LaBov and Beyond

Fort Wayne, IN

Business aviation enables LaBov and Beyond (www.labov.com), a small marketing and communications firm in Fort Wayne, IN, to compete for clients with large firms in New York, Chicago, and all around the country.

“Our business aircraft gives us a chance to be a local company to clients, even though we’re 400 miles away,” says CEO Barry LaBov.“We don’t have a private plane, we have a business jet.”

In small markets like Fort Wayne, marketing companies must focus on smaller businesses, or only service one large, local client. Business aviation gives LaBov and Beyond the flexibility to meet with clients on short notice, making the company competitive with larger, national marketing firms.

Chris Swymeler, creative director says, “As a creative business, our work is a collaborative process, so face-to-face meetings are essential to deliver the results our clients need.Our business jet makes those productive meetings possible.”

Having access to a business aircraft also helps pull together projects quickly or when deadlines change.That flexibility saves the company, and their clients, money.

Staff members apply to use the jet, coordinating trips so that the CJ1 is used efficiently. LaBov, the CEO, is actually only on the plane 10 percent of the time.In fact, a typical flight starts off by taking four staff members from Fort Wayne to Detroit, Mich., to meet with clients, then taking other staffers from LaBov’s Detroit office to Herndon, Va., for the day, for another meeting.

Those same meetings would be costly and time-consuming if the company had to rely upon commercial airlines. Fort Wayne International Airport (FWA) has few commercial flights and most connect to major hubs, forcing staff to need several hours – if not an entire work day – to reach their clients.

The ability to reach clients all over the country and return home to Fort Wayne is a priceless advantage to owning their business aircraft. It helps LaBov and Beyond be a valuable member of Fort Wayne’s local economy, while ensuring staff are productive and connected to their families and the community.

“Fort Wayne is our home,” said LaBov. “We have an established community and people who love being in the Midwest. Our business jet makes it easy for us to work nationally but still live locally.”