At just fi fteen years of age Ryan Anderson knew his life was headed skyward and earned his private pilot license.He completed the test in the summer between Grades 10 and 11.That would serve him well as he now heads the entire operation of Anderson Air; Vancouver’s oldest aircraft management company, in operation since 1980.
“I was a busy kid,” he says of his early employment.“I was working two jobs through high school; as a bus boy and line cook.“During the week I worked at The Keg and on weekends I worked for Whistler Mountain at Pikas and the Roundhouse”.
After secondary school, the North Vancouver-born businessman earned a Bachelor of Business degree in Aviation. Prior to joining the family operation and upon graduation, Ryan’s fi rst fl ying gig was at the controls of a Piper Navajo, from YVR to Vancouver Island and the BC Interior – in the middle of the night.His job was delivering bundles of The Province and Vancouver Sun Newspapers, hot off the press! “I still remember being completely covered in black from the ink on the papers at the end of my duty day”.
Since the creation of Anderson Air forty-four years ago, the family-owned operation provides everything from management services to private, corporate and executive charter services that span the globe.Seemingly, it was pre-ordained that Ryan would follow in the Anderson family footprint.
“When I joined the business in 2001 I was involved in all areas, from co-pilot to managing the company marketing; to dispatch and fl ight coordination, to answering telephones and preparing quotes.
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“We had one airplane at the time and I was so happy following and living my passion every day.”Taking a brief hiatus in 2006, he then turned to the family’s other business, the Oppenheimer Group; who grow, market and distribute over 100 varieties of fresh produce from numerous countries to retailers worldwide.This is where Ryan Anderson fi ne-tuned his business acumen sense.“I started working in sales and then the warehouse before moving up to category management.”
Simultaneously keeping his fl ying ratings current, he continued piloting part time at Anderson Air. As the company’s leadership was facing imminent retirement, his father, John Anderson’s siblings, Dave and Jody Anderson were then running the business and had a decision to make. “Do we fi nd someone from the
outside to run it or do I return full time,” he says of the situation.“The decision was not easy but in the end, realizing I would return to an industry that I am most passionate about was just too tempting. “There’s nothing like the smell of jet fuel in the air every day.”He would eventually transition back into Anderson Air as Vice President, then President and COO from 2017 to present, while also serving as an Oppenheimer board member. “Understanding what makes a global business – in some 30 countries around the world – work and being part of one of Canada’s best managed companies and one of the most admired corporate cultures has been an exciting ride. “I’ve been able to bring a lot of these ‘best practices learned’ to Anderson Air to aid in our strategic leadership and day-to-day management.” Ryan Anderson maintains a full and demanding schedule; keeping current by fl ying their fl eet’s Falcon 7X, while running Anderson Air and still serving as an Oppenheimer board member.
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” People often ask me how I have a smile on my face all the time. It really is the by-product of the incredible journey I am on with the support of family and the team around me.”
Last year alone the airline logged over 1.25 million miles worldwide among its ten jets and one helicopter. Working closely with every department within the corporate structure, he still serves the front lines as a crew member to transport their valued clients.
“It helps me to be more eff ective as a leader and provides me the opportunity to have a 360 view of our operations; giving me the insight into exactly what is going on and what makes this business work.“Having a pulse on our family business – where the stakes and costs can be very high – is extremely important in my mind.
“What really fuels me – as well as my team – is dominating in client service and really making a diff erence in people’s lives”.Clearly, his passion has not waned and being able to approach each day with unbridled enthusiasm for what the daily routine entails, fi lls Ryan Anderson with inordinate gratitude.
“People often ask me how I have a smile on my face all the time,” he notes.“It really is the by-product of the incredible journey
I am on with the support of family and the team around me. “To live my passion every day; have a higher calling of serving others and be there for my three amazing kids and beautiful wife of 19 years, I could not be a happier man”.
