Steve Goede credits his father for his early interest in aviation. He was a Snap-on tool dealer for over 30 years, where he had an array of clients at various municipal airports. Goede occasionally accompanied him to visit customers who would take him for rides in their single engine Cessnas. He says, "I was fortunate at a young age to have the opportunity to explore many countries during family vacations. One of the highlights was the time spent on the airplane. What young rambunctious boy doesn’t like speed and the thrust of a jet engine during takeoff!"

During his second year of college Daryl Millard, a marketing professor, told him “You need to learn patience, it’s a wonderful virtue. Your skills set is designed for a fast-paced industry, which requires attention to detail and the ability to provide customer service.” Shortly after this advice, Goede began working for Comair Delta Connection and he's never looked back. Current mentors include West Star Aviation CEO Bob Rasberry, COO Rodger Renaud. and GJT General Manager Dave Krogman. 

At West Star Aviation for nine years, he has helped in the development and growth of the landing gear and accessory shop. Goede says, "I love being able to provide solutions for our customers' parts and accessories needs. I like being able to tell them 'we can do that' or 'we can get that to you in time,' solutions like this are a valuable capability."

"Steve keeps our business on the cutting edge by building strong relationships with our OEMs and has helped build a solid structure with regards to our landing gear overhaul and accessory shop at all the WSA locations," says Debi Cunningham, vice president of marketing and interior design at West Star Aviation. "He is extremely driven and is willing to take on additional responsibilities while continuing to excel within our company." 

Goede received a bachelor of business administration from University of Iowa, associate's degree from Kirkwood Community College, and an international business certificate from Roskilde Handelsskole; Roskilde Business College in Denmark. He has had technical training on a variety of landing gear platforms for business/corporate/executive aircraft.

He belongs to NBAA, NARA, NATA, and PAMA and attends OEM operator conferences, NBAA, and a variety of trade shows. He currently is on a local board for Hope West NextGen.

He gives back to the industry by providing aircraft operators and OEMs world-class service, which is concentrated around quality, integrity, pricing and downtime. He says,"I work with an unparalleled team at West Star Aviation and could not achieve this without their assistance. My success is their success; we all work together in unison."

Future plans include becoming an executive leader that focuses on integrity and is able to deliver higher than expected returns.