Leading the Way
Located in Lafayette, Louisiana, PHI MRO Services is your trusted partner for maintenance, repair, and overhaul needs. Our 230,000 square-foot facility boasts multiple hangar spaces and in-house shops equipped with advanced tooling, allowing us to support various projects simultaneously.
We offer a full suite of MRO services, including an upholstery shop, a rarity in the industry. At PHI, our shops work together to provide a complete range of MRO solutions tailored to your requirements.
Aline St. Julien leads the upholstery shop at PHI MRO Services. With 17 years of total service at PHI, Aline has spent the past 16 years honing her skills in the upholstery shop. Before joining the team at PHI, Aline worked as a phlebotomist, driven by her love for connecting with people from all walks of life. Her decision to move here was guided by family, an act that unexpectedly anchored her in this community.
When Aline first stepped into the upholstery shop, she was a beginner with zero experience. However, under the patient guidance of her mentor, she learned the ropes one stitch at a time. Now, as the shop lead, she pays it forward by training her team with the same care and attention she once received. While initially nervous about taking on the role, Aline soon found her stride, embracing the challenges and relishing the ongoing learning opportunities.
In her own words, “Becoming the lead here, I was very scared of that … I finally decided to take on the role and it’s great. It’s challenging, but I learn a lot; it keeps me on my toes.”
Her approach to leadership is simple yet sincere — it’s all about patience and understanding. A firm believer that anyone can learn anything given the right guidance, Aline invests time in each team member. She makes the effort to understand their individual strengths and weaknesses, allowing them to excel in their areas of expertise while providing additional support where needed.
The Key to Success – Our People
Aline’s love for spending quality time with family outside of work mirrors her dedication to interpersonal connections within the workplace. When asked why she enjoys working at PHI, Aline is quick to say, “I definitely love the people I work with. They’re awesome — a great group of people.”
The upholstery shop team is a close-knit trio that collaborates seamlessly together, with Aline working alongside Bryan Theriot and Tracy Noel. Moreover, PHI’s work culture revolves around collaboration and supporting one another. This extends beyond just the upholstery shop. When things get busy, coworkers from other shops step in and lend a helping hand.
Aline says, “The culture here is just awesome. You know what to expect, what’s expected of you, what you’re supposed to do, what you’re not supposed to do. If you follow the rules, it’s great, and they’re very simple.”
This shared understanding of roles and responsibilities creates an environment where everyone can thrive, ensuring that every team member has the support they need to excel in their tasks.
A unique aspect of the upholstery team is their collective expertise. Every member, including Aline, possesses a deep understanding of every step in the upholstery process. This approach enhances efficiency and flexibility, enabling smooth transitions between different tasks and projects. Having universal proficiency ensures that the team operates cohesively, allowing for a uniform flow of work and contributing significantly to PHI’s overall success and customer satisfaction.
What We Do
In PHI’s upholstery shop, the team handles a range of projects, crafting everything from simple seat covers to fully customized seats with frames. During her tenure at PHI, Aline has been involved in many different projects, working on helicopter models such as the S-76C+, EC-135, Bell 407, and A-Star. This showcases the shop’s expertise and versatility.
The seat design process at PHI requires careful attention to detail. The team begins by creating a paper pattern which is then refined until it aligns perfectly with the customer’s specifications. Once approved, PHI’s engineering team finalizes the pattern, and the upholstery team brings it to life. “I love producing something, making good quality work. It’s a lot of fun!” Aline says.
One of Aline’s proudest achievements involved the shop’s work on the S-92. Faced with the challenge of frequent remakes due to durability issues with the old seat covers, the team embarked on designing a sturdier alternative. Together with the engineering department, the upholstery team demonstrated dedication and collaboration as they worked with Sikorsky, eventually gaining approval for their innovative design.
What started out as a challenging project became an achievement that showcased PHI’s dedication to excellence and innovation. This accomplishment not only improved the shop’s internal processes but also attracted the attention of major government clients, including the prestigious Presidential Helicopter Program.
Presidential Helicopter Program
PHI was given the opportunity to craft specialized seat covers for the United States of America Presidential Helicopter Program and continues to support the initiative. Due to the frequent maintenance on the President’s VH-92 helicopter, our upholstery team was tasked with creating covers for the seats, monuments, and the floor — ensuring the original elements remained spotless amid the constant activity. Initially, the covers were meant to be basic safeguards, but the need for efficiency led to the development of fully airworthy covers, eliminating the hassle of removal before each flight.
Reflecting on this significant project, Aline remarked, “It was a great experience to have been on that aircraft.”
Looking Forward
At PHI MRO Services, our success is woven into the fabric of our dedicated teams, where talent, commitment, and collaboration thrive. Led by Aline St. Julien, our upholstery team upholds the highest standards of craftsmanship and innovation. Aline’s journey from apprentice to leader mirrors the growth of the entire team, demonstrating that with the right guidance and support, anyone can excel. Aline’s approach to leadership, rooted in patience and understanding, fosters an environment where everyone can flourish.
At PHI, we take pride in our close-knit work culture, characterized by shared responsibilities and mutual support. This collaborative spirit extends across all our shops, ensuring seamless transitions between tasks and projects. Our upholstery team’s expertise shines in every project, from crafting custom seats to designing durable seat covers for prestigious clients like the Presidential Helicopter Program.
With individuals like Aline in our teams, PHI remains committed to delivering exceptional service and ensuring that all the aircraft we work on — including those serving the highest office in the nation — are maintained with the utmost precision and care.
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