Ground Support Leader Tim Jordan is always ready for a challenge

Tim Jordan, 2019 Horizon Air Pathfinder. Photo by Susan Ewbank.

Last year, Tim Jordan’s boss sent him an email asking if he had ideas for motorizing the heavy boarding ramps for Horizon’s Embraer 175 aircraft, which required four people per ramp to manually move into place. “I emailed him right back with, ‘Challenge accepted,’ ” says Jordan, whose Boise-based Ground Support Leader position involves maintaining and repairing equipment used on the ground to support aircraft, from bag carts, belt loaders and de-icers to tugs, ramps and stairs.

He leads a Ground Support Equipment (GSE) team of four technicians who have responsibility for equipment in Boise, Sun Valley, Reno and Sacramento.

Tim Jordan.

His solution to the ramp issue was an electric dolly, akin to those used to move RVs around driveways and yards, that attached to a ramp modified with a hitch. Now one person, plus a guiding spotter, can operate the setup. “I got a lot of thank-yous from busy agents who’d had to help push ramps into position,” he says.

Jordan has conceived and implemented many ideas to improve the safety and efficiency of ground equipment over his 12-plus years at Horizon. He and his team are also known to go beyond their jobs to help out by loading and unloading bags or shoveling snow.

“What GSE does affects other people’s jobs,” he says. “We are a dedicated, professional team that takes satisfaction in giving others safe and reliable equipment so they can do their jobs and make sure our guests have the best experience.”

A self-described “gearhead,” Jordan enjoyed figuring out how things worked when he was a child. He did maintenance-and-repair jobs in the motorsports and resort industries before joining Horizon. “People I knew who worked there gave the airline great reviews, and it also had medical and travel benefits, which was important since I have a wife and two daughters. I love what I do here. I like the camaraderie, and being creative and solving problems.”

Questions & Answers

What do you enjoy for recreation? I’ve raced motorcycles since I was a teenager and ATVs since I was in my 20s. I like to rebuild vintage motorcycles and ATVs—the vintage-cycle motocross scene has gotten very popular—and I try to improve their performance. My goal is to build things I can ride. I’m not big on shiny showy things. I’m big on fast things.

What community service are you involved in? I like to help people. I’ve done things such as building a handcycle for a young man in a wheelchair, and creating a pedal wheelchair to help a stroke survivor with rehab. I volunteer as a ski instructor for an organization that fosters adaptive recreation, and I’ve tweaked some equipment for them. I assemble dental equipment for a dental day of service in my community. I get the most satisfaction in my life when I am making other people’s lives better.

What do you take with you on a trip? A Horizon T-shirt, so I can wear it to take pictures in different places, and a drawing notepad and drafting set, so that I can draw and sketch my next inventions.

What are philosophies you live by? Follow the golden rule. And a quote some attribute to Abraham Lincoln: “I like to see a man proud of the place in which he lives. I like to see a man live so that his place will be proud of him.” That applies to work. At the end of the day, I want to be proud of what I did, and that’s doing the right thing.   

Praise for Tim

“Tim delivers performance and owns safety. He has a unique gift to anticipate and problem-solve through complex issues. He cares about people and strives to provide the best for our employees. He goes above and beyond to achieve the best results while always putting safety first. He identifies items that need improvement, and designs and produces solutions, all to ensure our people are safe and cared for. Outside of work, Tim uses his talents and ingenuity to help others.” —Matt P., Horizon Vice President of Station and Inflight Operations, Seattle

Horizon Air employees such as Timothy Jordan are the reason for our excellence. Join us in creating an airline people love. Visit horizonair.jobs.