Flying High: UGA SBDC helps helicopter parts company go global with e-commerce boost 

Casey first approached the UGA SBDC in 2013, when he needed capital to support his start-up’s export sales. Since then, he has worked with Hulsey on several trade-related issues and has attended UGA SBDC training. Rotorcorp is now the world’s largest distributor of parts for Robinson helicopters. 

“At each point of our business’s expansive growth, the SBDC has served as a touchstone for the resources we’ve used, whether it’s the EXIM Bank or the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) or even state and local resources through the Georgia Department of Economic Development (GDEcD),” Casey said. 

Robinson helicopter parts were not available online before Rotorcorp launched its e-commerce platform in 2019. Prior to its launch, Hulsey put Casey in touch with the U.S. Commercial Service, an arm of the U.S. Department of Commerce. They performed a free Website Globalization Review (WGR) that assessed Rotorcorp’s website, providing recommendations for SEO enhancements aimed at improving cross-border e-commerce sales. 

“The results were great,” Casey said. “We turned on the site and watched for our first order. It came from Moldova—our first customer from that country. Now we do 25% of our business through the platform. More importantly, it allows us to serve our customers with simpler transactions in their own language, currency and timeline more cheaply and easily than we ever could on the phone. We make new contacts and establish relationships we can grow and nurture as time goes on.” 

When COVID-19 pandemic began, Casey’s investment in e-commerce paid off as a boon for staff, allowing everyone to work from home. The company’s newly expanded visibility online also paid dividends as the pandemic progressed. For the first time, parts customers around the world sought out new suppliers, and many found Rotorcorp. 

“When many suppliers were struggling, we were growing because of this investment in our website,” Casey said. 

Online transactions are easier to process and less labor intensive, so Rotorcorp has added only one employee since 2019, bringing its staff to seven. The company serves more than 3,000 customers in 45 countries, and its revenues have doubled. 

Rotorcorp has received many awards, including the highest a U.S. exporter can receive: the 2023 President’s “E” Award for Exports from the U.S. Department of Commerce International Trade Administration. The company also received the U.S. Chamber of Commerce America’s Top Small Business Award in 2023, the Georgia Globe Award from the GDEcD in 2020, and an SBA Exporter of the Year award in 2019. 

Casey has been appointed to top-level export advisory groups, including an Industry Trade Advisory Committee for aerospace, a public-private partnership that engages business leaders across the U.S., and the District Export Council, an advisory panel that helps Georgia businesses become successful exporters. Recently, he and Hulsey presented together on e-commerce at the 2024 America’s SBDC annual conference.  

“Sean continues to show that he is an innovator and a motivator,” Hulsey said. “He is an example to all business owners who are looking to succeed by strategically planning their future.”