by Melissa Wylie, Bizwomen reporter

Danielle Wilson, president and CEO of air ambulance service provider Aero Jet Medical

Feb 17, 2016

Ambulance transport isn’t something people think about — until an emergency.

Danielle Wilson is the exception to that rule. She has dedicated her career to making sure people have access to air ambulance service whenever a medical emergency happens — first as a flight nurse, becoming the youngest one in the country when she was 24 years old. Now, Wilson is the founder and CEO of flight ambulance service provider Aero Jet Medical, headquartered in Georgetown, Texas. She’s also the owner of its parent company, United Medevac Solutions, which handles medical care logistics.

Just how much opportunity is there in air ambulance services? It’s a $4 billion industry, by some estimates. And roughly 400,000 medical patients fly in helicopter ambulances each year, with an additional 150,000 flown in fixed-wing aircraft, according to the Association of Air Medical Services.

We spoke with Wilson about her “very menial beginnings,” the boss who stole her ideas and why she’s a big believer in the predictive power of past performance. Responses have been lightly edited for brevity and clarity.

What are you anal about at work: Precision, for sure. It’s very precise on what standards of care are for patients. Those always need to be followed 100 percent of the time.

What do people think they know about you: I’ve had several employees that have made the assumption that I came up in a middle class family and was sent to a four-year college and probably came from some sort of significant wealth to be able to start a business. That couldn’t be further from the opposite. I came from very menial beginnings. I was the first one in my family that ever attended college or graduated. I did that 100 percent on my own through student loans. My accomplishments have been 100 percent self-made.

The worst meeting you’ve ever been in: When I was still employed as a flight nurse. I sat in a meeting in the audience and watched my boss take full credit for one of my inventive ideas. Of course, he didn’t say anything then. Even though I did address it later with him, it certainly didn’t provide me with any comfort for what he had done. I took that situation and I used it as a motivator to excel that much further.

What question are you asked WAY too much: When you talk to people and they find out what you do, the first question is usually, ‘What’s the worst call you’ve ever been on?’ I always tell people, any time I’m involved with a patient, it’s typically one of the worst days of their lives. It’s their emergency and they perceive it as such even though on a clinical side you may not, just because of the different ones that you’ve seen. Every call is bad for the patient.

What’s your eye-roll job interview answer: When I sit in on an interview, I have found that a lot of people can tell you a good story. They can tell you, ‘I want to do this and I want to do that.’ I always come full circle and I ask them, ‘Can you tell me about what you’ve done?’ Aspirations are fantastic. But what I have found is that few people truly have the skills to execute and complete a project in its entirety. Past performance is usually a pretty darn good indicator of future performance.

How do you indulge: My true indulgence is travel. To me it’s a way of checking out for a few days on the business side. I feel like there are huge benefits, not just physically but mentally and spiritually. I always take away something from every experience that I have.

How do you know when it’s time to step away: When my typical day is 12-plus hours every day, then I know it’s time for a break. I usually have a hard time sleeping whenever I can’t turn things off in my brain at night. That usually means that I’m a little overwhelmed. Or sometimes my family will tell me, ‘Mom, you’re a little short.’

The best boss you ever had did what: His name was Scott Fuller. I changed from being a flight nurse full time to a business development role. It exposed me to a completely different mindset — a business mindset and financial mindset. He was fantastic. I say that he gave me an advanced, accelerated MBA program in about eight months. It was very tough but very to the point, and I respond very well to that type of pressure and learning environment. He gave me the confidence and he gave me the knowledge to be able to take that risk of starting my own business when the opportunity became available.

Describe your high school self in 3 words: Social, fun, active. [I played] every sport that they had — cheerleading, drill team, basketball and track. I’ve always been a high-energy person.

The 3 words you’d pick now: I think I’m still true to who I was in high school, to tell you the truth. If you talk to my high school friends, not much has really changed. I’m just a little slower now. I’m probably not as fun as I could be, but that’s because when you have a business you have to be somewhat serious.

Who are you in awe of and why: A great influence on my life was my father. My father was an entrepreneur and had his own business. I come from a very large family — six kids. He taught me the dedication that it takes to run a business, the hard work that’s involved, but also trying to balance that with having a family. That’s what it’s all about at the end of the day.

What does your family teach you: Unconditional love, loyalty and teamwork. No one goes through life alone. All relationships, regardless of the type, take compromise and some sort of balance. It’s a delicate balance trying to keep family as a priority but still run a successful business and continue growth in that business.

Who’s the last person you talk to before you make a big decision: My husband. He’s our chief operating officer and he comes from a very strong operational background. We’ve grown this company together. Any large decisions, he’s the last person that I speak to regarding it.

Connect with Danielle Wilson on LinkedIn and on Twitter @IFlyAJM