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
Roland Christensen, CEO
Jason Christensen, President
Marc Blakely, CRO
Mr. Blakely has over 25 years of aerospace and composites experience. He has previously served as the CFO of Mountain Aviation, a Part 135/145 operation that grew to the largest Part 135 Operator of Citation X Jets in the world and was acquired by WheelsUp (NYSE: UP). He has been a senior manager in several aerospace composite companies, and has been involved in the design, build, and certification of Part 23, Part 25, and Part 27 aircraft for over 20 years. He holds a BS from the US. Air Force Academy and an MBA from the University of Chicago Booth School of Business.
Brent Wallace, CFO
Mr. Wallace, CPA, has over 20 years of quantitative finance and program management experience in support of public accounting and manufacturing operations. He has served as a bank controller, in management positions with Grant Thornton, and was previously CFO of Christensen Arms. He has also served as the Program Manager and focal point of contact on several ACTA DOD programs.
Stuart Malan, VP Manufacturing
Rusty Jones, Director of Quality
Mr. Jones has over 8 years’ experience in Aerospace and Defense Quality Organizations. He has led ACT Aerospace’s audits and certifications for AS9100, ISO9001, and NADCAP certifications. Prior to his current positions, Mr. Jones led ACT Aerospace’s CMM, PCMM, and dimensional analysis efforts.
Fred Schramm, VP of Engineering
Mr. Schramm has over 30 years of experience in the design, build, and operations of composite aircraft structures. As Director of Engineering for Sierra Technical Services, he directed the clean-sheet design, fabrication, integration testing, and flight testing of the all-composite Fifth Generation Aerial Target, as well as the X-58 Valkyrie. Mr. Schramm has also served as the Engineering and Operations Director at Mooney Aircraft, where he led development efforts on the Mooney M10 Aircraft, as well as lead engineering roles at several other Part 23 and Part 25 aircraft manufacturers.
Jan D’Angelo, VP of Business Development
Mr. D’Angelo has over 20 years of experience in Aerospace and Defense sales and growth including start-ups, OEMs, international markets, aerospace composites, Defense ISR radomes and sensor pod solutions, eVTOL, commercial aircraft connectivity and spacecraft manufacturing. His previous experience includes work at Adam Aircraft Industries, AAI Acquisition, AdamWorks, Communication & Power Industries.