AirFleet Capital Team Members

Steve Smestad, President & CEO

With over 30 years experience in aviation, Steve Smestad founded AirFleet Capital, Inc. in 1994. Born and raised in “Big Sky Country” he received his MBA in Finance from the University of Montana. Steve has been involved in aviation and financing his entire career and has held numerous positions with aircraft manufacturers including sales, contracts, customer support and finance. He served as President, CEO and Member of the Board for a multi-billion dollar aerospace manufacturer and has been involved with the launch and delivery of new aircraft to the market. Steve is an active member of several aviation associations including NBAA, MMOPA and ABS, as well as a Lifetime Member of AOPA and EAA. An avid flying enthusiast with a passion for general aviation, Steve is a single and multi-engine instrument-rated pilot who began flying with his Dad in 1958. Steve and his wife Kathy raised their two sons in Virginia and now reside in Arizona.

Click here to email: steve@airfleetcapital.com

Jim Blessing, Vice President

Jim has spent the better part of his career flying and/or working in the field of aviation. He has been a private pilot since 1988 and earned his BS in Aviation from Florida Institute of Technology. This, along with his background in finance, helped prepare Jim for his position as a CFO for a government contractor and FAR repair facility. With this group, Jim helped manage a unit responsible for airline background investigations, was a program administrator for DoD and United Nations projects in Canada, Africa, the Caribbean and South America, and supported the strategic and financial requirements as a CFO. At AirFleet, Jim is responsible for strategic planning, marketing and sales, and also participates regularly in credit evaluation and underwriting. Jim is a proud 25-year AOPA member and a lifetime member of EAA. Aviation is also a family pastime, as Jim’s wife, Cathy, is also a pilot holding instrument and seaplane ratings.

Click here to email: jim@airfleetcapital.com

Natalie Sweeney, Office Manager

As one of AirFleet Capital’s first employees, Natalie is one of our greatest contract and financial resources. She received her B.S. in the field of Business Administration and has spent her career working in the aviation industry, with much of this time in the financial field. Previous work experience and her long history at AirFleet make Natalie our go-to at the office on a daily basis.

Click here to email: natalie@airfleetcapital.com

Sean Reinbeau, Relationship Manager/Operations

Sean brings 10 years' experience as a credit analyst and commercial lender to AirFleet’s underwriting team. He earned a Bachelor of Science in Finance from Indiana University in 1991. After graduating, he worked as a loan review analyst in Indianapolis, and then moved to Chicago where he became the youngest commercial lender in his employer's history. After leaving banking he worked for a large fiber optic cabling distributor as a credit manager, where he moved to Northern Virginia to start and run a Federal Credit office which handled all of the company's federal business. Sean has also worked as a self-employed trader of stocks, options and futures and as a securities analyst for a former SEC regulator turned expert witness. Sean is an active member of Loudoun County Virginia's Certified Emergency Response Team (CERT) and volunteered with the Humane Society after Hurricane Katrina, an experience which resulted in his recent acceptance on HSUS's NDART team. Sean was called to action in Louisiana again for Hurricane Gustav, where he volunteered creating a new database and running a shelter for over 1,000 pets and their owners. When not working or volunteering, Sean is an avid motorcyclist and hunter who looks forward to earning his pilots' license.

Click here to email: sean@airfleetcapital.com

Kym Mick, Operations

A veteran member of our operations team, Kym is an experienced processor. She received her B.A. in Aviation Management along with her pilot training from THE Ohio State University and has since spent most of her career in the aviation industry. Working for the OSU Flight Department, Executive Jet, Landmark Aviation and Group Genesis, Inc., Kym has put her aviation degree to good use and gained experience that makes her uniquely qualified in facilitating aircraft transactions.

Click here to email: kym@airfleetcapital.com

Lezonne Hertz, Account Manager

One of our most long-term employees, Lezonne started at AirFleet part-time as an undergraduate in 1999. In 2004, she received her BA in Psychology from George Mason University and remained at AirFleet full-time. An original member of our Operations Team here, Lezonne has since joined the Sales and Marketing Team. As a skilled loan closer and processor, trade show veteran, customer sales and relationship manager - she does it all. Lezonne is also an EAA and AOPA member who has completed the FAA ground school course.

Click here to email: lezonne@airfleetcapital.com

Megan Darling, Marketing Manager

Megan joined us full-time after her internship experiences with AirFleet in the summer and winter of 2006. She graduated in 2007 from Virginia Tech with a degree in Marketing Management and returned to be a part of our sales and marketing team. Though new to the field of aviation, Megan flew in her first small aircraft and light sport aircraft through experiences at AirFleet Capital and loved it!

Click here to email: megan@airfleetcapital.com

Doug Pendleton, Regional Sales Manager

Doug and his family live on a mini-farm just south of Atlanta, Georgia where he manages our southeast sales office. Prior to joining Airfleet Capital, Doug was a Regional Sales Manager representing new Piper aircraft in the Southeast United States for eight years. He is an accomplished commercial pilot with approximately 6000 hours in more than 100 types of aircraft. Doug also holds CFI, CFII, MEI plus A&P certificates and now enjoys flying light sport aircraft. In addition to his aviation experience, Doug put his Business and Engineering degrees to good use, spending 13 years as a technologist & staff engineer with the Federal Government facilities in Oak Ridge, Tennessee. Doug and his wife Pam keep busy raising their three children and tending to a variety of horses and animals.

Click here to email: Doug@AirFleetCapital.com

Brandan Smestad, Business Development

Brandan was hired full-time at AirFleet Capital in 2007 following his college internship experience. While at AirFleet, he worked for the Sales and Marketing team and contributed to various special projects initiatives. Following his initial tenure at AirFleet, Brandan moved to Phoenix, Arizona and pursued an interest in Financial Advising. He has since rejoined AirFleet Capital's Virginia office and is currently working on the Company’s Capital Management and Business Development initiatives. In addition, Brandan works as part of the operations team and is involved in underwriting individual and corporate financial statements.

Brandan earned his B.S. in Marketing Management from Virginia Tech in 2007 and currently holds Series 7, 66, and Life and Health Insurance designations.

In his free time, Brandan enjoys reading about influential business figures, visiting historical landmarks, and coaching youth baseball.

Sarah Riffell, Bookkeeper

Sarah joined the AirFleet Capital team at the beginning of 2013 to manage our accounting functions. She received her B.S. in Accountancy from Arizona State University in 2011 and comes to us from her previous position as a staff accountant at a Certified Public Accounting firm. Born and raised in Oregon, Sarah moved to Arizona in 2003 where she was a bookkeeper/technician for a Laser Hair Removal company while pursuing her degree at ASU. She now resides in Arizona with her husband and daughter where they enjoy staying active with rock climbing, hiking, mountain biking and crossfit.

Michael McDonald, Operations

Mike joined the AirFleet Capital team to enhance and expand our underwriting and closing capabilities. Raised in St. Louis, he attended the University of Missouri where he earned his BS in Business with an emphasis on Finance and Banking in 2012. Before moving to Arizona and joining AirFleet's operations group, Mike worked for a lender in their mortgage servicing division. In his free time, Mike enjoys playing golf out here in the desert, and is an avid baseball (Cardinals) fan.

Click here to email: mmcdonald@AirFleetCapital.com