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Friday, Mar 29, 2024

Candace Schroeder: 20 in Their 20s (Young & Prosperous)

Business Development & Marketing Manager Castle & Cooke Aviation, Van Nuys Age: 29 Candace Schroeder was attracted to a career in aviation because “there is nothing cooler than airplane.” She took her passion to become business development and marketing manager for Castle & Cooke Aviation, a fixed-base operator at Van Nuys Airport. Biggest Accomplishment: The relationships I’ve established with those around me. The people around me aren’t just colleagues, vendors, customers – they are human beings who deserve respect, honesty and love. I do not measure my success by how much schooling I’ve done, how much money is in the bank or how many shoes are in my closet, but by the relationships I’ve gained throughout my life. Every person that I’ve had the opportunity to know, to speak to, to help, to smile at, is an accomplishment to me. Most Interesting Aspect of Job: Besides the obvious really big, beautiful, elegant, expensive airplanes – and quite a few celebrities – the most interesting part of my job are the people. There are the grumpy old-time pilots, the even older pilots who are still as excited about jumping into an airplane as the first time they set foot into one. There are the people who demand the world and then there are those who have the world and demand nothing. There are the overly dramatic, the calm, the pessimists, the optimists, the nice ones and the mean ones — every sort of personality I deal with every single day. The one thing that is evident and most interesting about every single individual in my industry is the passion for people, for customer care, for aviation, for life. Personality on the Job: My job requires a big personality, someone who is kind, genuinely happy, passionate, but also someone who doesn’t mess around, that gets business taken care of. Biggest challenge? Communication. It seems as though there are so many different platforms for communication that we haven’t streamlined what works best for each situation. We all have different views on how to communicate better — some communicate better in person and some use technology. I find it better to do both, give a customer, an employee or a vendor that in-person interaction, then follow-up for a paper trail. Most Memorable Experiences: I had the opportunity to work for one of the most influential pilots in history, Bob Hoover. I was able to meet with him, Clay Lacy and Harrison Ford. I’ve traveled to Europe with some of my favorite customers. I’ve flown in formation with the Condor Squadron, a group of veterans who fly T-6 warbirds out of Van Nuys. Attraction to Career: There is nothing cooler than an airplane. Biggest Misconception About the Profession: That there are two careers available – pilot or flight attendant. Career Advice: Listen to your heart, what you’re passionate about, what enlivens you, what makes you smile, what gives you butterflies just thinking about it – go for that! Along the road, work hard and even under stress, keep a smile.

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