Our Team
Providing quality airline ground support
services for more than 40 years
Our Team
Mike Hough
Chief Executive Officer
In May 2017, Mike joined the organization as Chief Operating Officer and was subsequently appointed Chief Executive Officer after integration was complete. In this role, Mike leads the operations and corporate team to deliver a fresh approach in the airline ground handling space. In Mike's time at GAT, the organization has added new technologies, performance management systems, operational process reviews, and has delivered markedly improved outcomes. Mike shares GAT's belief that outstanding ground handling services are pivotal to delivering consistent, reliable and high-value services with integrity.
Prior to joining GAT, Mike's 20 years of experience in the aviation industry included multiple leadership roles at companies like United Express, Midwest Express, ATA, and Northwest Airlines. Mike was previously EVP of Operations for Air Serv Corporation (now ABM), Chief Administrative Officer for ResCare, Inc. and the President of ResCare Workforce Services.
Mike was born and raised in Michigan's upper peninsula. He now lives in Louisville, KY with his three children and wife, Michelle.
Mike holds a Bachelor of Business Administration from the University of Wisconsin and an MBA from the Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University. Mike serves on the Board of Directors for the nonprofit Open Doors Organization.
Emma Roberts
Vice President of Safety
Emma has most recently worked to provide oversight of safety, training, and compliance for Reva, Inc. for the last three years. Prior to that, Emma worked in numerous safety leadership position with Spirit Airlines for the last ten years. Her focus on safety and airport operations has produced an enhanced awareness towards a culture that reduces risks in the work place while producing excellent performance results. Delivering reliable, high-value services to our customers with integrity while treating each other with dignity and respect is at the very core of Emma's beliefs.
Prior to joining GAT, Emma has achieved numerous certifications, and has been the keynote speaker for various aviation and safety events throughout the U.S. Additionally, Emma has been published in the International Travel and Health Journal. She served as co-chair for NATA Air Ambulance Sub Committee and has her bachelor's degree in Aviation Management as well as an MBA in Aviation from Embry Riddle Aeronautical University.
Tracy Metzger
Chief Information Officer
Tracy brings over 25 years of senior executive experience in the Airline and Financial Technology industries, most recently as COO of Vesta Corporation where he led worldwide operations, technology and product.
Tracy has also been CIO for North American Bancard, president at TGate Payments, president of Abanco International, a payments and technology company, as well as CIO of Gate Gourmet and VP of IT at Concord EFS, among other positions. He is a featured speaker at industry conferences and his commentary is regularly sought by leading technology, payments, and business news publications. Tracy holds a degree in Telecommunications Management.
Mark Brown
COO Catering Operations
With 40+ years in the aviation industry, Mark is responsible for the Canadian operation with Strategic Aviation and Sky Cafe and is based in Kelowna, British Columbia.
Strategic and Sky became part of the GAT family in August 2019 with twenty one bases across Canada. Mark is proud to be part of the GAT team that has the same values and commitment to our people and our customers that Sky and Strategic believe in.
Richard Thiel
President
Richard Thiel joined GAT in 1999 and was named President in 2008, reporting directly to the principal owners of the company. In this role, Richard led the corporate team in its pursuit of business diversification with its airline partners. This strategic initiative created a diverse portfolio that includes services such as cargo, ramp handling, customer service and cabin cleaning.
Richard was previously employed by Atlantic Southeast Airlines for 18 years serving in the capacity of Regional Director.
Richard was born in Germany. As a military dependent, he spent his formative years at Ft. Benning, Georgia. He now lives in Sharpsburg, Georgia with his wife Georgia.
Richard has served on the Board of Directors for HATMA, the Steering Committee for the Airline Services Council and the Airline Manager's Association at Hartsfield Jackson International Airport.
Rodney Brooks
EVP of Planning, Performance, and GSE.
Rodney joined GAT in January 2021 as Regional Vice President supporting the Gulf Region, and moved into his current role September 1, 2023. Prior to joining GAT, Rodney completed a 33-year career with Delta Air Line. His experience at Delta started in frontline operations and included increasing levels of responsibility throughout his career.
He held leadership positions in various capacities across the organization that included operations, finance, corporate support roles, and equity partner performance. Rodney holds a Bachelor of Business Administration from Georgia State University and an MBA from the University of Georgia. He served on the International Air Transport Association (IATA) initial Ground Operations Group from 2016 to 2020.
Tom MacVicar
COO of Airport Operations
I'm excited to announce that Tom MacVicar will join GAT as the COO of Airport Operations on March 6th, 2022. Tom and I worked together for a few great years at AirServ and he currently serves as the Senior Director of Airport Customer Service at Frontier Airlines, leading a team of over 6,000 front line airport professionals across 115 airports in 6 countries. Tom is a talented airline and aviation services industry executive with over 29 years of experience managing large and diverse front line operations with an eye for excellence and high customer standards. Tom has a wealth of experience in Operations, Customer Service, Security, Cargo, Corporate Real Estate, Properties and Contracts.
Tom has been a participating member of two new airline start up FAA certification teams joining both JetBlue Airways and Virgin America pre-launch. Tom has held roles in the industry such as the Managing Director of the Alaska Airlines Hub in SEA, Alaska’s largest airport operation. He was the Hub Director in SFO with Virgin America before the merger with Alaska Airlines. As previously mentioned,Tom was also the Senior Vice President of AirServ (now ABM Aviation) with regional responsibilities in the Northeast- one of the largest and most complex regions in the company leading over 3,500 front line staff and working directly with key customers such as United, Delta and JetBlue Airways.
In addition to these great bonafides, Tom was a Board Member for the American Red Cross, is a licensed pilot and a licensed avionics mechanic. On a more personal note, Tom was born and raised in New York where he lived for almost 40 years spending much of his early career working in JFK, LGA and EWR operations. He married his high school sweetheart; Heather and they have been married now for almost 24 years. Heather and Tom currently live in Denver, Colorado with their two dogs Cody and Cindy. They love to ski, hike and take advantage of the outdoors.
Patrick C. Daniel
Chief Human Resources Officer
Enjoying a career that spans over 32 years with several global organizations, Patrick is recognized as an accomplished Human Resources leader and business practitioner.
Patrick C. Daniel currently serves as Chief Human Resources Officer of General Aviation Terminal (GAT); an airline ground operations organization based in Peachtree City, Ga.
In Patrick’s role he is responsible for the development and delivery of strategies and plans that build organizational health, organizational strength, and organizational capability for eighty (80) airport locations within the United States and Canada.
Prior to his most recent role, Patrick provided 12 years of service as Vice President of Human Resources for the William L. Bonnell Company, an industrial sector manufacturing organization based in Newnan, Georgia supporting the building and construction, automotive, and specialty products markets throughout North America.
Prior to this role, Patrick provided 13 years of service as a Senior Director of Human Resources and Community Affairs for The Coca-Cola Company throughout North America, Europe, and the Caribbean.
Prior to his tenure with The Coca-Cola Company, Patrick served as a Human Resources Leader for the PepsiCo Company, Kraft Food’s Inc., and the Hoechst Celanese Corporation.
Patrick holds a Bachelor's Degree in Political Science and a Master's Degree in Human Resources Management from Clark Atlanta University in Atlanta, Ga.
Patrick serves as a member of the Society of Human Resources Management, the Georgia Registry of Interpreters for the Deaf, the Omega Psi Phi Fraternity, Inc. and has served on the Board of Trustees of Knoxville College in Knoxville, Tennessee, and Board of Directors for the Fulton Atlanta Community Action Authority.
Patrick is highly active in the Atlanta area business community, and he currently serves as a Board of Director for the Commitment to Excellence Foundation.
An accomplished public speaker, Patrick has been quoted in USATODAY, The Atlanta Business Chronicle, and several business publications.
Patrick has served as a guest panelist and keynote speaker for numerous organizations, conferences and radio broadcasts offering his professional perspectives and experiences on the subject of Human Capital.
David Fleming
Chief Financial Officer
David has spent the last 20 years serving as Chief Financial Officer for several organizations, with the past 14 years focused on private-equity backed organizations in service related industries. David has extensive experience in acquisitions, start-ups, and rapid growth environments. David is originally from the Central Florida area where he received his BS and MBA from the University of Central Florida.