Story ID: 
New Leadership Lands at Enstrom Helicopter
By: Mark Huber
Caption: CEO Biegler Resigns 
Word Count: 223
Enstrom Helicopter is installing new leadership, with veteran Matthew Francour taking the role of CEO on an interim basis. Former CEO Tracy Biegler has resigned to “pursue other opportunities,” according to a statement from the company. Biegler joined Enstrom in 2003 as an engineer, later becoming director of sales, and was appointed CEO and president in 2014. He had previously worked as a flight-test engineer at Boeing. Francour has been with the company since 1978, most recently serving as director of manufacturing.

Other recent new appointments at the company include Stephanie Bergstrom as CFO and Dennis Martin as director of sales and marketing. Bergstrom joined Enstrom in 2014 as a senior accountant and as was promoted to controller in 2017. Martin joined the company as a salesperson in 2007 and became sales manager in 2015. He has an FAA commercial pilot certificate with ratings for fixed- and rotary-wing aircraft, in addition to being an FAA-licensed A&P mechanic. He also holds a mechanical engineering degree from Michigan Technological University.

Enstrom has been owned by China’s Chongqing Helicopter Investment Corp. for the past six years. Since its founding in 1959, Enstrom has had multiple owners, including Purex, trial attorney F. Lee Bailey, and inventor Dean Kamen. Last year the company shipped just five helicopters, according to delivery data from the General Aviation Manufacturers Association.