Big risk, bigger reward

Aerospace engineering alum Brian Nerney ’75, M.S. ’76 has some advice for young engineers: “Don’t be afraid to take risks or try something new — even if you don’t have all of the answers. That spirit of curiosity and creativity is what drives engineers, and you’ve got to follow it.”

Nerney should know. His whole career has been about taking risks and trying new things. 

As the chairman and CEO of Texas-based Rotorcraft Services Group (RSG), a helicopter systems integrator and parts manufacturer specializing in comprehensive helicopter services and support, he’s landed in a role that’s fit for an aerospace engineering major.  

But before that, Nerney navigated a dynamic career across multiple industries, acquiring and selling around 20 different businesses, including some that were about to go belly-up. Each one was a risk, but his engineering background gave him a deep understanding of technology that helped him decide when to invest and how to grow his businesses.  

“I’ve been incredibly fortunate in the opportunities I’ve had, and I owe much of that to my education at Virginia Tech,” Nerney said.

Hands-on learning and hard-earned opportunity

Nerney always knew he wanted to pursue a career in aerospace. His dad was a pilot in the Air Force, and through stints living in Germany, France, Georgia, Tennessee, and Virginia, Nerney maintained a keen interest in planes, getting his pilot’s license when he was 18. When it was time for him to declare his major at Virginia Tech, it was this interest, combined with a fascination for understanding how things work and learning to build them, that led him to select aerospace engineering.

“One of my favorite memories as a student was when a group of us got together and decided to build something ourselves,” he said. “We each took a model rocket engine, designed a vehicle around it, and competed to see whose would stay aloft the longest. It wasn’t a formal class or school project, just a bunch of curious kids experimenting and having fun. The creativity and variety of ideas were incredible, and I think that’s a testament to what it’s like to be an engineer.”

Coming from a military family with limited funds, Nerney worked various summer jobs to make money, from manual labor in the sweltering heat of a construction site to a NASA internship. He was on his own for anything more than tuition, so every penny he earned he plowed back into paying for the rest of his school expenses.  

As graduation approached, Nerney realized that the money was running out faster than the semesters. Joseph Schetz, head of the aerospace engineering department at the time, saw his need and offered him a graduate research assistantship, which provided financial stability and the opportunity to earn a master’s degree — something he’d never thought would be financially possible. He could graduate with both degrees in five years. 

“The graduate research assistantship was a godsend,” Nerney said. “It covered tuition and living expenses, but even more than that, it jumpstarted my career and opened the door to a meaningful mentorship from Dr. Schetz.”  

Launching a career

After graduating as a double Hokie in 1976, Nerney took a job in aerospace and defense at Ling-Temco-Vought (LTV) in Texas, where he played a key role in the development of the A-7 aircraft, an integral part of the U.S. Navy’s fleet through the early 1990s, and software for an anti-satellite system, which was launched successfully in 1985. 

LTV paid for him to earn an MBA from the Wharton School of Business at the University of Pennsylvania. “This gave me the chance to rotate through roles in finance, marketing, corporate development, and even work directly with the president of a multi-billion-dollar aerospace group,” Nerney said.

This experience gave him broad exposure to every side of the aerospace industry and equipped him with the business knowledge to begin shaping strategy, in addition to engineering solutions. 

From there, Nerney’s career really started to take flight. 

The intersection between engineering and business

After LTV decided to split its aerospace and defense group, Nerney teamed up with a private equity investor in Dallas to acquire one of its units, known as Sierra Technologies. Nerney became the vice president of corporate development, leading the communications and electronics division, while expanding operations across the U.S with additional acquisitions. 

Though he was now heavily involved in the business side, his role still required him to use his engineering expertise to lead a team that explored commercial uses for defense communication technologies.  

For instance, Nerney and his team saw potential in technology used by the Navy to transmit helicopter data to ships for anti-submarine warfare missions, but the development costs were too high.

That all changed with the emergence of the internet. Nerney and his team repurposed the technology into a wireless internet device that provided high-speed internet access over long distances, deploying it in eight cities in 1998. The company was eventually sold to Sprint, where it became part of Sprint’s data network backbone.  

This was Nerney’s first CEO role, and leading a pioneering effort in wireless communications proved to be a formative chapter in his career.

It was this initial venture that set Nerney on a path of buying, building, and selling businesses.

Reviving companies and rewarding people

While deeply involved in aerospace and defense, in 1983 Nerney ventured into the automobile recycling industry, helping a friend in Fort Worth, Texas, grow a small salvage business into a larger operation. Leveraging his experience in acquisitions, Nerney helped secure bank financing, expand the business across Texas, and ultimately sell it to Ford Motor Company.  

This success led to another opportunity: acquiring and reviving an engine remanufacturing business in Springfield, Missouri, which had been losing money for years. The previous owner, a large publicly traded company, gave Nerney and his team a choice: buy it or watch it shut down. They chose to save it.

After restoring profitability and preserving jobs in the local economy, they eventually sold the business. But before walking away, Nerney and his team did something unforgettable by sharing a portion of the sale proceeds with all 120 employees.

“At the end of our regular quarterly meeting, we brought out a big box of checks and called everyone up, one by one, to recognize their contributions,” said Nerney.
 

“It was so much fun to watch,” Nerney said. “Just seeing their faces, knowing we had made a real difference in their lives made it all worth it.”

The gesture wasn’t just about generosity. It was about showing gratitude, sharing success, and preserving jobs in a community that needed them.

“It’s been one of the most meaningful moments of my career,” Nerney said. “To see the direct impact our work had on people’s lives and to share that success with them — that’s exactly why I pursued this path in the first place.” 

Engineering solutions that take flight

Today, you can find Nerney in Fort Worth, Texas, revolutionizing helicopters with Rotorcraft Services Group.  

With about 100 employees, RSG services around 50 helicopters annually, ranging from quick, one-day repairs to complex, multi-year, multi-million dollar system integrations involving major design work and Federal Aviation Administration certification. RSG originally did not have an engineering team, but under Nerney’s leadership, they have built one to meet the evolving technical demands of their customers’ civilian and military aviation operations.  

Part of their business includes modifying air conditioning systems for helicopters. RSG Products has become the original equipment manufacturer of FAA-certified air conditioning systems for Airbus H-125 helicopters, which are used for law enforcement, emergency medical services, aerial work, and passenger transport. 

“We’re always working to improve our systems — finding ways to deliver more cooling power with less weight,” Nerney said. “Weight is a very important component of anything that flies, and helicopters pose unique challenges when trying to keep them cool, due to the thin metal and lots of glass, so they need more cooling power than cars, for example. The fun part of our job is testing new components and coming up with better ideas to make the system more efficient.” 

Even as the chairman and CEO, Nerney said he uses the engineering skills he gained from Virginia Tech everyday.  

“Even though my career moved into business after going to school for engineering, I still spend a lot of time with engineers, talking through ideas, solving problems, and making things better,” said Nerney. “The technical foundation I received from Virginia Tech allows me to understand complex systems, even if I’m not the expert in every detail. It’s what makes my job so enjoyable. I get to participate, contribute, and see the big picture, all while staying connected to the engineering that started it all.”

Photos courtesy of  Brian Nerney