James G Brunke
Partner
Jim Brunke’s career began over 35 years ago as an aircraft mechanic on the hanger floor in Southern California and advanced to senior management and CEO positions in global aerospace services and support. After serving in the United States Air Force in special operations for four years, Jim graduated from the Northrop Institute of Technology in Inglewood, Calif., and earned Airframe and Power Plant licenses with the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration. He then joined Continental Airlines in Southern California. In less than two years, he was promoted to Continental’s Technical Services Group as a Maintenance Training Instructor and Technical Documentation Writer.
Jim’s next career move was to the North American Aviation Division of Rockwell International as a member of the Technical Staff. In this capacity he was responsible for maintenance and engineering analysis of the B1 Bomber.
Following that assignment, Jim was promoted to Manager of Avionics Support. Later, he was promoted to Director of Advanced Logistics and subsequently promoted to Director of Product Support for North American Aviation. During this period he obtained his MBA from Pepperdine University.
In 1995, NAA was acquired by Boeing. Jim’s first assignment was Director of McClellan Aviation Services, when he led the team that won the winning proposal for one of the first public/private competitions in government procurement. Immediately following, Jim began his executive career with Boeing when he was appointed President and CEO of Boeing Aerospace Services, a wholly owned subsidiary headquartered at Cape Kennedy in Titusville, Florida. In that capacity, his responsibilities included management of aircraft maintenance, repair and overhaul for virtually all of Boeings defense related aircraft.
In 2003, Jim was promoted to Vice President, Supply Chain Services for Boeing’s Integrated Defense Systems (IDS). In this position, he was responsible for spares, repairs and component overhauls for all of Boeing’s defense products and services. During his leadership, the spares unit grew to over one billion dollars in gross sales and he was an instrumental leader in winning the Malcom Baldrige award for best services company in 2003. Following this, he was named Vice President, Advanced Logistics for Integrated Defense Systems.
Transferring to the Seattle area in 2006, Jim returned to the commercial side as Vice President Global MRO Services for Boeing’s Commercial Aviation Services (CAS). He successfully led Boeing’s Commercial Aircraft AOG repair teams, created the MRO strategy for Commercial Aviation Services and was appointed to the Board of Directors of Boeing Shanghai Aviation Services Inc. Jim’s final assignment at Boeing was Vice President and Chief Executive Officer of Boeing Shanghai Aviation Services Inc., a Chinese joint venture company. In that role, Jim led a multi-national staff of technical professionals in the construction and start up of an MRO facility. This facility, located at Pudong International Airport in Shanghai, totals 500,000 square feet and is capable of MRO services on all types of commercial airplanes.
In 2009, Jim retired from the Boeing Company to expand his career in aerospace by creating a successful international management consulting company. He has served as an expert witness in several aerospace litigations. He also as senior faculty member that teaches executive management classes in supply chain management, strategy and risk, support system design and operations management at the Institute for Defense and Business, affiliated with the University of North Carolina. He is currently a senior advisor to the McKinsey Consulting Company, a CEO for a VIP business jet carpet manufacturer and is a regular advisor to Aloca, Vetex Aerospace, FTI Consulting, the Murano Corporation, the Boston Consulting Group, and the RAND corporation. Jim also advises many entrepreneurial, high tech, startup companies.