Name: Brock Crocker
Job Title: Managing Director North America
Company: Vestergaard Company
Location: McHenry, Illinois
Years of experience in ground support: 39
Years with current company: 21
Previous employers in the industry: Prior to Vestergaard, I worked at United Airlines in Operations and Operations Planning/Support positions during my 18-year tenure with the airline.
Industry Committees Served On:
IAEMA Board of Directors, founding member in 2009, currently treasurer
SAE G-12 Aircraft Ground Deicing Committee since 1995, various roles including:
- Secretary of the Steering Committee from 2004 to 2023
- Deicing Methods Committee secretary from 1996 to 2012
- Deicing Methods document sponsor from 1996 to 2016
- Deicing Training document sponsor from 1998 to 2006
- Deicing Facilities document sponsor from 2004 to 2006
Ground Support Worldwide: What attracted you to a career in the ground support industry?
Brock Crocker: It all began with deicing trucks. During my summer break from college in 1984, I was operating the Trump deicer filled with soap and water to wash the exterior of DC 10, Boeing 727 and 737 aircraft. Since then, it has been the continuous improvement in technologies of various GSE products that still occur today.
GSW: What has kept you engaged in the industry?
BC: There are many. But first and foremost, the people I have met in the GSE shops and operations centers at the airports.
GSW: What’s the best advice you’ve been given while working in this field?
BC: Never forget what was learned from you and your mentors’ past experiences while keeping an open mind on newer or different technologies.
GSW: How have you seen the ground support industry change the most during your career?
BC: The movement towards improving the safety for the GSE operators and minimizing aircraft damage has been a huge benefit.
GSW: How has the deicing segment of the industry, specifically, transformed during your career?
BC: Great question. Over the last 30+ years, all of the GSE manufacturers have engineered and developed an operator environment that has increased the safety factor and raised the level of comfort for operations personnel. Enclosed cabins, less harmful deicing chemicals, collision avoidance systems immediately come to mind. These systems have given the operational personnel a safer work environment while at the same time helped them be more productive.
GSW: How has the work done in the SAE G-12 Committee helped facilitate the evolution of aircraft deicing?
BC: First and foremost was facilitating the deicing industry standardization of the deicing aircraft operating methodology. Our team was able to get all of the aircraft deicing operations around the globe to agree on a standard operating procedure that ensured the safe departure of every flight on all aircraft types with every airline. I truly feel blessed to have been a part of that process and being the person responsible for writing and sponsoring that document.
After the methods document, our SAE G-12 team was given the task of globally standardizing the training of operators and the standardizing the deicing facilities at airports around the world. I was honored that those committees asked me to sponsor and author both of those documents.
GSW: What’s the next big thing coming to the ground support industry?
BC: Automating the manual work processes.
GSW: What type of an impact will it make?
BC: This will reduce the occurrence of workplace injuries while continuously meeting the needs of airlines operations.
GSW: What would you say to encourage someone to join the ground support industry?
BC: We are a small industry with a huge impact on below-the-wing airline operations around the globe. There is the unlimited ability to advance and move around in both your career and personal life.
