ARINC's John M. Belcher Wins
Maryland International Business Leadership Award

Baltimore, Maryland, March 8, 2005 -- John Belcher, Chairman and Chief Executive of ARINC Incorporated was selected as a winner of Maryland's 2005 International Business Leadership Awards.  The award is presented to an individual within a Maryland company who has led his or her company to new global heights, demonstrating an entrepreneurial spirit, determination, creativity and the cultural sensitivity that global business demands.

ARINC has been on the cutting edge of aviation communications since it was founded in 1929.  Headquartered in Annapolis, today ARINC is the leading provider of transportation communications and engineering solutions to a range of industries, including aviation, defense, government and surface transportation.  From Baltimore to Beijing and beyond, ARINC's products and services can be found on more than 260 airlines and in 75 major airports.  ARINC's powerful and flexible SelfServ® passenger kiosks can be found from Vancouver Int'l Airport to Tokyo Narita and beyond.  Training systems supported by ARINC's technologies are training Air Force Special Operations Command crews -- including those flying missions in Iraq and Afghanistan.  

Belcher has been the key driving force behind ARINC's global expansion.  When he joined the company in September 1997 as President and COO, ARINC's sales were in the ~$250 million range with over 95% of its business in the United States.  Belcher targeted Europe first.  A believer in hiring locally, Belcher and his team hired European nationals for the management team, trained them in the United States, then sent them home to run their own markets.  "You've got to have local nationals running each location," Belcher says.  Next was Asia, with a focus on China,  Thailand, Korea, Japan, Taiwan and more recently, a regional headquarters in Singapore.  Today, ARINC's   ~3000 employees work out of 111 offices and service customers in over 140 countries.   Maryland's employee base has nearly doubled, now at nearly 1400 people.   2005 revenues are expected to reach ~$800 million with a "Billion Dollar Vision" in site.

Promoted to CEO in 2002 and Chairman in 2004, Belcher also focused on making ARINC a fun place to work, and community involved.  In 1998 he inaugurated ARINC's Employee Appreciation Day, a summer celebration replete with tents, line dancing and barbecue cooked and served to all employees by the executives.  This tradition continues annually and around the world.  Earlier this year, ARINC won the Volunteer Hall of Fame Award presented through the Anne Arundel County Volunteer Association.

A native of Ottawa, Canada, Belcher has worked in aerospace and defense for the last 30 years. He holds a BS in Applied Science from the University of Ottawa and a graduate degree in communications systems engineering from Queen's University. ARINC recruited Belcher from Hughes Aircraft Canada, where he was president and CEO. He has served as chairman of the Canadian Advanced Technology Association and on the boards of many trade associations.   A real fan of Annapolis, Belcher states he is here to stay.  He is on the board of the Historic Annapolis Foundation, Chairman of the Annapolis History Center campaign and is an active member of the board of the Anne Arundel Medical Center Foundation. He is especially proud to have become an American citizen on January 12, 2005.  John and his wife Cathy reside in Edgewater, Maryland.