2021 Annual Employee Awards

Erickson celebrates its people for their outstanding hard work throughout the year while recognizing peer chosen key area leaders  

The employee award event was held in Southern Oregon this Spring and celebrated with a company barbecue and prizes. Using one of Erickson’s aircraft hangars, tables were set up family-style to honor and thank employees for doing extraordinary work. The company event offered food, games, prizes, and a fun time to socialize with each other as the winners were announced. 

The Erickson Leadership Team stated in an internal announcement,

“We are privileged and honored to announce the recipients of the 2021 Employee Awards, recognizing outstanding achievement in five award categories. These exceptional employees went beyond their regular duties to act as stewards of Erickson’s shared values of resiliency, tenacity, and selfless service while leading and motivating others by example.“

This year, all winners were chosen by their peers through a company-wide survey. 

Winners included:  

Pilot of the Year: Brad Pepper       
Brad Pepper featured on the right

Pepper has been a Pilot with Erickson for 11 years and within the last year promoted to S-64 Training Captain. As a Pilot, Brad works in the field. When asked about his role Brad stated, “I am honored and humbled to be included among the great Pilots we have at Erickson.”

Maintainer of the Year: Hector Beltran                               
Hector with his daughters

Beltran is an Aircraft Manufacturing MRO (Maintenance Repair and Overhaul) Lead in the Aircraft Repair & Modification Department. He has been with Erickson for 27 years. We asked his Supervisor, Tony Crume and Rick Clark, Director of Manufacturing and MRO, about Hector and they said, “He is extremely dedicated to a project and works hard. He always comes in early, stays late, and will even come in on weekends to ensure the project stays on track. Hector is always there to help others and is a great mentor but isn’t afraid to get in there and get the work done either.”  

Manager of the Year: Amanda Hammerschmith 

Hammerschmith is known for managing the Blade Shop and for the development of the new composite main rotor blades (CMRB) for use on the S-64 Air Crane® Helicopters. The CMRB program started 11 years ago, and the blades were fitted on aircraft starting in 2021. The rollout of CMRB blades continues today. Amanda has recently been promoted to Director of Planning and Logistics. She has been with Erickson for almost 9 years. She said regarding the award, “I would like to thank the team of employees that have worked beside me for their dedication and hard work. Without your excellent performance, I would not be receiving this award.” 

Safety Advocate of the Year: Justin Douglas 

Douglas is a Preservation Cell Lead and works in the Logistics Department at the Warehouse. Justin has been with Erickson for almost 5 years and is an active member of the Warehouse SAT Team. Recently, Justin played a key role in the Warehouse’s 5-year no-time loss incidents achievement. Erickson’s Warehouse safety incident rate compared to other similar warehouses throughout the state is impressively low — all thanks to Justin and the wonderful Warehouse team! 

Culture and Values Advocate of the Year: Tony Crume 
Tony with his family

Crume works at the Willow Springs location and has been recently promoted to Aircraft Manufacturing and MRO Manager. He has been with Erickson for almost 12 years in various roles. When asked, unanimously people say that he’s wonderful to work with, helps in every area possible, is a go-to person, and is always optimistic.  

From our Leadership Team, “We would also like to thank and recognize all our people for their service and contributions, as they are always important, valued and appreciated. An additional thank you to everyone who took the time to nominate their fellow colleagues for these awards.” 

Congratulations to all employee winners this year!