Flightcom Corporation

Flightcom took off in 1983 and has been soaring ever since. The initial thrust of the business was noise. Too much of it. Flightcom founder and President, Brian VanderPloeg, was taking flight lessons in the early 1980s and found it hard to hear his instructor. "I wasn't learning fast enough because it was difficult to hear what my instructor was saying," Brian says. "It was impossible to understand the gibberish coming from the cabin speaker and my ears were ringing after every flight."

From noise came opportunity. As an entrepreneur well-grounded in electrical engineering, Brian began developing his own aircraft intercom. Demand skyrocketed when his product was named "Best Portable Intercom" in a 1986 Aviation Consumer magazine review. His company, originally called Oregon Avionics, became known for producing headsets and intercoms that were high in quality but low in cost.

Today, Flightcom has become an industry leader, employing 50 people and selling products all over the world. The company is now on a mission to push the envelope in design and engineering and develop products that are the most innovative on the market.