Do you need to build a fixed-base operator (FBO) or maintenance, repair, and overhaul (MRO) facility? Perhaps you are looking to construct or expand your corporate flight department, or develop an aviation fuel farm.
Headquartered in Sarasota, Florida, SME Aviation is a national aviation infrastructure firm founded by husband and wife team Rich and Kimberly Guzan. The company specializes in managing the thousands of details that come with aviation construction projects.
SME Aviation is a specialist aviation construction partner combining execution and client advocacy. The firm was shaped through the development of medevac bases within active airport environments, where speed, risk, and operational complexity are unavoidable. That demanding work led to the creation of a delivery model the company continues to apply across all projects, supporting both vertical and fixed-wing flight operations.
SME Aviation’s wide-ranging capabilities are grounded in nationwide experience. Collectively, the team brings backgrounds in emergency flight operations, commercial construction, engineering, and research. SME Aviation delivers aviation infrastructure across a broad range of facility types, including mission-critical airborne emergency response bases, private aviation hangars, and complex, multi-stakeholder construction projects.
Before founding SME Aviation in 2018, Rich led the expansion of a major university hospital’s medevac program — work that required building new bases both on and off airports.
Along the way, Rich encountered a consistent problem: there were simply no firms that could be hired to deliver these projects effectively, as the work demands specialized knowledge in construction, airport development, aviation, and the operational realities of emergency airborne response. Without that integrated expertise, projects were more likely to stall in permitting, lose momentum with stakeholders, or drift into costly redesign.
That experience revealed a second, equally critical need: programs required an advocate to help airport leadership and development teams understand the operational value of a new facility, especially as developable airport land has become increasingly constrained.
With Kimberly’s background in program and stakeholder management, and Rich’s deep experience in aviation and construction, the Guzans built SME Aviation — a business designed to fill that gap by leading delivery while advocating for the client at every step.
Their business model includes guiding site strategy, navigating specialized airport land lease negotiations, and offering lease options that allow clients to move forward quickly, regardless of funding cycles.
SME Aviation got its start in airborne emergency response, and the same execution and advocacy model now supports aviation projects of every scale.
Advocating for the client
“We lead the project and advocate for the client at every step,” Kimberly said. “That can mean value engineering, navigating airport lease negotiations, coordinating design and permitting, and whatever is needed to keep the project moving and protect the client from delays and avoidable costs.”
When clients identify a need, SME Aviation helps shape the concept into a viable project, working with airport staff and other stakeholders to confirm feasibility early.
“We save clients money by bringing aviation construction experience into the process early,” Rich said. “We start by understanding and documenting needs and priorities. Then, we confirm feasibility by identifying the right site, reviewing the airport master plan, and matching the concept to operational requirements.”
SME Aviation supports site planning by geolocating the facility, developing operationally efficient layouts, submitting Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) forms, and producing 3D renderings that clarify the vision and reduce rework. From there, the company coordinates closely with engineering and architectural partners to complete a construction-ready design package and move the project through final approvals and into construction.
SME Aviation delivers a wide range of aviation infrastructure, including heliports, ramps, taxiways, hangars of all sizes, corporate flight department facilities, fuel farms, and portable fuel systems. As a national dealer for Sprung Structures, it also offers military-grade tension fabric buildings as a rapid-deployment, durable facility option.
Throughout delivery, SME Aviation serves as a client advocate, cutting through red tape, aligning stakeholders, and navigating coordination with the FAA and airport leadership.
“We have national relationships with builders, suppliers, and designers, and get preliminary drawings moving quickly,” Rich said. “When time matters, we know how to accelerate the process and keep the project from stalling. For our clients, that translates into time and money saved.”
The company can manage aviation projects through to completion, serving as a construction manager or general contractor and drawing on extensive experience across multi-scale, multimillion-dollar work.
“As construction managers, our role is like an insurance policy,” Rich added. “We are there to protect the client’s interests, leading the design team, guiding value engineering, and holding the design and construction teams accountable.”
Many SME Aviation projects include pre-engineered and prefabricated steel structures, and the company continues to expand facility options to meet evolving client needs.
In addition to building fixed-wing facilities, SME Aviation specializes in vertical flight operations.
“We are a one-stop shop for aviation construction and management, with a lot of experience in vertical emergency response,” Kimberly said. “That operational experience will translate to new eVTOL transportation networks, and we are very excited about the possibilities.”
This sponsored article was created by Insight magazine, the sponsored content division of MHM Publishing.
