KathyWings: An Origin Story

WELLINGTON, FL – Wings Electro Sales Co., Inc. was my parents’ business. My stepfather, Jimmie H. Smith, and my mother, Kathleen A. Smith, started Wings in 1985, from our home in New Canaan, Connecticut.

In 1986, they moved Wings to Wellington, Florida, where it flourished. Wings blessed our family and many other people, until Jimmie’s death in 2007.

Wings was a source of employment for any family member who needed a job. In 2005, I really did. I started in the warehouse, counting parts. Gradually, I was promoted to customer service, and then sales.

As a rookie Airline Sales Specialist, I spent most of the day answering requests for quotes from parts brokers. This was before Google, of course. Big brokers like L.A.-based Summit Aviation employed whole floors of Asian women who did nothing but generate requests for price and delivery on dozens, sometimes hundreds of part numbers. The sales guys complained about Summit because the requests for quotes took a long time and (they argued) rarely resulted in sales.

I enjoyed working on quotes for Summit. It was orderly, logical work, and required no cold-calling. I applied my knack for meticulous attention to detail, gave accurate, timely answers, and lo and behold! I started getting orders! It was my first taste of success, and it felt great.

I started taking regular calls from the buyer at Summit Aviation, a lovely woman whose name I cannot remember. She did not know my name either; she always called me “KathyWings.”