Board of Directors

Todd Dauphinais

Founding Principal of Clavis Capital Partners

TODD DAUPHINAIS is the founding principal and Managing Partner of Clavis, responsible for overseeing all aspects of the firm’s investment, operational and fundraising activities. Over the course of his career, he has completed over 25 transactions representing more than $1 billion of capital deployed. He has also held senior operating and strategic roles in manufacturing and industrial companies throughout his career. Prior to starting Clavis, Todd was responsible for the North American operations of a large European-based corporate investment fund. Previously, Todd served as the Chief Executive Officer of EFI Electronics, an industry-leading manufacturer of electrical protection and power quality products, where he led his firm to record revenues and profitability for four straight years and was awarded the prestigious Shingo Prize for manufacturing. Before EFI, Todd served in various strategic and operating roles at leading firms such as Schneider Electric and Rockwell Automation. He started his career as a strategy and M&A consultant with Deloitte Consulting, focused on advising Fortune 500 clients in the electric and gas utility sector.

Todd received his MBA with honors from the University of Notre Dame and received his B.B.A. from Texas A&M University. He is an active member of the Young Presidents’ Organization, the Association for Corporate Growth, the National Association of Corporate Directors, and various charity, faith and angel investing organizations in the Dallas area. 

Todd-Dauphinais
Wesley Yale

Wesley Yale

Founder & president of Solair Group, LLC.

An entrepreneur at heart, Wesley started Solair Group in 2001 in a small 5,000 sq foot facility to address the underserved aerospace maintenance tooling market, focusing primarily on his relationships with airlines and MROs in South America. His idea and hard work quickly took root and grew Solair Group into a leader in the market segment with a special knack at manufacturing and supplying hard-to-find, long-lead maintenance tooling solutions for premier airlines and MROs around the globe. Through this leadership, Solair has more than tripled in size and continues its market expansion by offering new products and services that compliment his long-term vision of the company.

Sam Snyder

Principal at Greyrock Capital Group

Prior to joining Greyrock in the summer of 2012, Sam worked as an associate in the investment banking division at Goldman Sachs & Co. covering technology, media, and telecommunications companies. Before Goldman, Sam was an analyst at Renaissance Capital from 2005 to 2009 and was responsible for researching and investing in initial public offerings.

Sam holds a BA in History from Princeton University and an MBA with Honors from the Haas School of Business at the University of California at Berkeley. Sam is also a CFA charterholder.

sam-snyder
Michael-Dickman

Michael Dickman

Principal at Greyrock Capital Group

Prior to joining Greyrock in 2018, Mike worked as a Senior Associate on the investment team at Medley Management, Inc. where he focused on direct lending and special situations investments. Mike began his career at Ernst and Young where he obtained his CPA.

Mike graduated Summa Cum Laude from Concordia University – Portland with a BA in Business Administration and a minor in Finance.

Building a Future for Solair Group Together

A business is built by its people: Those who work in the company, Those who invest in their products and services; and Those who extend their trust, funding, and knowledge, so it can reach elevated heights.

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Asiair Asier Elorduy

Sales: Europe, Middle East & Africa

Having worked in the aviation industry for fifteen years, the ever-changing landscape of the industry never fails to surprise me. Fulfilling customers’ needs fuels my passion to consistently under promise and overdeliver, which I accomplish with a portfolio of solutions. Working with Solair has broadened my offerings to include tooling and GSE. 

I graduated with a bachelor’s degree from Larramendi, studying structural engineering and business management. I’ve worked at companies, such as AJW Group, and I’ve been self-employed in the industry. Marrying technical skill with business acumen has allowed me to develop strategies that have helped airlines and MROs resolve issues, which have kept planes flying.  

My biggest challenge hasn’t been the pandemic, where I reinvented my work life, developing relationships that ensured success. The most difficult thing I’ve done was leaving my family in Spain in 2008 to take a job in the UK. Moving from a small town to a large city was jolting enough but having to expand my horizons made me realize that I could be more than I expected. I take that same attitude to my customers, listening intently to create solutions for the problems they face.

Daniel Gutierrez

Regional Sales Manager

The past few years have seen our partners in the aviation industry endure multiple challenges. From obtaining supplies for parts, to supply chain issues, to repairing and maintaining aircraft, and cash flow constraints, the flexibility required by our customers allowed Solair to demonstrate our capabilities. I attribute Solair Group’s array of offerings and decisive attitude to our leadership at the company. 

Our team makes the effort to go above and beyond for our customers, which makes my job of listening and discovering best outcomes for them that much more effective. Challenging though it may be at times, Solair’s ability to accommodate our customers, whether they are airlines, MROs, or parts brokers, has given me the tools to efficiently support their diverse demands. 

I’m no stranger to overcoming obstacles. Multiple options have arisen to tackle adversity, whether it’s been in my personal life or at work. The challenge isn’t the obstacle, it’s remembering to value the experience and to appreciate the opportunity to live it. I’m fortunate to work in the field and in a job that allows me to help our customers overcome the sophisticated and rewarding nature that is the aviation industry.

Lowell Smith

North America Director of Sales

My aviation career began in the USAF as an F-15 Engine Technician. I left the military and completed my bachelor’s degree, but aviation continued to call. I went back to school and received my AMT and FCC licenses, then entered the commercial aviation world. 

As a mechanic, I worked on aircraft from nose to tail. The more I learned, the stronger my skills advanced. Leadership opportunities became available as my knowledge about aircraft and maintenance grew, allowing me to build great teams.

Moving laterally into engineering broadened my experience of operations within the airlines.  I’ve worked for three airlines in various roles, as well as BP Lubricants and NYCO. Each role afforded greater depth in solving unique situations that airlines, OEMs, and MROs face. 

When I met the team at Solair Group, I knew this was my opportunity for continued growth. Solair is a strong group of technical and service-minded individuals. Our job is to listen and identify those areas we can support. We uncover ways to resolve a problem, whether it’s providing tooling or solutions other operations have benefited from. Challenge is not a word we shy away from, which is what makes us successful in helping our clients.

Danny Cepeda

Customer Service

Before the pandemic, I worked in sales at Riverside Paper Company. Boxes, stretch foam, anything that went inside of a warehouse were the products I sold. After Riverside, I worked in a neurologist’s office, which I enjoyed, but growth potential was limited. When the opportunity to work with Solair Group was offered, I put my best foot forward and landed my current position. 

Customers appreciate communication and understanding. I learned that when I was a manager at Aldi Grocery Stores. During my shift, a customer had slipped and fallen. I helped her by calling an ambulance and offering my phone number. Doing those simple two things showed her that my job was to help her, which she greatly appreciated because she felt heard and taken care of.

At Solair Group, I provide customer service to our team and our customers. Our sales team is solely focused on helping our customers by meeting and exceeding their expectations. We offer solutions to individual problems. Working together with our manufacturing team and suppliers, allows Solair to supply outstanding quality tooling and GSE, plus our pricing works within our customers’ budgets, which gives airlines and MROs a solid option.

Amanda Cordero

Inside Sales

In early 2022, I made the move from EAM Worldwide to Solair Group. After spending fifteen great years at EAM working in various positions with increasing responsibility, I realized that I had found my niche, sales, inside sales specifically. 

Challenging myself is how I demonstrate my capability. When I began work at Solair Group, my passion for customer service allowed me to handle the many challenges of learning a new position. 

The aviation industry is a highly specialized one. Each part and tool have a purpose. When a customer contacts us, they are usually on a tight timeline, so we do everything in our power to keep them apprised of shipments. 

In business, not everything is perfect, things happen no matter how hard everyone works. For example, I had to call a client recently because we missed a FedEx pickup. I got on the phone with our client and made arrangements.

I apologized for the mishap, being honest with the client, which they appreciated. They were appreciative of our protocol at Solair. When I went to their office the next day, they shared with me how happy they were with us. We always strive to make our clients pleasantly surprised with our service.

Marcos Alonso

CFO of Solair Group, LLC

I joined Solair in late 2018, while Scott joined in mid-2019. Our extensive corporate experience allowed us to develop a strategy that would take Solair to the next level. As 2019 closed with a strong finish, Solair was positioned for a promising start to 2020.

In 2020 the industry was already showing early slowdowns when the COVID pandemic took hold in March. As the volume of orders reduced, we took quick action, temporarily adjusting our business model and operating capacity, which allowed Solair to continue serving our customers, while getting ahead of the curve.

When the full impact of the pandemic was evident, the market came to a near full stop. We quickly adjusted our plans, which kept the business operating at expected service levels, while continuing to service our customers. Our investors stepped in and acted, providing resources and support at the right time. All realized the situation required a long term outlook, a “holding power.”

Together with our financial partners, we increased Solair’s efficiency, preparing for the “new market“ to emerge. Constant development with a focus on our customers is how we do business.

Isn’t that the kind of partner you want to work with?

Sergio Molina

Director of Operations

Be Proud of Yourself

My career has been spent working in manufacturing. I like planning and working with numbers. Success has come because different people saw my desire to learn and recognized that I was not afraid to work hard-–to challenge myself to reach for what I wanted. 

Before Scott offered me a position at Solair Group in 2019, I was working for a company that made military products. In just a few years, we had built the plant from 35 to 500 people with government defense contracts and orders that totaled 150 million dollars. 

My entire career has been spent in manufacturing, creating strong, healthy relationships within the company and with customers. My experience has taught me that it’s not about how big the challenge is, it’s about how much you believe in yourself. 

I have my dad to thank for my outlook and mindset about work. He taught me to be proud of work and never be afraid of a challenge. My dad didn’t look at situations as a problem, he looked at them as opportunities. He taught me to do the same. 

I’m Sergio Molina, VP of Operations at Solair Group. We welcome the challenges your business faces. How may I help you today?

Ricardo Sierra

Vice-President of Sales

I joined Solair in January 2021. Scott, Marcos, and I had discussed my taking on the role of VP of Sales in 2020. However, we were in unprecedented times, so we waited until the market stabilized, and then I became a part of the team.

Having made the choice to work for a smaller firm, in a position where my experience would directly impact the company, I was excited to share my expertise and ideas, as well as learn from individuals who had extensive corporate experience.  

Over the many years of working in customer service in various business models and industries, I have learned one very important lesson: True customer service is being the solution to a problem.

No matter the situation, my goal is the same: to maintain the highest level of commitment to and stay in communication with my customers. If a problem happens, I explain it to the customer and share with them the steps taken to deal with the issue. Then, I follow up with them, explaining how the issue will be rectified in the future. 

Regardless of industry, customers remember a business that puts their needs first, seeing contacts as partnerships, not just transactional connections. 

I’m Ricardo Sierra, VP of Sales, and I’m your partner at Solair. 

Scott Cummings

President of Solair Group, LLC.

My career in engineering began a couple of years after I was awarded my degree. The first few years between university and my first “real job” at B/E Aerospace was spent on a boat, learning to be a part of a crew, which gave me valuable insight later in my career. 

After starting at B/E Aerospace as an engineer, I took on larger roles in the company with increasing responsibility. As my positions changed, I noticed that what really got me out of bed in the morning was the opportunity to help others realize their potential and see what they could accomplish by working in concert with one another.  The value that high performing teams, with the right focus and guidance, could create for a business, its customers and our employees.

In 2019, I joined Solair Group. Stepping again into a role as a new leader. Proud to join a business with such a strong value proposition for our industry.  We’ve taken risks, accelerated change, and laid a foundation for the future with one thing in mind – how can we best serve our customer’s needs.

I’m Scott Cummings, President of Solair Group. How may I help you?