Heaven Is My Billboard
Skytypers began operations in 1932 when a little known beverage company hired Andy Stinis to do skywriting to promote its product. The beverage company was Pepsi-Cola and for the next 22 years utilized skywriting as its major mass advertising medium to build brand awareness. In 1946, Andy developed “skytyping” – a faster, more advanced method of skywriting using multiple aircraft to display more complex sky displays and messages. Skytyping provides a high-quality message that is not only clearly readable at large distances, it stays intact longer. The patent for computer controlled skytyping between multiple aircraft was awarded to Andy in 1964 (US Patent 3,151,410). In 1979, Andy’s son Greg Stinis, formed Skytypers, Inc. taking over all patents and rights to continue his father’s business legacy.
In 1965, Greg moved a fleet of (6) SNJ-2 aircraft out to California, creating a West Coast Skytyping division. For a period of 10 years, Greg ran East and West divisions. Due to business growth and economics, Greg focused more on the West Coast division and hired Mort Arken to run the East Coast. Mort a retired military aviator and showman with extensive sales experience teamed with Greg and delivered Skytyping and Aerial formation demonstrations for a host of clients. Among them Anheuser–Busch, Miller Brewing Company, Coors, Pepsi-Cola, Universal Pictures, Toyota Motors, Disneyland, Coppertone, Solarcane, Ford, General Foods just to name a few. Mort fell in love with the business and had such a passion for aviation that in the 1970’s he purchased the East Coast division and the (6) SNJ-2 aircraft from Andy Stinis.
Between the two divisions they worked over a variety of prestigious and historic events: The 1984 Olympic Games in Los Angeles, California, Superbowl games, Macy’s parades and 4th of July celebrations in New York and even over the White House in the Nations Capitol. With the help of Mort’s experience they struck an agreement to perform and Skytype over the US as the Miller Squadron for Miller Brewing Company.
In 1989, Greg took the California business to Japan becoming the first US WWII civilian aircraft team to fly and tour Japan. Since then, Skytypers has created several joint ventures throughout the world: South Africa in 1994 and France in 1999.0
Subsequently in 1992 Mort’s son Larry an accomplished aviator and Business major who had worked and flown for his Dad over the years acquired the business. Mort worked side by side with his son until his death in 2007 at the age of 83. Mort was responsible for the company’s long relationship with GEICO insurance and today the east coast team is also know as the GEICO SKYTYPERS performing precision formation demonstrations and Skytyping around the country.
Having grown up in the Skytyper business, Greg’s son (AKA Andy’s grandson), Stephen Stinis, began formal participation in company operations in 1996, thus making Skytypers an enterprise spanning three generations! In 2004, Stephen and his cousin Curtiss Stinis developed and patented a new digital Skytyping system using multiple computers on a wireless network (US Patent 7,082,706). The system is fully digital and can create messages in color, in different languages and some graphics/logos. Stephen received his pilot’s license when he was 17 and was perusing Business School while working for Skytypers. When he graduated college he went to work for fortune 500 companies and became very successful in the computer and finance industry. Since then, he has developed a passion just like his father and grandfather for flying and this unique advertising medium we call Skytyping.
In 2004, Skytypers reincorporated in Las Vegas, Nevada into its present structure with Stephen as president. This is part of an ongoing strategic transformation of the company in order to improve its operating rate, reduce cyclical risk and expand its reach into national and international markets.
The mission of Skytypers is to provide a unique, compelling and cost-effective medium for outdoor communication to reach mass markets with Dot Matrix Skywriting. The goals of Skytypers are to help private and public organizations inform and educate people about product and service offerings as well as charity projects and public service measures. It is this purpose and goals that have made Skytypers a unique example of American business ingenuity that is firmly ingrained in the minds of millions of people all over the world.
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