how much time, energy, and resources they’ve spent to make their training program the very best it could be.

“We get technicians that come to us from other companies and many times we hear from those folks that ‘Hey, this is probably the best training I’ve ever gone through,’” Jenson revealed. “They say ‘This is the best training that we’ve ever received.’ We continually get that feedback.’”

The feedback doesn’t just come from technicians, however. It also comes from other industry leaders who have recognized just how vital the training program is to not only Airway Services, but to the wind industry in general.

Airway Services recently achieved their Global Wind Organization Certification for teaching wind organization, basic safety, and basic technical training courses. Airway was audited by a third party, who evaluated their safety management system, their curriculum, and the qualifications of their trainers, in order to ensure that their training aligns with the Global Wind Organization standard.

It does.

“What GWO has done is, they’ve partnered with a lot of companies, just like ours, and made them external training providers under their certification,” Jenson said. “What this certificate shows is that Airway Services is now certified as its own GWO Training Facility, completely independent from the other partners that we’ve worked with in the past.”

The GWO certification is proof positive about how much time, energy, and care has gone into Airway Services’ training program. Airway Services is committed to ensuring the safety of its technicians, and the standard of quality that it has become known for.

“Our thorough training program has helped us keep our technicians safe, which is the most important aspect,” Jenson said. “But it’s also allowed us to bid certain projects, to go out and get bigger contracts with larger owners and operators and OEM’s because they look at us as a company that is committed to our team. We’re committed to training our people in the way that the industry recognizes as the very best.”

Acquisition Continues the Expansion of TAKKION’s Renewable Energy Operations and Maintenance Services 

DALLAS, Texas, May 3, 2022  — TAKKION TP&L Holdings LLC (“TAKKION” or the “Company”), a portfolio company of funds managed by affiliates of Apollo Global Management, Inc. (NYSE: APO) (together with its consolidated subsidiaries, “Apollo”) today announced that it has acquired Broomfield, CO-based Harvest Energy Services, LLC (“Harvest”). Harvest is an independent services provider of operations and maintenance (“O&M”) solutions to the renewable energy industry.

TAKKION is a premier independent services provider supporting the energy transition. The acquisition of Harvest demonstrates the continued expansion of TAKKION’s capabilities in long-term O&M solutions for renewable energy markets. Harvest is TAKKION’s third significant acquisition in less than 18 months and expands TAKKION’s scale and capabilities in the wind services market.

Harvest acquisition expands TAKKION’s scale and capabilities in the wind services market

The Harvest team will join TAKKION’s leading logistics and O&M services companies: Transportation Partners and Logistics (“TP&L”), Global Specialized Services (“GSS”), RENEW, and AIRWAY SERVICES. The addition of Harvest will grow TAKKION’s wind O&M presence in North America, meaningfully enhancing TAKKION’s ability to provide comprehensive solutions for the evolving needs of the renewable energy supply chain. In particular, the Harvest acquisition expands TAKKION’s technical capabilities in blade repair, and adds a high throughput, state of the art training center in Broomfield, Colorado that will support continued hiring and job creation for the renewable energy industry.

“We are ecstatic to welcome Harvest to TAKKION. Harvest has a long history of performance and we are fortunate to incorporate the expertise of its employees into our businesses. We see compelling opportunities to expand the already market-leading scope of TAKKION’s services, leveraging Harvest’s skills and equipment. The acquisition of Harvest furthers our goal to be the strongest partner to companies across the renewable energy industry.” said Jim Orr, CEO of TAKKION.

Vinson & Elkins LLP acted as legal counsel to TAKKION in this transaction. Kirkland & Ellis LLP acted as legal counsel to Harvest.

ABOUT TAKKION

TAKKION is a premier independent service provider of logistics, O&M, and technical repair and remanufacturing services to the renewable energy industry. With the industry’s largest network of people and assets across North America, TAKKION is uniquely positioned to support and optimize the growth and lifecycle of renewable energy. Our brands TP&L, GSS, RENEW, and AIRWAY SERVICES work together seamlessly to deliver quality, performance, and efficiency for our customers. We live by our core values of safety, integrity, transparency, and putting our people & customers first. To learn more about how TAKKION is Moving Energy Forward, visit www.TAKKION.com/

ABOUT APOLLO

Apollo is a global, high-growth alternative asset manager. In our asset management business, we seek to provide our clients excess return at every point along the risk-reward spectrum from investment grade to private equity with a focus on three business strategies: yield, hybrid, and equity. For more than three decades, our investing expertise across our fully integrated platform has served the financial return needs of our clients and provided businesses with innovative capital solutions for growth. Through Athene, our retirement services business, we specialize in helping clients achieve financial security by providing a suite of retirement savings products and acting as a solutions provider to institutions. Our patient, creative, and knowledgeable approach to investing aligns our clients, businesses we invest in, our employees, and the communities we impact, to expand opportunity and achieve positive outcomes. As of December 31, 2021, Apollo had approximately $498 billion of assets under management. To learn more, please visit www.apollo.com.

Airway Services recently partnered with the San Angelo Fire Department to learn more about how to perform rescues on wind turbines. They learned about the hazards that first responders might encounter, as well as what equipment may be used during an emergency rescue in a wind turbine environment.

Additionally, the firefighters shared information about their high-angle rescue equipment and offered techniques to help Airway’s safety instructors understand their functions and limitations.

This was the first of several planned meetings between Airway Services and the department.

The partnership began when Buddy Lemons, the Master Trainer of High Angle Rescues with the department reached out to Airway.

“The San Angelo Fire Department has one unit, one truck, one crew that’s dedicated to high-angle rescue,” said Dustin Jenson, the Director of Safety and Training for Airway Services. “They’re often called out into the county and sometimes into surrounding counties, for emergency rescues. Buddy’s concern was, with the wind industry really growing in our area, and wind turbines starting to creep into Tom Green County and some of the surrounding counties that we work in…he was concerned that there might be a need for some familiarization with a wind turbine and their crew.”

Jenson said the big thing they wanted to learn more about was the rescue equipment.

“We found out that there’s a big difference between the devices and equipment that we use in the wind industry, as opposed to what they use for fire and rescue situations,” Jenson revealed. “It’s the same principle, but the pieces of equipment are very specific to our industry. And so, they needed to get themselves trained in the proper use of our equipment, so that if they’re ever called upon to do a rescue in a wind turbine, they know what they’re facing.”

The first meeting centered around general hazards and equipment. The department brought their high-angle rescue truck to the facility and, Jenson said, they showed the department around their own equipment. The department then showed Airway techs the kits that they have, showcasing their various ropes, hooks, pulleys, and more.

But Jenson said that future conversations will focus on the training aspect.

“We want those guys to come here while we’re doing a training class and teaching our technicians how to be those first responders and how to perform rescues,” he stated. “We want them to see what our guys are trained to do”

Jenson said that it was an honor that the fire department reached out, because they recognized the expertise that Airway Services offers when it comes to wind turbines.

“It’s flattering,” he said. “We like to think of ourselves as a leader in the industry, but when our local first responders start to recognize that too, and they say ‘Hey, these guys at Airway, they know their stuff,’ and they see the training that we’re doing right outside our back door; it’s catching their attention. It means a lot that they would take that initiative to reach out and help us coordinate their training and also coordinate that relationship as well.”

And it’s not just that the department thought of Airway Services when it came to learning more about wind turbine rescues; it’s that they thought about wind turbine rescues at all.

“The more conversations you can have in advance, and the more knowledge that your team can have on each individual organization’s role during an emergency situation, the better you’re gonna perform when the stuff hits the fan,” Jenson said. “I think more than anything, it gives our customers a little more confidence in what we are prepared for. It gives them a little more confidence on that training and that understanding of what emergencies we could encounter. It gives them confidence to know that we’ve done our homework, we’ve done the work to lay the foundation to prepare for the most likely scenario so that, if something does happen on their sites, we’re prepared to respond adequately and efficiently.”

Airway Services continues to set the highest standard of service and expert solutions for wind energy projects, and the biggest reason for that is our people. Our technicians travel all over the country performing major component exchanges, construction services, preventative maintenance and more on wind turbines. As our company grew, so too did the need to make sure our technicians felt seen and heard which is why we developed our ‘Field Service Supervisor’ positions.

“The reason we developed this position was because we really saw the need to have some supervision out in the field,” said Keith Grigsby, Director of Field Operations with Airway Services. “We have Operations Managers that have a team under them that can be anywhere from 25 to 150 techs who report directly to them. A lot of times, they travel and they’re all over the country, so the Field Supervisor role was designed so they can be out in the field, with those teams, on those projects, making sure that we’re executing those projects to the best of our ability and making sure we’re consistent on all of our projects.”

Another big reason Airway Services designed this position was so that technicians would have somebody to meet with to discuss anything that may come up in the field.

“We also wanted to have that one-on-one time with our guys out in the field,” Grigsby said. “Our Field Supervisors can actually be there, in the field, kicking off the meetings with them, actually going up-tower, working with them, supervising, doing quality control audits, doing safety audits, and those types of things.”

The responsibilities of Field Supervisors are vast and varied. Some of them stay on a project throughout its duration; others can kick the project off and make sure it gets started on the right foot before they head to another project, and then another, and another. With this setup, they get more experience and are able to develop their own skills and expertise, which puts them in a prime position to move forward in their own careers.

“We look at these Field Supervisors for our next Operations Managers,” Grigsby revealed. “So, there’s really a lot of growth potential for them. We want to see these guys progress and grow and we want them to be the next up-and-coming leaders for our whole organization.”

Currently, Airway Services has eight Field Supervisors. The goal is to have 12 and it is a goal we will undoubtedly meet. Each of the Field Supervisors will continue to lead teams of talented, enthusiastic technicians and, together they will ensure that Airway Services remains one of the wind industry’s leading Independent Service Providers.

“Having this position is great,” Grigsby stated. “It’s great to see the guys grow in their careers, and it’s great for everybody in the organization who can see the growth potential. They can actually see us grow internally and see that there is a place for them to grow as technicians. They have goals to work towards. We started out with two Field Supervisors. We’re gonna grow to 12. And that’s a great opportunity for everybody involved.”

At Airway Services, the most important part of our company is, and always has been, our people. Our technicians are what make this company what it is and, for this reason, we are proud to announce that, for the first time ever, Airway Services had 400 Dispatch Technicians working for us in 2021.

Being able to provide exciting, fulfilling careers to 400+ people is something that means a lot to this company, and it means a lot to Jonathan Click, the Director of Operations for Airway Services. Click has been Airway’s Director of Operations for 11 years, and he began his career as a technician, so he knows how much work, care, and pride goes into the position.

“Airway Services technician staff is comprised of local based technicians as well as a large group of traveling technicians,” Click said. “Being a Wind Technician for Airway is a very difficult job and can require a lot of time away from your family. Many travel up to five weeks at a time and then come home for about a week. They’re very dedicated to what we’re doing here. Everybody here, from Chase Hord, the COO of Airway, to the directors, the managers, and myself have all been technicians at some point in time, so we understand the daily struggles and triumphs, the good stuff and the bad stuff, that comes with being a technician. I think we have a great culture here at Airway, and I think it’s a good company to be a part of.”

That dedication comes from knowing they are a part of a team that does work that matters. Airway Services deploys teams throughout the United States to deliver complete service and solutions to a wide variety of projects relating to wind energy projects, such as turnkey preventative maintenance, complete turbine inspection service, and more. Airway Services also recently completed a campaign in which they changed 175 wind turbine gearboxes, a service that utilized more than 20 technicians at a time.

Prospective employees can apply to be a technician online via Indeed for a wide variety of open positions that are available. Experience level requirements range from entry level to subject matter experts.

“We have a career development plan for each technician,” Click stated. “First, they would come in as an Associate Wind Tech, which [requires] zero experience. Then, they move to a Tech 3, which is a level where a technician begins to develop basic understanding of components and job scopes. From there, technicians can be promoted to a Tech 2, where their knowledge and skills have begun to grow to the point where they can lead individual crews on tasks and provide reports to Operations Managers. From the Tech 2 level, they can continue to develop their skillsets through on-the-job training, advanced training, etc. and will have the opportunity to move to a Tech 1. Tech 1 technicians are skilled to the point where they can develop procedures, train others and lead larger scale projects along with providing job performance reports back to upper-level management.”

And there is always room for growth. The company culture at Airway Services is one of support, dedication, and mutual respect.

“We have an open-door policy,” Click said. “Techs can come to their managers at any time about anything. Adding Field Service Supervisors has helped our culture because it gives the technicians a means to communicate to their supervisor directly. And our techs know if they ever have anything they want to talk about or suggest, the opportunity is there.”

At Airway Services, there is always an opportunity – to learn, to grow, and to build a career. Those interested in working with Airway Services can visit airwayservicesinc.com/careers to take their first step into the exciting world of wind energy.

Airway Services would like to highlight a group of technicians that executed a Nacelle Retrofit project across the country. The project was a result of an engineering upgrade provided by our customer that involved climbing multiple turbines per day to perform the scope of work. The work was strenuous and repetitive, but all work was completed without a serious injury or incident. The project involved 916 turbines across the country spanning from October through December. This group of technicians exemplified the Airway culture for the duration of the project while working efficiently and safely from preparation through project completion. As a result of their diligent work, they not only represented our organization with pride, but they also made these turbines a safer working environment for all technicians that will enter these nacelles in the future. 16 Technicians plus field leadership executed this feat well ahead of schedule and we should all be proud to call these technicians our teammates. Please join me in thanking each one of these technicians for the hard work that they performed during this project.

Acquisition Represents Significant Expansion of Takkion’s Renewable Energy Operations and Maintenance Services

DALLAS, Oct. 5, 2021 /PRNewswire/ — Takkion TP&L Holdings LLC (“Takkion” or the “Company”), a portfolio company of funds managed by affiliates of Apollo Global Management, Inc. (NYSE: APO) (together with its consolidated subsidiaries, “Apollo”) today announced that it has acquired San Angelo, TX-based Airway Services, LLC (“Airway Services”, or “Airway”), from family office-backed private investment firms Northaven Capital Partners and Concentric Equity Partners. Airway is a leading provider of operations and maintenance (“O&M”) solutions to the renewable energy industry.

Dallas-based Takkion is a premier multimodal logistics and O&M services provider for the energy transition. The acquisition of Airway represents a significant expansion of Takkion’s capabilities in long-term O&M solutions for both wind energy and battery storage markets.

Takkion has acquired Airway Services to expand its solutions for the renewable energy services market.

Founded in 2009, Airway Services has become one of the nation’s top independent service providers (“ISP”) for both leading OEMs and asset owners throughout the U.S. Over the last 12 years, the Airway team has provided on-demand technical staffing, project management, maintenance, and operations solutions for utility-scale renewable energy projects. Airway has grown rapidly by maintaining its focus on integrity, safety, quality, and customer service. Now part of Takkion, Airway Services’ brand will remain intact, and its management team, led by Chase Hord, will continue to deliver best-in-class performance to its customers. Airway will benefit from the strength of Takkion’s platform to accelerate growth and expand service offerings for customers.

Airway Services will complement Takkion’s leading multimodal logistics and O&M services companies: Transportation Partners and Logistics (“TP&L”), Global Specialized Services (“GSS”) and Renew Energy (“RENEW”). The addition of Airway will meaningfully grow Takkion’s O&M presence in North America, significantly enhancing Takkion’s ability to provide comprehensive solutions for the evolving needs of the renewable energy supply chain.

“Airway joining Takkion strengthens our position as the ‘Premier Full-Service Solution’ for all of our customers. As an organization, we are excited that the Airway team brings their expertise and leadership, which will allow our combined teams to provide our customers with greater bandwidth and a larger set of solutions,” said Justin Orr and Travis Harkins, who are Takkion’s Co-Chief Operating Officers for TP&L / GSS and RENEW, respectively. Chase Hord will join Takkion as a third CoChief Operating Officer of the Company, responsible for Airway’s operations.

“We are ecstatic to join forces with the Takkion team,” said Chase Hord, CEO of Airway. “The foundation of our success continues to be from the results of having and developing a strong team with best-in-class technicians. We continue to take an ‘old school’ approach to the service business by exemplifying high integrity, accountability, and transparency with our customers and stakeholders. The combination of our organizations will bring a history of strong customer relationships, unique service offerings, and the ability to leverage strategic solutions to the growing renewable services market. We look forward to working with the TP&L, GSS, and RENEW teams, leveraging Takkion’s collective scale to better serve our customers and invest in growth.”

Jim Orr, President and Chief Executive Officer of Takkion, added, “We are excited to add Airway Services to the Takkion platform of companies. Airway has an excellent, safety-minded culture throughout its ranks that complements TP&L, GSS and RENEW very well. Together, we are well positioned to be the market leading ISP in the renewable energy industry. As the premier provider of both logistics and O&M solutions for the industry, the innovation and value our combined Company can now bring to customers is unmatched. We will continue to offer a broadening set of services, built on our strong foundation predicated on safety, supported by the best team in the industry.”

Scott Browning and Orme Thompson of Apollo’s Natural Resources Private Equity business added, “We are thrilled to welcome Airway to the Takkion platform.  The Airway team has built an outstanding business, and we look forward to seeing its continued growth, as it leverages the deep resources and capabilities of Takkion.  We are pleased to support Takkion as it builds out increasingly diversified capabilities for stakeholders across the renewable energy industry. We believe that as the energy transition accelerates, Takkion’s scale and breadth of services will prove critical in supporting this growing industry.”

Vinson & Elkins LLP acted as legal counsel to Takkion in this transaction. Cascadia Capital LLC acted as financial advisor and Foley & Lardner LLP acted as legal counsel to Airway Services, LLC.

ABOUT TAKKION
Dallas-based Takkion is the premier independent provider of logistics, O&M, and technical remanufacturing and repair services to the Renewable Energy industry. With the industry’s largest network of people and assets across North America, Takkion is uniquely positioned to support the rapidly growing need for clean energy. At Takkion, we live by our core values of safety, integrity, and transparency, continually aiming to better serve our customers and our employees. To learn more about how Takkion is Moving Energy Forward, visit www.takkion.com/

ABOUT APOLLO
Apollo is a high-growth, global alternative asset manager. We seek to provide our clients excess return at every point along the risk-reward spectrum from investment grade to private equity with a focus on three business strategies: yield, hybrid and opportunistic. Through our investment activity across our fully integrated platform, we serve the retirement income and financial return needs of our clients, and we offer innovative capital solutions to businesses. Our patient, creative, knowledgeable approach to investing aligns our clients, businesses we invest in, our employees and the communities we impact, to expand opportunity and achieve positive outcomes. As of June 30, 2021, Apollo had approximately $472 billion of assets under management. To learn more, please visit www.apollo.com.

SOURCE Takkion TP&L Holdings LLC

Airway Services provides major component services give our Operations team a call to find out more.

Gearbox Replacement, Main Bearing, Blade Removal, Blade Bearings, Generator change outs and more.  Airway Services provides a highly skilled team of technicians to manage and facilitate your major component services needs.