Aviation industry veteran Jeff Roberts is replacing Udo Rieder as CEO of Erickson, Inc. (Booth No. 1528) effective April 1, the company announced here at Heli-Expo on Tuesday. Rieder is retiring after seven years as CEO. During that time he took the company's stock public, acquired the assets of Evergreen Helicopters and Air Amazonia, diversified the company’s portfolio of services and its business base including moving into the oil and gas market, and more than doubled its employment.

Roberts began his career as a pilot and most recently was group president of aviation training company CAE and previously served as CEO of SimuFlite. “The group, assets, and focus Udo put together for us is the right focus for Erickson as we go forward,” said Roberts. “Joining a market leader with a global footprint and a diversified portfolio of business is a tremendous and exciting opportunity. I look forward to leading the team at Erickson to its next phase of growth.”