Mike Tachick
President
GET TO KNOW MIKE
If you could give yourself a new title, what would it be?
Chief Pilot and Purveyor of Deep Thoughts
What is your favorite part of your job?
I like to use “think time” to identify opportunities, gaps, and risks.
Which is your favorite Dairyland cow?
The space cow, absolutely. We sent two of them to space in 2016 and they now reside as mascots on my office windowsill.
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When not working, what can we find you doing?
Out in the woods with a chainsaw in my hands.
What are you passionate about?
Making a difference in the lives of the forgotten people of the world while I’m still alive. Steady progress will win the day, so my wife, Julie, and I strive to be good stewards of our time and resources. I especially appreciate the unique role that aviation can play in serving isolated people groups.
How do you Live Engaged?
Working closely with the most effective global partners to provide relief and development, disaster response, and deliver justice to many of the world’s poorest communities and bringing awareness and encouragement to staff and industry about that good work being accomplished. Personally, I work to balance work, fun, relationships, and learning. And I date my sweet wife.
How/where do you volunteer?
I volunteer mainly doing hands-on service, such as yard work for others and home building with Habitat for Humanity. It also gets me outside, where I thrive.
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Favorite book:
Our house is overflowing with books. In the category of adventure and exploration I’ll go with Endurance, by Alfred Lansing, regarding Ernest Shackleton’s fateful voyage in 1914 to reach the South Pole – an amazing story of grit (and nautical skill). With fiction, I have read everything by Douglas Preston and Lincoln Child, who can paint quite gripping scenes and are creative wordsmiths. I’m also focused on health and culture in companies, so I readily absorb Patrick Lencioni’s work on team interactions.
Favorite place you’ve traveled: Machu Picchu in Peru. I can see why the Spaniards didn’t find it for a while. The view is astonishing.
Can’t you live without: Darjeeling tea