Sunday · April 19, 2026 · Ray's Boathouse · 2:30pm
Sourced through Seth Roberts at Jet Pro Pilots. The morning after his first interview with Armand, Russ wrote a letter to Seth that Seth forwarded. It set the tone for everything since.
The company and its ethos which aligns with my own style and philosophy about how to create and grow a healthy company. Leaving my current employer after 9 years would not be an easy decision. I would lean into that change bringing with me years of Aviation Management back home to the West Coast which aligns with goals of my family. Russ to Seth Roberts, Feb 28
He's treating a move West as something the family is doing regardless. The question for him isn't whether to leave Virginia. It's where he lands.
The most useful read on Russ comes from Russ himself. The morning after your Zoom with him, before 7am his time, he sent this:
As we look into the day and week ahead I wanted to offer you my gratitude for the time you spent with Chris and I Friday. Thank you. I will admit that even without intimate knowledge of the systems your teams have in place, I have already been flooded with some specific ideas. Every great moment begins with a story, even as that story is being written. In Joy, Enjoy. And Thank You. Russ to Alec, Mar 30
A few hours later he followed up with a blurb he'd written for a friend's book. Unprompted. "In Joy, Enjoy" is his actual signoff. He signs every email "Kind Regards."
He's a thoughtful writer who treats correspondence as a craft, carries ideas out of conversations, and shows up early. Warm, deferential, and generous. When lunch logistics came together he wrote "I would love to follow through on our agreement to buy you all a cup of coffee" and then handled his own travel, confirmed his own arrival, and closed Tuesday with a simple "Thank you. See you all Sunday."
Flight booked. Arriving SEA around 11am. He confirmed Ray's on his own after we consolidated the plan. Armand not attending. It's you, me, and Russ.