Michael Coughlin Partner & COO, Setna iO
Setna iO is a leading supplier of aftermarket aviation parts, headquartered in Lincolnshire, Illinois. We were founded in 2016 with a small team of just three people, and since then, we’ve grown into a global leader in our industry with over 500 team members across 11 countries. Our growth has been driven by a deep commitment to innovation, operational excellence, and building a strong company culture. That has earned us recognition in publications such as Crain’s, INC.com, and the Financial Times for both our rapid growth and our positive, people-centered workplace.
In 2023, we were preparing to expand our global headquarters, moving from 20,000 square feet in Chicago to over 200,000 square feet in our current facility, and I needed to significantly scale our warehouse operations team. I started looking for creative solutions that could provide value to the company and also meaningful opportunities for the people. At Setna, we’ve built our business on seeing value where others might not – whether that’s in an aircraft we’re acquiring or in the potential of an individual we’re hiring. I found Have Dreams through a simple Google search and sent a cold email. That email turned out to be one of the best decisions we’ve made. This decision was deeply personal for me. I was the very first employee at Setna iO, and over the years I’ve sat in just about every seat at the company. My very first role was the one most of our Have Dreams Academy graduates are hired for. This gave me a hands-on, in-depth understanding of what the job entails and what success in that position looks like. At the same time, I have a personal connection to autism through my younger sister, Savannah. That experience has given me a deeper appreciation for the unique strengths neurodiverse individuals bring to the table and the kind of environment that helps them thrive. Seeing both sides, it was clear to me that this could be a great fit, and it absolutely has been.
Have Dreams
www.havedreams.org
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