Always has been a woman who never took “no” for an answer easily, Danielle Silva Adornato’s desire to go beyond came from childhood. This fuelled her hopes of always wanting more and one day being able to declare proudly that she helped to change the lives of this individual or family, and that she influenced a person, particularly a woman. She says, “Many people tell me that I am lucky, I would say yes, I am blessed, but I also have strength, persistence, and perseverance.”
Having a long family history of four generations in the aviation industry, Danielle is the owner and CEO of FBR Aviation Inc. Having a degree in International Business, Danielle always thought big, even with the option to continue working with her father, which inspired her until today with his amazing passion for aviation. She had always aspired to run her own firm, to create her own business philosophy based on her own ideals and aspirations. She states, “I was a very young mother and motherhood encouraged me even more to build my own company and leave a legacy.” She goes on to say that her choice to launch the firm in the United States was motivated by a desire to take on a new challenge. Danielle had more than ten years of experience in Brazil, but everything was different in the United States; it was a new adventure for her.
The Heir of Aviation Veterans
Danielle was born in Brazil and raised there. She began working at her father’s aircraft company when she was 14 years old. Her grandparents were also pilots, so she has always had an interest in aviation. Her grandmother was the country’s second female pilot, and her grandfather, Roberto da Cunha, is now 88 years old and was an active pilot until he was 82 years old, with over 33 thousand hours of flight time. She shares, “I was surrounded by inspiration, and as I grew up and saw technology providing aviation with more resources and innovations, I became even more interested in the aeronautical market.”
FBR Aviation Inc.
Founded in 2007, FBR Aviation has a respected and established role in the market. FBR Aviation offers products and services in four market segments:
Multi-mission aircraft sales: FBR supply law enforcement agencies with multi-mission aircraft, based on Textron and Beechcraft platforms for fixed wing and Leonardo Helicopters for rotary wing.
Diamond Aircraft Sales: FBR is the exclusive distributor of Diamond Aircraft for the Brazilian market, with more than 35 units sold in the last 6 years.
Parts & Components Sales: FBR is a regular supplier to customers outside the USA for aeronautic parts and components, based on a sound partnership with different OEM’s.
Logistics Support (Military CLS): FBR is a CLS supplier for military aviation outside the USA, providing parts, consumables, and specialized repair to a variety of platforms.
FBR Aviation’s core values are: trustworthiness, innovative spirit, commitment, agility, and respect for people, passion for aviation, societal contribution, sustainability, and diversity.
Danielle shares, “Our company keeps close relationships with customers, always trying to identify new needs, or more efficient ways to satisfy present needs.” By leveraging a lean structure, FBR, in collaboration with technical partner Aeromot, can deliver tailored solutions to a wide range of demands in a cost-effective manner.
A Constant Learning of Being a Leader
Danielle has opted to devote some of her time during the previous 15 years to reading, personal development and self-knowledge seminars, meditation, and physical exercise. She says it balances her life and encourages her to be a better person every day. This passion motivates her to grow as a leader and devote her time to networking. This gives her the opportunity to learn from different leaders and broaden her perspective and talents. She asserts, “I increase my goals according to my growth and results, and today I know that my results are enhanced when we have a balance between personal and professional life.”
Danielle feels that today’s executives lack empathy for their employees. She continues by stating that leaders do not put themselves in the shoes of others. “We will always find better answers when we look at the problem from the perspective of others.” Today, Danielle sees a lot of leaders who are more like bosses than leaders. Leaders, in her opinion, walk with their teams, maturing together. She says, “The team wants to follow the leaders. Bosses just give orders and don’t get any commitment from their team. The team will leave at the first better opportunity they get without hesitation when they have a boss.”
Sharing the Experiences of Being a Female Leader
Starting a business in the highly competitive aviation sector, where men continue to outnumber women, was not a simple undertaking, but it was certainly stimulating and thrilling. According to Danielle, she has had several uncomfortable occasions in meetings when her knowledge of aviation was questioned purely because she is a woman.
Today, Danielle is appreciative of every snarky remark, caustic joke, and skepticism directed towards her potential. She felt such doubts nourished what she refers to as “challenge me,” and she became increasingly eager to learn and develop herself in order to be better at what she does.
Danielle never ceased investing in her own growth or the development of her team. She is a firm believer in the effectiveness of working in groups, with each member providing their greatest expertise.
Prioritizing Responsibility
Though Danielle actively engages in all parts of the firm in some capacity, her primary function in the company now is in new business development, government contracts, aircraft sales and delivery, and financials. She travels frequently for her activities and depends heavily on technology tools to maximize her work and achieve her goals, such as video conferencing and group conversations. She has frequent meetings with her team in various sections of the organization to ensure that the team is providing the best service to clients.
Danielle has learnt to manage her time and set priorities along the way. Her work and personal lives are equally essential to her. She does everything she can to strike a balance between the two aspects of her existence. She used to be committed to working long hours, but that no longer makes sense to her. She shares, “It was necessary in the beginning, for my own growth, but today I consider time my greatest treasure and I don’t give up spending time with my family, it’s the happiest part of my daily routine.” She sees them as her fuel to be even more productive during her time dedicated to work.
Living a Purpose-Oriented Life
Danielle is a person who knows what her purpose is, what she wants, why she wants it, and what steps she has to take to get it. This holds true both in her personal and professional life. She has struck an excellent balance between her personal and professional lives. She spends a lot of time with her spouse, children, and family. She opines, “I am extremely optimistic, caring, empathetic to others, and loving in my life outside of the workplace.”
Danielle is the same at work, as she considers her coworkers at FBR Aviation, Inc. to be an extended family. In the workplace, she combines this with a strong drive to advance, achieve higher levels, and be the best she can be. She discovers that the only limitations she has are those she imposes on herself.
Vision for FBR Aviation Inc.
FBR Aviation anticipates that air mobility will have significant market altering potential in the future years. These transformations are mostly driven by energy efficiency and automation. Despite the emergence of several disruptive technologies, there remain market possibilities in energy efficiency that provides significant immediate profit potential. FBR works in numerous aviation areas and wishes to grow this capability by continuing to form partnerships and delivering exceptional service and the finest solutions for each project. FBR is the consequence of a dream, a lot of faith, persistence, numerous hurdles, and cooperation that proved everything is possible when “we don’t give up” every day.
Danielle considers it an honor to be one of the few firms that operates in many fields at the same time. Being in air security with the supply of special mission aircraft and equipment, selling aircraft for civil aviation, being the exclusive distributor of Diamond Aircraft Industries in Brazil, handling all export logistics, and being contracted to supply materials for the Brazilian air force in only 14 years in the market is a huge accomplishment. In another area of technology, there is a possible revolution in the remote filtering application for a sector that is heavily reliant on trustworthy information delivered on time. FBR Aviation is well aware of these trends, and they are accounted for in the company’s strategic plans, with action already being taken to fall under this stream.
Letting Own Success to become Inspiration for Many
Danielle’s personal objective as a businessman is to inspire other women to start their own businesses. She wants to establish a foundation in order to promote and recruit partners to this networking group, as well as exchange experiences with the goal of encouraging and contributing. She plans to assist other entrepreneurs to not give up on their aspirations by providing solutions and choices such as financial incentives, technology, and collaborations.
She adds that in order to be successful, keep the following in mind:
- The clearer you are visualizing your dreams, the brighter the spotlight will be to lead you on the right path.
- Where there is passion there is a way to success.
- When you do what you love and have passion for, you will find happiness and fulfillment.
- Don’t get intimidate with anyone or any challenge, your perception of the situation will change the results.
To dream big or small, will take the same work and have the same cost, so don’t limit yourself or your dreams. Be specific about everything you want and take action every day. Little things will lead you to get the result of big things.
“Being a woman, mother, businesswoman, wife, friend, and conquering all these different markets is the result of dedication and a lot of effort,” says Danielle. This legacy she believes will inspire many women to fight for their dreams and show that everything is possible.
