AAR Chairman & CEO named Entrepreneur of the Year

Wood Dale-based AAR Chairman and Chief Executive Officer David P. Storch recently received the Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year 2012 Midwest Award in the Master Entrepreneur category.

“The award recognizes outstanding entrepreneurs who demonstrate excellence and extraordinary success in areas such as innovation, financial performance and personal commitment to their businesses and communities. Mr. Storch was selected by an independent panel of judges, and we were honored to recognize him at our June 21, 2012 gala event,” said Randall L. Tavierne, Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year Program Director.

AAR was incorporated in 1955. Storch became the company's second CEO in 1996 and, since then, has grown sales 309 percent. Guided by his entrepreneurial vision, AAR embraced a long-term strategy to diversify the business, expand its presence and become a more integral part of its customers' value chains.

“Over the years, AAR demonstrated the ability to turn adversity into opportunity, each time emerging a smarter, stronger and more competitive organization. I attribute this to a sharp focus on innovation and execution and the outstanding team that makes it happen every day,” Storch said.

Storch serves on the boards of the Chicago Urban League, The Executives' Club of Chicago, KapStone Paper and Packaging Corp., Kemper Corp., The United States Navy Memorial Foundation, The Wings Club and World Business Chicago. He is currently a member of the Economic Club of Chicago and the World Presidents' Organization and was the recipient of the Wright Brothers Memorial Award for contributions to the aviation industry in 2011.

AAR was recently named Aviation Parts Supplier of the Year, one of the top five providers of aircraft Maintenance, Repair and Overhaul (MRO) in the world and The Best MRO in the Americas in independent surveys of customers and industry professionals. The company was also named one of Chicago Tribune's Top Workplaces, recognized as a G.I. Jobs Top 100 Military Employer and ranked one of the Top 100 Defense Contractors in the world.

As a Midwest region award winner, Storch is now eligible for consideration for the Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year 2012 National Award.