Bryan Perkins joins Chris for his second appearance on The FORT Podcast. Bryan is the CEO of Novaria Group, a manufacturer in the aerospace industry that makes parts for airlines and government defense groups—an industry that has clearly been hit hardest by COVID-19. Bryan is offering great insight into how Novaria has responded, the landscape his industry finds itself in right now, Bryan's recent sale to KKR, the future of M&A in the airline industry, the Boeing situation, and more. Enjoy!

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01:46 — How has COVID-19 impacted your world and your industry?
03:55 — How does this impact compare to the impact of 9/11?
04:33 — How does this impact an airline?
06:44 — What has the transformation been in new aircraft transactions?
09:24 — Have you seen any declines in the defense industry?
11:26 — What have you seen, in terms of making new parts, over the last 30 days?
13:48 — Selling the Business to KKR
16:16 — How did you pick a banker to lead the charge on the deal?
18:00 — With KKR as a partner, is this situation more strategic and agile?
22:24 — What does KKR provide that allows you to obtain more robust data?
24:10 — What is the role of people who are solely finding lean solutions?
26:24 — What will the M&A landscape look like for Novaria as you navigate COVID-19?
31:08 — You were optimistic in ’09, do you have that same outlook now? Are sellers more interested in selling now because of this environment?
33:35 — If I was a seller, how long would it take me to sell my business to Novaria?
34:33 — Is the Boeing 737 MAX issue less impactful because of the current environment?
37:36 — With this paradigm shift in consumer behavior, are people going to figure out that they don’t need to fly as often?
40:44 — What are your thoughts on private aviation? Will it be the last to come back?
43:53 — Do you see an opportunity from this situation that will strengthen the aviation industry?
46:37 — What information does the public need to hear in order to become comfortable flying again?
49:52 — What did you tell everyone after you won the Gilbert W. Speed Award?
51:50 — How have you shifted operations in a manufacturing factory to practice social distancing?
53:21 — How are you, as a leader, communicating with your team throughout this?