Husband, father, friend, crew chief; Brian Harris is a man of many talents and titles—mostly, he’s a man of his word. Oddly enough, titles aren’t really his thing, and that’s probably why he is as successful as he is at all that he does. Brian’s keen eye for perfection has set the bar in the composite aircraft industry. From the ground up, Brian has built his business around the basics: trust, honesty, integrity, and the good ole’ fashioned handshake. Since 1997, Brian has sculpted Composite Approach into one of the leading contract composite manufacturers in the industry; with much of our focus being in the Composite Kit Aircraft Sub-contracting business, he is continually pushing our envelope into the world of Advanced Composites as well. Born and raised in Bend, Brian has spent the majority of his life seeking every back road known to exist in Oregon. A long-time bow hunter, off-road four-wheelin’ junkie, dirt bike racer, mountain biker, pilot, and professional tinkerer, it’s a mystery how Brian finds time to sleep.

Growing up as a Michigan native, Brian has known a thing or two about business from a young age. Working his way up as paperboy for the Grand Rapids Press, he eventually worked on building nuclear submarines in Portsmouth Naval Shipyard; later to earn his MBA degree. Now his next chapter is right here at Composite Approach where he runs everything from sales to marketing to finance. And that’s not the only thing he runs- Brian is a triathlete, sub three hour marathoner, and Boston Marathon finisher! He appreciates how Brian H. makes sure everyone’s goals are in alignment, and we are all pulling in the same direction at Composite Approach. As a father of two perfect daughters and a husband of more than a quarter century, we are truly grateful to have Brian as a part of our team.

Originally one of the Back Street Boys, Mike can move on the dance floor like none other. Or maybe the story goes something like this. After Brian spent a few years building planes by himself, he decided to hire some help. Some might call it help, some might label it as a really bad nightmare, either way, Mike McReynolds showed Brian a few magic tricks and a sleight of the hand later, became Brian’s go-to man, a “second” of what would become the “three” amigos. Mike is an incredible asset to our team and a machine when it comes to getting things done. He is an “air master”—overseeing production of our fiberglass unit as well as keeping all of our equipment humming. We are truly blessed to have one of the most liked and respected guys around as a part of our team.  An awesome dad to three kids and a loving husband to his better half, Mike spends most of his spare time hanging out with his family.

An Oregonian-again, Christy joined the team at Composite Approach after leaving the flatlands of Kansas and Corporate America.  New to the manufacturing world, Christy hopes to leverage her business and administrative background to help take Composite Approach to the next level. In her spare time she is an avid runner and hiker and is enjoying exploring Central Oregon with her husband.

As a kid, Guy had his own drawer full of disassembled appliances—he didn’t put them back together, he just wanted to see how they worked. As he grew older he got a diverse spread of experience putting things together through construction work, dabbling in web design, a database internship, a job at Stereo Planet (setting up wiring for home stereo systems) and house framing. In school he studied computer science, then engineering physics, and ended up obtaining his degree in mechanical engineering from Oregon State University. An internship at Epic Aircraft turned into a position on staff as a mechanical design engineer. Later Guy worked for Lancair as a mechanical engineer, and then at Advanced Energy as a mechanical design engineer, which became the position of engineering manager. Fun fact: Guy first met Brian, and Mike at Father’s House, where Guy later became an associate pastor for a time. These connections led to his current position as senior mechanical engineer at Composite Approach. He appreciates that Brian offers a flexible work schedule, which is helpful for him as a husband and father of two. He also values the quality of private ownership (and with it, the absence of office politics and endless meetings and emails), as well as the fact that he has the privilege of helping to develop his position; he says, “I have more control over my destiny here.”

As CNC Lead Engineer, Bryan is always making the cut. After getting involved in robotics, CAD, and CNC clubs in high school, he moved to New York to pursue mechanical engineering. Shortly after, Bryan came to Central Oregon for the climbing, back-country snowboarding, mountain biking, and Composite Approach of course. Being interested in the aerospace field, and having a prominent background in tech, Composite Approach seems like the perfect fit for such a talented individual! We are thankful to have Bryan direct the operation of our CNC machines, and simply be apart of the team.

At Composite Approach, you can find Jason working on just about anything, with a wide range of skills that he’s picked up along the way. From using fiberglass to create automotive audio panels, to gaining welding experience at Foose Design. Working on hot rods there, his team earned the Don Ridler Award and went on to star in TLC’s “Rides” and “Overhaulin'”! From there he got more involved in aircrafts, working on planes like Lancair Evolutions, where he just so happened to meet Sam. Ever since he has been an big asset to Composite Approach. When he’s not busy with product development, you can often find him bow hunting, camping, mountain biking, and spending time with his family. We’re fortunate to have Jason as a part of our team!

Matt rocks at a lot of things; one thing in specific, is keeping the tooling group in swift production. You can find him bonding, leveling, and inspecting- just to name a few things he does around here. Having experience with working with Lancair kit planes and Evolution aircraft, Matt came to Composite Approach utilizing his expertise to take part in some of the most essential parts of assembly. He loves the culture and hard-working culture this company brings. Although, Matt only works here for hobby because he is a full-time drummer in a rock band! His passion for music has taken him to go on tour to every state in the country, but that is second to his passion for people, as it is quite apparent at Composite Approach. We are grateful to have Matt here with us!

We’re blessed to have Lisa and the incredible talent she possesses here at the shop. Our expert pre-preg lay-up technician, Lisa brings 16 years of composite craftswomanship to our company. Whether it’s laying up Liquid Robotics Wavegliders at the speed of sound or crafting our Auxiliary Fuel Cells, Lisa’s headstrong determination baffles us. A Redmond, Oregon native, Lisa spends her free time chasing her kiddo, riding her horse, and stalking four-legged creatures across the vast expanses of Eastern Oregon. When asked what she appreciates and what keeps her here at Composite Approach, she says, “The diversity of work and all of the different disciplines and mediums we work in. I’m always working on and learning new things.”

With plenty of expertise under his belt, Cesar is always making quality parts in the Lay Up department of Composite Approach. Working with Lancair Certified, and Lancair kit builds, there’s a thing or two he knows about making composite parts; hence him leading the charge with fuselage production! It won’t take long being around Cesar to know that he has a passion for music–aside from the fact that he knows how to spin some vinyl–given he was formerly a DJ. Outside of work, he loves to hang out with his friends and play sports. Cesar brings such a friendly presence to our team here at Composite Approach, and sees the value in the work put into the final product. We’re so glad to have him!

Father of three and foremost a husband to an incredible wife, Dan is a machine when it comes to building parts. Keep him well fed and he’ll crank out more parts than an assembly line of eight. Today Dan spends his days as a liaison between LRI and leading metal fabrication for all of Composite Approach’s needs. A central Oregon native, the younger of the Nelson dynamic duo finds himself chasing his three kiddos on the local trails on the weekends and long summer nights. Dan is an avid mountain biker and backpacker. When asked what he likes and appreciates, and what keeps him here at Composite Approach, he says: “I love working with friends, I really like the personal responsibility given to all of us, and the encouraged creativity in our work.”

Although Alfonzo has the title of leading the madcap team, his position stretches much further as he directs the tooling of Earth Cruiser molds, the commission of parts required for customers’ projects, and sure enough, the production of our very own madcap adventure campers. Aside from that, he displays the leadership and sets an example with an attention to making high quality products. Before working his fiberglass, Alfonzo worked with Lancair, using carbon fiber to handle wet lay ups. And those aren’t the only lay ups he is good at; he is also an avid basketball player! As much as Alfonzo loves seeing the finished product here at Composite Approach, we love to have him on our team.