EP 34 — Aerostar’s Jim Nelson on the Future of Aerial Communications

On this week's episode of the DIB Innovators podcast, David speaks with Jim Nelson, President at Aerostar, to explore the innovative advancements in stratospheric balloon technology and its applications in aerial communications. Jim shares insights into the importance of fostering a strong company culture, emphasizing how core values and team engagement drive success and innovation. 

Jim discusses the challenges and opportunities in the industry, including the integration of new technologies and the impact of mission-driven work on community initiatives. He also discusses how Aerostar is shaping the future of aerial solutions and the vital role of teamwork in achieving organizational goals.

Topics discussed:

• The innovative applications of stratospheric balloons in aerial communications, including environmental monitoring and disaster response capabilities.
• The importance of cultivating a strong company culture is emphasized, with a focus on core values and team engagement driving success.
• How leadership development programs can shape leaders’ approach to managing and guiding their teams.
• The unique challenges faced in the stratospheric balloon industry, including technical hurdles and regulatory considerations.
• The significance of accountability within the organization and how it empowers team members to take ownership of their roles.
• The role of innovation in driving the company forward including examples of how Aerostar encourages creative problem-solving among its employees.
• The necessity of understanding customer needs and challenges to develop solutions that effectively address their requirements.
• The latest technological advancements in balloon design and operation, enhancing performance and reliability in various applications.

Guest Quotes: 

“At Aerostar, our mission is to connect, protect, and save lives. And so we find, and that brings us purpose on why we're here, why we come to work each day, and we can tie the work that we do to how are you aligning with the mission. And then we use those guiding principles that really you come up when you're faced with a decision individually or as a group, that you bounce against the guiding principles.”

“And we'll go through our mission and guiding principles and talk through what does it mean to be part of Aerostar. Is just really that, that welcome and people really respond well to being part of a company that cares for each other and are all pulling towards the same end goal.”

“So you can do more with less, but what you're really multiplying is the things that you can do. So now a human can monitor multiple balloons, but you're spending less time monitoring and now looking at what type of operation. You can look at health and safety.”

“We really feel that we are in that transition to it being an operational capability for the military, and we feel we're really well positioned to lead a lot of that. And that isn't just through our Thunderhead balloon, but also testing out payloads that are going to be used either on balloons, our balloons, someone else's balloons, on a UAV, is that now we've got a proven system that you can bring that technology into the stratosphere using that.”

Get in touch with Jim Nelson:  

LinkedIn 

Website 

Get in touch with your host, David Graff: 

LinkedIn 

Listen to more episodes: 

Apple 

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