Kawai Lopez wanted to be an educator or work in the event industry when she was planning her career, but 14 years ago, she got a job at the Monterey Jet Center and caught that notorious "aviation bug" that she swore she was never going to get - let alone understand.
“Once I was promoted to CSR manager, I was able to really apply all of my passion for teaching and event planning into my new role , so it was the perfect combination of everything I wanted in a career,” she said. “I am very hands on with customer service training, so all of the new hire training, recurrent training, and even the customer service for line service training that I do really allows me to put on my ‘teaching hat’ and fulfill that passion.”
Lopez is still with Monterey Jet Center as the creative director behind all its customer service, business development and marketing efforts.
She photographs and posts all of the company Instagram messages highlighting not only the Monterey Jet Center but all of the Monterey Peninsula as a world class destination.
Lopez understands what the challenges are for the private pilots that come and go at the Monterey Jet Center. She is always looking for ways to make their stay more comfortable and more like home. On holidays like Valentine’s Day, she will have greeting cards ready for pilots to connect with loved ones back home.
“I like being in the aviation industry because of the high energy and camaraderie,” she said. “There is just something about that unspoken bond that we all share with each other that really exemplifies the spirit of aviation. It doesn’t matter what role we play in the aviation world - and even if we have nothing else in common – we are all connected by some airplane, somewhere.”
In 2019, Lopez redesigned the company website to give MJC the kind of online presence the FBO needed. She conceptualizes and designs all of the MJC print and digital advertising and often is also the photographer.
If you have visited the MJC booth at the NBAA convention you may have received one of the baby onesies Lopez designed with slogans like “Lav Service Required” or one of her tote bags with the “I love the smell of jet fuel in the morning” slogan.
