(What is 1988 alumnus Brent Wouter's advice to current Graceland students? "Pay attention to your liberal arts education, and to the cultural influences around campus. It will help guide your life in ways you can't yet imagine." Brent paid attention at Graceland. He studied science but that was not enough. It is what he learned with a liberal arts education that has driven his life. "I didn't realize it at the time, but I was learning to express myself. And it is communication that has helped me excel in business around the world. If you can't communicate effectively, the power of your message is lost." Read more about how Brent has excelled in the competitive world of General Aviation sales.)
Brent Wouters' Mission is Selling "Time Machines"
Look at the focused, no-nonsense expression of the man in this photo. He is a man on a mission. And note the breathtaking Vison SF50 jet behind him, the latest marvel from general aviation industry leader Cirrus Aircraft of Duluth, Minnesota. Sometimes a photo tells a story.
This photo tells the story of 1988 Graceland alumnus Brent Wouters, President and CEO of Cirrus. With focused leadership and no-nonsense decision making, Brent has led Cirrus in an aggressive challenge during one of the worst economic downturns in history. Few industries were more negatively impacted. Tough decisions included downsizing, restructuring, reducing costs and streamlining. The result is a leaner, stronger Cirrus Aircraft, a half-billion-dollar global contender in the competitive world of selling "Time Machines."
The SF50 jet is in development at Cirrus, poised to pioneer the emerging personal and light jet market. It is the Cirrus SR20 and SR22 piston aircraft, however, that have driven the company's rapid growth - 5,000 planes sold in 50 countries in the last decade. The sleek, fast SR22 has been the world's best selling plane for seven years.
These are aircraft that expand the clock, if you will, for Cirrus' personal and corporate owners. "Business is about getting in front of your customers," Brent says, "meeting them eye-to-eye, being in a lot of places in a short amount of time." Cirrus' BMWs of the sky, as he calls them, are affordable, easy to fly, very fast and the safest planes around. Visually, they are stunning. Go to cirrusaircraft.com and take a look. Most importantly, he says, they dramatically increase productivity of business leaders. Suddenly, you are not gone for three days. You leave after breakfast. You are home for dinner.
Brent, 44, joined Cirrus in 2002 as Executive VP and CFO. He became CEO in 2008. He is responsible for day-to-day operations but he too must get out there, out "in front" of his customers. He spends 90 percent of his time growing new business. He flies a Cirrus ‘time machine' to make that happen. The best result, perhaps, is that he is home in Duluth for weekends and time to spend with his wife Shawn and sons Albert, 13, and Andrew, 11.
Brent grew up in Lamoni, the youngest of four sons of Graceland legend Ralph '70 and Lois Farren '77 Wouters. Ralph was VP for GU Business Services for 25 years. He was, as you might guess, a tough, no-nonsense leader "who made the hard-but-correct decisions and guided Graceland through tough times," according to current VP for Business and Administrative Services, Janice Tiffany '83, a 29-year GU employee. Brent acknowledges that he operates a lot like his dad. "I learned you can't just save your way to prosperity. You have to sell your way out of economic challenges." Ralph and Lois live in the Kansas City area and Brent often flies his family down from Duluth for quick visits. His brothers are Reed '83, Todd '85 and Ross '86.
Before Cirrus, Brent was CFO for International Payment Services, a venture-backed payment processing company. He also served as an equity research analyst for Salomon Smith Barney. His aviation experience includes 2 years as an Aircraft Engineer, four years developing and testing flight simulators for Delta Air Lines and time as an information technology consultant assisting Lockheed Martin on the F22 fighter jet program. He holds an MBA from Georgia State University, an MS in Aerospace Engineering from Iowa State and a BA in Math and Physics from Graceland.
It was what he learned in science and math classes at Graceland, Brent says, that drove his career. "My GU and ISU technical degrees gave me instant credibility." But science was not enough. It is what he learned with a liberal arts education that has driven his life. He read history and literature, and he learned to write and to deal with different cultures and personalities. "I didn't realize it at the time, but I was learning to express myself. And it is communication that has helped me excel in business around the world. If you can't communicate effectively, the power of your message is lost."
"What is my advice to current Graceland students? Pay attention to your liberal arts education, and to the cultural influences around campus. It will help guide your life in ways you can't yet imagine."
Take another look at that photo up above. He is a man on a mission, a man with a message. And he knows how to express it. If you'd like to reminisce with Brent, email him at: BWouters@cirrusaircraft.com.
