Cutter Aviation And Phillips 66: A 77-Year Relationship Still Going Strong
Cutter Aviation knows a thing or two about maintaining long-term relationships. The oldest family owned and operated FBO in America is also the oldest Phillips 66® Aviation branded FBO in the network of 800-plus. The FBO has carved a niche for itself in the industry by operating under the same principles founder William P. Cutter established in 1928 – respect, trust and integrity.
The steadfast reputation of Cutter Aviation has helped the FBO secure a number of large deals, including recently being awarded the Defense Logistics Agency (DLA) Energy contract for its locations at Phoenix Sky Harbor Airport (KPHX) in Phoenix, Ariz. and Albuquerque International Sunport (ABQ) in Albuquerque, N.M. Vice President and CFO, Steven Prieser, credits the FBO’s relationship with Phillips 66 Aviation as a reason why they are now the U.S. military fuel provider.
“Our relationship with Phillips 66 helped us secure this contract,” said Prieser. “As a reputable supplier of jet fuels and avgas they provide us with a cost-effective quality and quantity of fuel that we can always depend on. This in turn allowed us to make a competitive bid and win this major contract.”
The Cutter Aviation network includes five Phillips 66 branded FBO facilities located at Albuquerque International Sunport, City of Colorado Springs Airport, Phoenix Deer Valley Airport, El Paso International Airport and Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport. These locations provide arrival and departure facilities for private and business aviation travelers.
Offerings include:
- Line and fuel service
- Factory-trained aircraft maintenance and avionics service
- Aircraft sales
- Aircraft management
- On-demand air charter with their fleet of jet and turboprop aircraft
Additionally Cutter Aviation operates aircraft maintenance and sales facilities in Addison and San Antonio Texas, and an aircraft sales office in Carlsbad, Calif.
Just mentioning that Cutter Aviation sells aircraft is quite the understatement. In addition to holding the title as the oldest FBO in the U.S., they also are the largest HondaJet and Piper Aircraft dealer in the world, as well as a top-tier dealer for Daher TBM. There’s no denying that the business operating for over eight decades is still hitting the throttle.
Strong Business Relationships Start From Within
William W. Cutter took over the reins of the company from his father, President/CEO, William R. Cutter, in the mid-90s. The senior Mr. Cutter still comes into the office on a daily basis. Commenting on the level of involvement from the Cutter family, Mike Livezey, director of special projects, remarked that “It’s a true honor and reminder of how this family-owned business is so special.”
Many companies growing as large as Cutter Aviation find it challenging to keep a family atmosphere going. But for a company that's done so successfully for 87 years, treating employees as family and customers as friends is just part of the corporate DNA.
Cutter Aviation prides itself in taking care of its own, regularly promoting employees up the ranks. And in a day and age when career hopping is the norm, Cutter Aviation employees typically don’t look for other opportunities, loyally staying with their place of employment. In fact, many employees have tenures that stretch for 20-plus years. It’s clear that the FBO creates career paths, not just jobs.
In addition, the FBO highly recommends that their employees be well-rounded corporate citizens, actively staying involved in the aviation industry and local community.
“We try to involve ourselves in the region, including being a title sponsor for the Arizona Business Aviation Association since 2006,” said Prieser. “We’ve also had a number of our employees volunteer to be on safety committees and the advisory council for NBAA and S&D.”
And speaking of safety, Cutter Aviation proudly touts the fact that it adopted a safety management system for their facility long before it became the industry norm, especially on the quality-control side of operations. The FBO regularly takes advantage of the variety of resources that Phillips 66 offers to all FBOs in its network, including access to TrustedFuel.com, a website that includes a fuel handling guide with videos, online tutorials and a schedule of in-person training courses covering various aspects of fuel quality management.
“Pilots want a one-stop shop. They want to know without a doubt that their passengers and aircraft are going to be safe and well taken care of,” said Livezey. “They want to fill up their tanks with quality fuel at reasonable prices, while also receiving superior customer service.” Cutter has been leading the business of aviation since 1928, and I’m confident we’ll maintain that reputation to 2028 and beyond.”
Cutter is a proud participant in the WingPoints® Rewards Program, Phillips 66’s rewards program that allows pilots to earn redeemable points per gallon each time fuel is purchased at a participating FBO.
To learn more about Cutter Aviation, visit their website at http://cutteraviation.com/.
