BUILDING AN A&P PROGRAM FROM SCRATCH WITH SONIC TOOLS
Chris Proscia has been around the block a few times: Ex-military, a graduate of Hallmark University A&P School, airline technician, maintenance manager, and then director of operations back at Hallmark. Today, he’s the Aviation Maintenance Program Manager at the University of Maryland Eastern Shore, building an A&P program from scratch.
“It’s an opportunity to build a school the way I think it should be done,” he says. As of this writing, the school is halfway through its certification process, and “our hope is our first class will start in January 2025.”
THE SONIC DIFFERENCE
His first experience with Sonic Tools was at Hallmark. “As corny as this sounds, from a mechanic’s perspective, the drawers and tools felt good in your hand. I started to ask questions about Sonic.”
When he discovered more, “It blew my mind: the etching and the foam for accountability and tool replacement. If you break something, scan the QR code attached to your toolbox, take a picture of the tool, and a new tool will appear. You don’t have to wait a week for the tool truck to come around.”
In building the new program in Maryland, he wanted to get “the most bang for my buck,” he says. “It’s all about accountability, and I’m spending the state’s money.” When he met with a Sonic rep at the annual ATEC conference, “I got the ball rolling. And from there, the purchasing process turned into a phone call. That was how the official ten full toolsets happened.”
A few weeks later, Chris got a follow-up call from Sonic. “They said, now that you’ve received the tools, do you have any questions or concerns? The customer service from before to after the sale has been amazing!”
LOOKING AHEAD
Chris is also working with his leadership to set up an end-of-term reward. “So at the end of our 12-month program, whoever has the highest GPA, I’d like to give them a box: ‘Here’s your certificate of completion. And by the way, here’s a free set of tools.'”
And that brings to mind another perk that Chris mentions — the Sonic student discount program. “Tools are expensive,” he says. “New hire mechanics with no experience don’t make much money. Here’s a way to get more bang for your buck, perform better, and not go broke.
“I can definitely stand behind the product,” he concludes.
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