Dave Jesurun

Owner of High Country Air Service in Albuquerque, NM

As an Air Force veteran, Dave Jesurun is no stranger to hard work, discipline, and creative problem-solving. They’re also the same skills he relies on every day in his family’s commercial aviation business, High Country Air Service. With a suite of services for private aircraft owners, a plane under High Country’s care is always ready for takeoff, no matter the challenge. 

"Whenever I hit a roadblock, I tell myself: This isn't as hard as basic training. It’s not as hard as weapons school. It’s not as hard as spending 24 years in the military or graduating from the Air Force Academy." That resilience has kept him moving forward despite the ups and downs of running a small business. 

For Dave, staying resourceful is just as important as coming prepared. "Small businesses don’t have the luxury of outsourcing this stuff to high-priced consultants. So I got to go with what I got." The philosophy extends to his wife and kids, who have roles in the business. 

Dave's older daughter, who’s passionate about technology, designed an app for High Country, while his other daughter acts as the company’s social media manager. His wife, a psychologist, lends her expertise as their Human Resources advisor. It’s a symbiotic relationship, Dave says, where everybody brings their strengths to the table. 

But two years after launching, the family business was grounded due to the pandemic. Dave thought back to a veterans’ small business conference he attended a few years prior. A DreamSpring loan officer delivered a presentation on Community Development Financial Institutions (CDFIs) there. “My mind immediately went to, 'I bet a CDFI can help me out.'” 

Dave went on to secure two Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) loans from DreamSpring, which kept his business aloft in 2020 and 2021. “That totally was a game-changer and a life-saver during the pandemic,” he says. "I didn't even know I could have spelled CDFI seven years ago, but now I'm like a little walking billboard for CDFIs." 

When he decided to expand the business to offer chartered flights, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) presented a whole new set of challenges. It took seven years of navigating complex certification requirements before he was finally able to offer charter services to the public.  

"The FAA has a lot of inherent barriers to entry for new aviation businesses," Dave says. "I essentially leaned everything down as much as I could to make it through that process." Even after securing his air carrier certificate, keeping the business running and growing required its own special fuel — capital.  

Dave remembered CDFIs and DreamSpring again. A $102,475 Small Business Administration (SBA) loan allowed him to quickly get back up to speed and expand operations after the certification process. Now with the runway they need to grow, Dave and his family can focus on taking High Country Air Service, and their customers, to new heights.  

"The DreamSpring loan just accelerates all of that and lets me do two things at once. I can order the supplies. I can invest in some marketing,” he says. “And I’m also out there, getting into the mix, flying the airplane, and keeping all our clients happy.”