Talon Talks

Mike (’81) and Joyce (’86) Pepin, the husband-and-wife owners of Pepin Realty in Ormond Beach, Florida, are also leaders of our Daytona Beach alumni network. They coordinate events and activities for alumni, students, faculty and staff in the area. They also volunteer at many other organizations in the community.

They were already married and working at GE when they began their masters degrees in business administration. We talked about how they transitioned from working at a corporation to working for themselves and managing the home-work balance with that. Plus: How they as realtors weathered the financial and housing crisis that began in 2008; why they participate in their community; Joyce’s appearance on the hit TV show House Hunters, and what it takes to keep a marriage strong for 40 years.

This episode was recorded in February 2020.

Anthony Brickhouse has been on our faculty since he graduated, and is now an Associate Professor of Aerospace and Occupational Safety and Director of the Aerospace Forensic Lab. He’s also a member of several professional organizations focused on aviation safety and investigation.

We discussed the aircraft crash lab, his textbook on human factors in air transport, and research he’s conducted on mental health of air safety investigators.

This special episode of Talon Talks is a collaboration between Career Services and the Office of Alumni Engagement, and focuses on the options available in this changing job market. Listen in as staff from the Daytona Beach, Prescott and Worldwide campuses discuss how to navigate your career amid the pandemic.

Part 2 of this webinar series will take place on May 27. Sign up at alumni.erau.edu/events.

Ken is chair of the flight department and assistant dean for the College of Aviation on our Daytona Beach Campus. He also fosters dogs and coaches the Embry-Riddle Eagles hockey team. He started working at Embry-Riddle immediately after completing his bachelor’s aeronautical science in 2001, and was pursuing his master’s in business administration, which he completed in 2005.

We talked about how things work on the flight line, the status of the pilot shortage (at least at the time we were recording, in February 2020), and what it takes to run an ice hockey team in a subtropical climate.

John Phillips (’90, ’92), Embry-Riddle’s Director of Athletics for our Daytona Beach teams, worked in flight operations for an F-15 squadron in the US Air Force before he enrolled in distance learning through Embry-Riddle at Langley Air Force Base. He graduated in 1990 with a degree in professional aeronautics, and finished a masters in aeronautical science in 1992. He also played baseball for the Eagles. He returned to Embry-Riddle in 1997 to be our first Director of Sports Marketing and Promotions, and has seen the Athletics department grow and succeed, including overseeing its transition from NAIA to NCAA Div. II competition.

John Phillips (’90, ’92), Embry-Riddle’s Director of Athletics for our Daytona Beach teams, worked in flight operations for an F-15 squadron in the US Air Force before he enrolled in distance learning through Embry-Riddle at Langley Air Force Base. He graduated in 1990 with a degree in professional aeronautics, and finished a masters in aeronautical science in 1992. He also played baseball for the Eagles. He returned to Embry-Riddle in 1997 to be our first Director of Sports Marketing and Promotions, and has seen the Athletics department grow and succeed, including overseeing its transition from NAIA to NCAA Div. II competition.

Mike Geldart is founder and CEO of GRD Biomechanics. When he suffered an injury after crashing a race car, he came up with an idea for an improved knee brace to help people recovering from similar injuries. He polished the design, won entrepreneurship competitions, and founded his company to manufacture the advanced knee brace.

We talked about the technical details of the design and how he was able to take it from concept to viable product with the help of his mechanical engineering degree.

Mike Geldart is founder and CEO of GRD Biomechanics. When he suffered an injury after crashing a race car, he came up with an idea for an improved knee brace to help people recovering from similar injuries. He polished the design, won entrepreneurship competitions, and founded his company to manufacture the advanced knee brace.

We talked about the technical details of the design and how he was able to take it from concept to viable product with the help of his mechanical engineering degree.

We invite you to listen to our conversation about a new era of lunar exploration with Steve Altemus ('87), president and CEO of Intuitive Machines. His company is positioned to be the first private business to land on the Moon as part of a $77.2 million payload delivery contract with NASA.

We invite you to listen to our conversation about a new era of lunar exploration with Steve Altemus ('87), president and CEO of Intuitive Machines. His company is positioned to be the first private business to land on the Moon as part of a $77.2 million payload delivery contract with NASA.