Prospect Airport Services has key operations at airports in more than 30 cities, including Chicago, Illinois; Dallas, Texas; Newark, New Jersey and more. The company provides a range of services, including baggage handling, lost and found, aircraft cleaning and wheelchair assistance being the most significant services.

Through this acquisition, Unifi becomes the largest provider of airport wheelchair services in the U.S. with its revenues exceeding $1.7 billion.

Gautam Thakkar, CEO, Unifi: “Providing our customers and their passengers with exceptional service is our primary goal at Unifi. We are also deeply committed to elevating the workplace experience for our frontline employees. The addition of Prospect to Unifi’s extensive network of operations means we can offer customers greater support and resources, while increasing career opportunities for over 11,000 talented Prospect employees who are now joining the Unifi team.”

Robert and Mary Strobel founded Prospect Airport Services in 1966. Unifi is proud to partner with Robert and Mary’s children, CEO Vicki Strobel and Senior Vice President Michael Strobel, as it welcomes Prospect to the Unifi family.

Vicki Strobel, President & CEO of Prospect Airport Services: “My parents founded Prospect with a mission of delivering exemplary service and providing opportunity and career growth for our employees. I’m so proud that we upheld that mission for nearly 60 years,” Strobel said. “Now, it’s time for the next chapter. We made the decision to join Unifi Aviation because of our shared values and to advance our employees’ careers even further.”

Along with increased job growth for employees, there will not be any workforce reduction, and both Unifi and Prospect will work to integrate the two companies over the next 12 to 18 months.

Frank A. Argenbright Jr., Founder and Executive Chairman of the Argenbright Group: “Prospect represents everything the Argenbright Group looks for when making additions – a strong culture and legacy, an inspiring leadership team and a commitment to putting customers and frontline employees first. Prospect is a great fit and I, along with Argenbright Group CEO Karan Ishwar, look forward to working with Vicki and the rest of the Prospect team.”

Company launched refugee hiring program in 2021, has 200+ refugees working airport operations in multiple states

Unifi Aviation is making a pledge to employ 500 refugees over the next three years, a commitment the company made at the second annual TENT U.S. Business Summit on Refugees hosted by Pfizer at its global headquarters in New York City on March 26.

The largest aviation services company in the United States – Unifi already employs more than 200 refugees at its operations in Seattle, Atlanta, Houston and Minneapolis. In 2023, the company hired a former refugee to join its corporate recruitment team in Atlanta, to not only improve its refugee employment efforts but also ensure that a member of Unifi’s HR team understood the specific challenges these employees face and how to help overcome them.

Since joining TENT in 2022, Unifi has developed and improved its hiring and onboarding practices to ensure refugee applicants are considered. The company eased requirements for a high school diploma recognizing many refugees don’t have access to the same level of education, translation services, assistance with transportation to work, and more.

Akshay Loomba, Vice President of Talent Acquisition: “We have operations in 200 locations in the U.S., and TENT helps us build relationships with resettlement agencies around the country, so we can make sure refugee communities know when and where we are hiring. It’s been a great partnership.  We’re proud that Unifi’s growth over the last five years has led us to a place where we can make such a strong, important pledge of employing 500 more refugees.”

The company is already working on hitting that goal – with more than 120 people applying for positions at a refugee hiring event in Houston on March 28.

Archana Arcot, Chief People Officer: “One of our core values at Unifi is passion and our refugee employment program is something leadership at Unifi is very passionate about. Whether they are from Afghanistan, Myanmar or Ukraine – our refugees are not just enhancing our organization with the excellent work they do, but they are also wonderful people and it’s an honor to have them represent Unifi.”

Unifi Aviation, LLC® is the largest aviation services company in North America, servicing more than two million flights annually. The company has stations in over 200 airports and provides a full range of services, including ground handling, passenger transport, security, cabin services, ground support equipment maintenance, and much more. Unifi is a part of the Argenbright Group and headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia. For more information, visit unifiservice.com.

Gautam Thakkar, CEO, Unifi: “We are now a billion-dollar plus company, launching operations in new, key markets and being deliberate about how we scale our organization,” said Unifi CEO Gautam Thakkar. “I’m extremely proud of what we accomplished in the last five years. Our business grew thanks to our loyal customers, dedicated employees and strategic partners. We are focused on scaling the business through greater predictability and elevating customer and employee experiences.”

In July of this year, the company acquired Up & Away – a UK-based private jet detailing and aviation services company, expanding its reach to more than a dozen UK airports. In November, Unifi launched ramp, baggage and ground support operations for WestJet at Calgary International Airport – its first operation in Canada.

To support its growing business, Unifi Aviation also invested in recruiting the best talent in the industry. In addition to nearly 1000 new employees in Canada, the company grew its teams in Orlando, San Francisco and Atlanta.

Karan Ishwar, Group CEO, Argenbright Group: “Unifi has come a long way in five years. Transitioning from a captive entity, we emerged as a leading commercial aviation company. We reached significant milestones, including expansion into multiple new markets and service lines, establishing a best-in-class IT infrastructure and the integration of half a dozen acquisitions into our operations – all achieved alongside substantial organic growth.”

Heading into 2024, Unifi will continue its mission of providing the highest quality of aviation services to its clients, creating value for stakeholders and business partners all while making a positive impact on the communities it operates in.

Hernandez, a seasoned professional in the aviation industry, was awarded for his unparalleled resilience when faced with life-altering news. While serving as Station Manager, Hernandez lost most of his eyesight. When he stepped away from the role as a result, the station struggled without his leadership. Hernandez returned, and despite his setback, turned the station around and grew operations for the customer from 30 flights a day to 65 flights a day.

Greg Kennedy, COO of Unifi, commended Hernandez’s achievements, “JJ’s story is one of operational excellence, and personal triumph. No one is more deserving of this recognition. JJ’s commitment to safety and success ensures that his team goes above and beyond to guarantee both for our customers, and we are lucky to have him on our team.”

Hernandez leads a team of 245 employees, overseeing baggage handling, aircraft servicing, cabin cleaning, security bag room operations, and towing for Alaska Airlines. His success lies in his operational leadership – evident in innovative programs he implemented, including an initiative that allowed leaders to reward agents who displayed proper safety behaviors. The program saw significant improvements to safety across the board. Under Hernandez’s leadership, performance metrics also soared, with customer satisfaction ratings reaching an impressive 100%.

Josh Kennedy, SVP, Operations for Unifi says, “I’ve had the privilege of knowing and working with JJ for five years. He has a drive and energy you cannot teach and sets a great example for his team. JJ takes employees under his wing and it’s a testament to how good he is that many of the people he has mentored have also gone on to leadership roles. I’m thrilled to see JJ being celebrated – he truly is a hero.”

The “Unsung Hero Award” recognizes outstanding contributions by ground handling professionals. Nominations showcase individuals who go above and beyond in their roles, embodying resilience, leadership, and commitment to excellence.

Hernandez’s recognition not only highlights his remarkable journey but also reflects Unifi Aviation’s commitment to excellence, safety, and elevating its people.

Unifi Aviation’s scope of services for WestJet includes towing, ramp handling, and baggage services. The Unifi team is on-site, preparing to officially take the lead on November 7. Nearly 200 new employees were hired, while over 75% of incumbent staff joined the Unifi family.

Calgary International Airport is WestJet’s global connecting hub within its extensive network, making it one of the airline’s busiest and most strategically significant locations.

“It’s been an incredibly transformative time for Unifi, and over the last two years, we focused on building a scalable infrastructure, strong leadership, efficient processes, and cutting-edge technology to support our frontline employees in the critical work they do,” said Unifi CEO, Gautam Thakkar. “We are thrilled to enter the Canadian aviation market through our partnership with WestJet, overseeing critical ground handling operations for the airline.”

This deal marks Unifi’s most substantial contract with WestJet, demonstrating the company’s commitment to enduring partnerships. 

“As we continue to strengthen the WestJet Group’s investments in Western Canada, we are thrilled to be partnering with Unifi at our global connecting hub in Calgary,” said David Powell, WestJet Vice-President, Airports. “Their partnership will serve to further bolster our position in delivering the safe, caring, and reliable service we’re known for. Unifi is aligned with our culture and commitment to safety above all, and we look forward to our continued mutual growth.”

Unifi Aviation is the largest provider of aviation services in North America. The company has a presence in more than 200 airports around the world, including over a dozen in the United Kingdom, after acquiring Up & Away Aviation earlier this year. 

Up & Away was founded in 2008 by Stefan Murphy and has grown exponentially under his leadership. Up & Away currently has a presence in thirteen UK airports, including Stansted (STN), Manchester (MAN), Birmingham (BHX), Newcastle (NCL), with an upcoming fourteenth location at London Gatwick Airport (LGW). In addition, Up & Away services select customers across more than 10 additional airports in the UK, including Bournemouth (BOH), London City (LCY), and Liverpool (LPL).

Unifi aims to grow its UK business to more than $120 million in the region over the next three years, benefiting its key stakeholders – its customers and employees. Murphy will become Unifi’s Managing Director based in the UK.

Gautam Thakkar, CEO, Unifi: “Up & Away has earned a strong reputation for exceptional services. We look forward to working with Stefan and his team as they join the Unifi family and build upon Up & Away’s track record. More than 224 million passengers traveled to and from airports in the UK in 2022, and we are confident that our knowledge and experience from operating in 200+ airports, including the world’s busiest, will allow Unifi to replicate its success in the UK and provide the customers an exceptional experience.”

Stefan Murphy, Founder & Managing Director, Up & Away: “I have been fortunate to build this company from the ground up. I look forward to this immensely exciting phase of growth, and joining a leading aviation services organization like Unifi opens new doors. I want to thank George Rolls, our former Chairman, for his astute guidance and unwavering support through the formative years of the business and recent negotiations. I also want to thank all of Up & Away’s staff and customers for their loyalty and contributions, without which this exciting expansion would not be possible.”

Ernie Patterson, Chairman of International Business for Argenbright Group, will provide additional oversight of Unifi’s UK aviation business and work with Up & Away’s team to broaden operations into newer airports, including London Heathrow.

The Argenbright Group currently employs more than five thousand employees in the UK. This acquisition further strengthens the Argenbright Group’s investment in the UK and its people and is part of its strategic commitment to the region.

Working with Artis Consulting, a Microsoft partner consulting firm, Unifi uses Microsoft Azure services including Azure AI, Azure Machine Learning and Power BI to develop this model to improve operations.

Used to identify and assess future safety risks, this level of modeling is unprecedented for the aviation services industry. The two-phase system helps predict what might happen and addresses steps to change the outcome. The first part, the predictive component, runs three models daily and generates predictions twice a day in the following areas:

• Organization safety risk
• Aircraft ground damage risk
• Employee injury risk

The second part, the prescriptive component, advises on actions to take. The system provides risk values at the organizational, regional, contract, and customer levels based on 30 variables and more than 500 data points, including staffing levels, tenure of leadership and employees, training, equipment quality and age, weather, and more. Since the predictive component’s inception in August of 2022, it’s had a consistent 94 percent accuracy rate.

Brian Bartal, Senior VP of Safety & Compliance for Unifi: “Safety is the number one priority for Unifi. We constantly explore ways to leverage technology to improve safety for our employees, customers, and the equipment they operate. This modeling is an excellent way to use our vast data to mitigate risks effectively.”

Sandeep Angra, Chief Technology Officer, Unifi: “Unifi leveraged various Azure technologies such as ADLS, Databricks, Delta Lake to integrate 25+ data sources, only then could we take advantage of Machine Learning and Power BI to develop the predictive and prescriptive model in a user-friendly way.”

Terry Smith, Principal, Artis Consulting: “The Artis Consulting team was excited to partner with Unifi and Microsoft to architect and implement a Safety & Analytics platform on Microsoft Azure. By utilizing machine learning to predict the likelihood of safety incidents and propose prescriptive actions to mitigate the risk, Unifi will be able to better serve their customers and improve overall safety.”

Julie Shaincock, Global Travel and Transportation Industry Leader, Microsoft: “To improve travel operations and create a seamless experience for airlines, aviation services need to operate resiliently and have the opportunity to manage risks through data and predictive analytics. Unifi is using Power BI and Azure Machine Learning technologies to proactively improve employee safety and deliver operational efficiencies.”

Contact: mediarelations@unifiservice.com

– Greg Kennedy, Chief Operating Officer, Unifi, the largest provider of aviation services in North America.