Key Deal Facts
Signed agreement with Buffalo Wild Wings franchise in Mobile to test local food deliveryBuffalo Wild Wings Franchisee To Take Flight With Deuce Drone Delivery Demo
Signed revenue generating test flight contract with major Southeast retailer
Obtained approval from city of Foley to conduct drone delivery testingUp in the sky, it’s a bird, it’s a plane, no, it’s a delivery drone!
Collaborating with the cities of Mobile and Daphne in Alabama, to run test flights from retailers to customers
Expanded engineering staff to team of four: two MIT Aerospace Engineers, one Mechanical Engineer from Continental Aerospace Technologies, and one Developer from Stanford
Began development of Deuce Drone mobile app, which will allow customers to order same-day drone delivery using their phone or other mobile device
Received FAA Part 107 Authorization to operate a drone for revenue
Began the process for FAA Part 135 Authorization to become a licensed air carrier
Management Team / Advisory Board Bios
Blaine Holt
Brigadier General (retired) Blaine D. Holt is the CEO of Irascible Strategic Advisors LLC. Prior roles include President of Million Air Inc. and COO of Braidy Industries. The general's command experience includes the 376th Air Expeditionary Wing, Transit Center at Manas, Kyrgyz Republic and the 16th Airlift and 817th Expeditionary Airlift Squadrons. Key assignments include a previous posting as the Director of Logistics, United States European Command, a Military Fellowship at the Council on Foreign Relations, and Director of the Air Force Secretary and Chief of Staff's Executive Action Group. General Holt is a command pilot with more than 3,900 flying hours in a variety of aircraft and is a life member of the Wings Club and the Council on Foreign Relations.
Rhett Ross
Mr. Ross has 30 years of aerospace and engineering management experience, as well as significant expertise in the FAA certification process. Former President and CEO of Continental Aerospace Technologies, Ross is credited with leading the company in five successful acquisitions to add technology and additional product lines valued in excess of $40 million. Prior to his role at Continental, Mr. Ross was President of Teledyne Energy Systems, Inc., a manufacturer of thermoelectric, electrolytic hydrogen generation, and fuel cell devices. Mr. Ross is a former member of the Advisory Panel to the U.S. Department of Energy’s Laboratory Hydrogen Program Review Team and of the U.S. Congress Office of Technology Assessment Advisory Panel for the Review of Advanced Automotive Technology. He is also the former President of the U.S. Fuel Cell Council.
Philip Burton
As President and CEO of Burton Property Group (BPG), one of the largest real estate development firms in South Alabama, Phillip Burton currently manages a $250 million portfolio throughout the southeast. Prior to his current role, Mr. Burton served as President/CEO of BBMC/MCS Investments, Inc. He is also a founder of the Beverly Burton Scholarship Trust, named in honor of his late mother, which provides college scholarship opportunities to the Boys & Girls Clubs Youth of the Year recipients. He is also a board member of the Mobile Chamber of Commerce and University of South Alabama’s Foundation for Research and Commercialization, as well as a member of the YPO Southeastern Chapter.
John W. Fanning
John W. Fanning, Founding Chairman and CEO of napster, has been a pioneer in Internet Technologies for over 30 years. In addition to his work with napster on the distributed aggregation of content, he has introduced such net-related innovations as client-server game play, voice over IP, and auto-upgrading/authentication. Since 1994, he has founded numerous successful Internet ventures, including napster, NetGames, and NetMovies.
Kelton Hardrict Jr. (KJ)
Kelton Hardrict Jr. (KJ) is a graduate of MIT with a degree in Aerospace Engineering. He is an experienced researcher having conducted research in MIT’s Space Propulsion Lab, Human Systems Lab, and Space Systems Lab; he has also spent a summer conducting research in Stanford’s Structures and Composites Lab. In industry, KJ has completed two successful intern stints at Northrop Grumman Aerospace Corporation in the roles of Software Engineer and Systems Dynamics Engineer. During his undergraduate career, KJ has also created and grown his brand on YouTube with over 7 million views and 75,000 subscribers. Next fall, KJ plans to begin his pursuit of both an Aerospace Engineering Master’s Degree and PhD at Stanford University in autonomous systems.
Timmy Hussain
Timmy is a graduate of MIT with a degree in Aerospace Engineering and a minor in Management from MIT’s Sloan School of Management. He has experience working with real-time systems, robotics, and machine learning. Timmy has successfully completed several research positions in these areas holding positions at MIT CSAIL's Interactive Robotics Group, MIT's Human Systems Laboratory and Stanford University's Aerospace Design Laboratory working on the development of an Electric Vertical Take-Off and Landing (eVTOL) drone system.
