New York firm finds the workers it needs in Wichita, plans to add more jobs

A privately owned New York company has come to Wichita to find help putting together technical publications for aircraft companies.

Dayton T. Brown, a 68-year-old company with headquarters in Bohemia, N.Y., has set up an office on the 15th floor of the Epic Center downtown and hired 12 employees.

Jim Kelly, senior vice president and general manager of the company’s technical services division, said he anticipates doubling the number of Wichita employees in the next 12 months.

“We kind of have to go where the resources are,” Kelly said. “We really think we’re going to expand greatly in Wichita.”

He said where Dayton T. Brown finds skilled workers has changed over the years. When the company did some work for Bombardier Learjet a few years ago, it discovered what he said was a pool of workers with the skills to put together technical publications such as aircraft maintenance manuals and parts catalogs.

It was then, Kelly said, that the company decided it would look to Wichita when was ready to grow.

“While we do work for Bombardier, the main attraction has been the talent available there,” Kelly added.

The Wichita office is led by Robert Childs, who spent more than 16 years at Hawker Beechcraft and nearly six at Bombardier Learjet as a technical publications leader.

“The major focus originally for this operation was commercial aviation, but what we’re really seeing is . . . we will also be supporting some of our big military programs out there (in Wichita),” Kelly said.

The company is actively looking for new applicants, with postings for several different types of jobs in Wichita currently on its website at www.dtb.com.

In addition to providing technical publication services, the company provides testing, engineering and logistics services for the federal government and military, and companies in the electronics and transportation industries.

This story was originally published October 1, 2018 at 4:44 PM.