About Us
Designing, Building, Delivering Since 1985
ACT Aerospace is an aerospace and defense manufacturing leader. With a primary focus on advanced composite structures and innovation, ACT Aerospace is well-known as a major aerospace supplier to many large manufacturers and OEMs. Our 150,000+ ft² facility is fully integrated to handle any project from design to final product.
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Our Story
In the 1980s, the rural town of Fayette, Utah was populated with just 165 residents whose livelihood was focused on a struggling agriculture and ranching industry. However, a man named Roland J. Christensen, who had grown up there, wanted to change that. With a keen sense of innovation and meticulous attention to details, Roland set out to build several companies, employ local residents, and change the lives of many who lived in the area.
Growing up in a rural town taught Roland Christensen several valuable life lessons: the rewards of strong personal relationships, the value of hard work, and a strong sense of community. After obtaining a PhD in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Utah, serving as an officer in the US ARMY, and working in various positions at several carbon-fiber related companies, Roland Christensen returned home to Fayette in the mid 1980’s to start his own company.
Roland was a gifted engineer and, in an extension of his garage, began developing a better driveshaft for helicopters. Although it was initially just an experiment, he was successful at it and people started to take note. With interested customers, he decided to launch a business called Applied Composite Technology (ACT) in 1985.
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In the early days, ACT began with just a few employees. However, using his keen sense of innovation and detail, Roland quickly diversified into carbon fiber gun barrels and prosthetics and grew the company to about $5 million in annual sales and 25 employees. This would be the focus of their company as they grew over the next three decades. However, over time ACT began looking at new industries to enter and it wasn’t long before they developed Christensen Arms and ACT Aerospace, founded in the early 2000’s.
Today, ACT Aerospace is the largest of the Christensen companies and is widely known across the aerospace industry. After opening a new 180,000 square foot facility in nearby Gunnison, Utah, and hiring 140+ employees over the years, their business continues to grow. This growth has come from continuing to focus on engineering and manufacturing of high-end, strong, lightweight aerospace components with a low overhead model, which is unmatched in many industries. ACT Aerospace manufacturer’s crucial components for many respected aircraft in the industry and have earned a reputation for quality engineering.
ACT is vertically integrated and can handle everything from tool design to final assembly. With a full scale machine shop, large autoclaves, and a staff of experienced engineers and tool fabricators, ACT is able to quickly and efficiently manage any composite related project to any customer specifications.
In addition to that, ACT Aerospace has over 20 years of composite design, analysis and manufacturing success, taking advantage of Roland’s 35 plus U.S. patents. ACT Aerospace has the capability to take a client’s product from design, build and test all at one location. This cradle-to-grave model allows us to handle any project from beginning to end in a very responsive and nimble way.
Our Team
Brent Wallace, CFO
Mr. Wallace, CPA, has over 20 years of quantitative finance experience. His career includes time in public accounting, with Grant Thornton, banking, as a controller and CFO with two different banks, and currently in composite structures manufacturing. With the Christensen family, he has served as a controller for their prosthetic foot company and CFO of their arms company and played critical rolls in the transactions of those entities. As CFO for ACT Aerospace since 2009, he has also served as a Program Manager and focal point of contact on select DOD programs.
Maurice Harris, Vice President of Operations
Lane Wescott, VP of Engineering
Lane Wescott joined ACT Aerospace in April of 2010 as a Project Engineer, advancing to the role of Engineering Director in December of 2017. His 20 years of experience working in the engineering sector encompasses a variety of roles and responsibilities. Before ACT Aerospace, he worked as a Manufacturing Engineer for MityLite and as a Continuous Improvement Facilitator for Klune Industries. During his career at ACT Aerospace he has successfully led the engineering team through the onboarding and implementation of hundreds of parts. His Bachelor’s Degree in Engineering from Brigham Young University includes dual emphases of Business Management and Manufacturing.
Jordan Stewart, Director of Quality
Ryan Latka, Director of Sales and Business Development
Andy Hill, Director of Programs
Mr. Hill has been in the Aerospace and Defense industry for over 18 years. During that tenure he has been a critical part of the growth of ACT Aerospace, holding positions in Quality, Production, Facilities, and Program Management. During his time as a Program Manager, he has led the company through customer qualifications for Bell Helicopter, Sikorsky, L-3, Cirrus, Cessna, and numerous other military and commercial program. Mr. Hill also led the company through a 36 month Mentor Protégé Program with Bell Helicopter and NAVIAR. He holds a BS in Criminal Justice and Political Science, as well as a MPA in Public Administration.
Colton Lund, Director of Operations
Mr. Lund brings to the table over eight years of extensive experience in aerospace manufacturing, encompassing roles from engineering to operations management. His background also includes an expertise in IT and schedule development. Holding a Bachelor of Science degree in Mechanical Engineering from Brigham Young University in Provo, he has a strong academic foundation. Mr. Lund is currently pursuing an Executive MBA at BYU, anticipated to graduate in 2025