Building a $900M Aerospace Empire | Norman Jordan

In this episode of Hangar X Studios, host John Ramstead sits down with Norman Jordan, CEO of Signia, live from Verticon. Norman shares Signia’s journey from its inception just three and a half years ago to becoming a nearly $900 million powerhouse in aerospace. With a strategy focused on acquisitions, legacy innovation, and long-term service to the aerospace sector, Signia is building what Norman calls a “forever company.” The conversation covers Signia’s vertical integration strategy, its investment in mission-critical systems, and its human-centric approach to acquisitions and customer support. Norman also shares his leadership insights on building a lasting company culture, strategic integration, and what success looks like in the year ahead. Episode Highlights How Signia grew rapidly through strategic acquisitions in just three and a half years Why customer feedback shapes Signia’s product roadmap Signia’s focus on mission systems, propellers, and advanced air mobility The role of Hartzell Propeller and Engine Technologies in their portfolio Lessons in successful company integration and M&A playbooks Vision for 2025: on-time delivery, continued growth, and lasting customer impact Key Points with Timestamps [00:00:03] Norman Jordan opens with Signia’s long-term vision and customer-first product development [00:01:42] Signia’s origins and rapid growth through acquisitions since July 2021 [00:02:15] Overview of the product verticals: mission systems, propellers, ECS, and engine components [00:02:56] Vision and strategy for acquisition: buying legacy-rich, IP-driven businesses [00:03:47] How Signia is perceived by customers as a reliable, future-oriented partner [00:04:25] Emphasis on customer support, MRO investments, and aftermarket service [00:05:13] Product innovation driven by customer requests and aftermarket opportunities [00:05:42] Acquisition of RTX's Goodrich hoist and winch business to enhance mission systems