Vero Beach, Fla.-based Piper Aircraft today appointed 36-year aviation industry veteran Randy Groom as its new executive vice president of sales, marketing and customer support. He will report directly to Piper president and CEO Kevin Gould. Piper said Groom is the right fit to continue building and expanding the aircraft manufacturer’s market share across all model lines and to improve customer support. According to Gould, “Randy knows the business from both sides of the aisle. As a seasoned corporate executive and a professional with extensive dealership experience, he has the breadth of knowledge and experience that are vital to Piper’s growth strategy…Randy’s addition to the team is [also] further evidence of our commitment to providing industry-leading customer support.” Groom comes to Piper from Groom Aviation, a company he founded to provide strategic and tactical guidance to general aviation businesses. He previously held senior executive positions at Hawker Beechcraft (formerly Raytheon Aircraft), including president of global customer service and support and president of Beechcraft. Groom is an instrument-rated commercial pilot and has logged more than 10,000 hours in his 40 years of flying.