In 1978, Alan Josephsen started a recycling business for waste paper and cardboard. Today, in his Mundelein, Illinois plant, every ton of waste paper saves 17 mature trees, 7,000 gallons of water, two barrels of oil, 4,100 kilowatt-hours of electricity and about one-third of precious landfill space. “Those are the official figures for recycling just one single ton of waste paper,” says the businessman. “Every year, we recycle about 40,000 tons – you do the math.”

What’s his secret for business success? “My airplane,” says Josephsen. “It’s absolutely essential. Let me give you an example: Tomorrow, I’m going to fly to Mount Vernon, Illinois, to see my customer. The airlines don’t serve Mount Vernon, or many of the other cities and towns I serve throughout the Midwest.

“I can take off from Palwaukee airport, when I’m ready. And it’s the same everywhere else – there are thousands and thousands of business-friendly smaller airports throughout the U.S. that the airlines just don’t serve.”

Josephsen has also responded to customer emergencies with his business aircraft. One of his customers, a roofing mill in northwestern Wisconsin, called him one day with an emergency request. The roofing plant was down, for want of a part in a master electrical panel, and the owner pleaded with Josephsen for help. “The part was only 50 pounds,” he says. “I picked it up, flew it there and got them re-started quickly.

“So the next time you hear somebody ranting and raving about companies using a business airplane, please remember my story,” says Josephsen. “These airplanes are machines that enable small companies like mine to compete in a competitive world.”

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