People in the Sport

Andy Grimwade 

Andy is the owner and operator of Skydive Sebastian, the only drop zone in the States owned and managed by Brits. 

Sebastian has rapidly become the 'happening' place everyone is talking about. Why? Because Andy Grimwade had a vision and decided to make it happen.

When Andy bought Sebastian two years ago, it was just a small building in a field. Now Sebastian boasts over 14,000 square footage of buildings, including team rooms, a gym, rigging facilities and the new home of Skydive University. Visiting Sebastian is refreshing. The friendly atmosphere, helpful attitude and excellent facilities are obvious. Added to that are lots of little touches which make a big difference. The packing area is blown free of sand every morning, the DZ will arrange accommodation for your needs, there is a safe on the zone, a gym for the vast sum of $5 per week, they seem to have covered your every need.

Andy is an East London self-made man who built up several businesses, including one running sexy phone lines! He then began to invest his money in skydiving and has now sold all other business interests. Under his guidance, Sebastian has grown at an incredible rate. In 1996 they graduated 185 AFF students, which they claim is more than any other US drop zone. Over 83,000 jumps were made including 3,740 tandems. Because Andy has invested heavily in the drop zone, up till now it has run at a huge loss. In 1996, the zone turned over $2.7 million and lost $76,000. The aim is to increase the turnover to $3.5m in 1997 and break even. Andy hopes that he will make a profit in '98.

Andy is obviously an astute businessman and you get the feeling it would be wise not to cross him. I watched his acumen make mincemeat of a hard nosed advertising sales person as he brought the price down to a quarter of the original figure. But Andy hasn't got the hardness you might expect from such an entrepreneur. He could put his cash into something more profitable than a drop zone but would rather do something worthwhile and enjoyable with it.

He chooses his staff with more of a view to character than background. It is important to him that everyone gets on and that he works with people he likes. His sponsorship deals are good marketing as they associate Sebastian with the best in skydiving. But it is clear that these are inspired by a genuine motive, the desire to help others succeed. Having promised free training jumps to three teams, he also paid for many items never mentioned originally; plane flights, entry fees and accommodation. He has an unerring nose for success; his teams have achieved outstanding results.

After a few static line jumps in 1983, Andy started again in 1986 doing a tandem jump at Headcorn with Pete Allum, then an AFF course. Andy "fell for skydiving hook, line and sinker" and was soon off to Zephyr Hills in 1987. The idea of being able to jump all year round inspired him so much he moved to the US and began to build up business there. He has a wife, Michelle, they have just had a baby, Georgie, and he also has a 15 year old daughter who is planning to start her AFF course in the summer.

We asked him how it all started:
In 1994, Sebastian came up for sale and by chance I had just sold my limousine business. I looked at the zone on Monday morning and had signed a deal by the afternoon. I went up to Pete (Allum) 's trailer in DeLand that evening and told him I'd just bought a drop zone. He said 'What do you know about running a zone?' I said 'Absolutely nothing but I've got to learn quick' 

I had just been on a tour with Derek Thomas of Sunpath to promote Javelins. We travelled around 26 states visiting over 30 DZs in the US and I noticed the different ways they were managed. I saw what worked and what didn't. So I put together a plan of how I wanted Sebastian to be in five years time, based on all the good ideas. That was two years ago and I've almost finished it already. I'm one of those people who wants to run before I can walk. I just wanted to get it done. All I have to do now is build a hotel and swimming pool on the zone.

Why Sebastian?
Look at any aerial photograph over Sebastian and you will see why I chose this location in Florida. It's just the most incredible view.

Have you had any problems with the local community?
The council has been amazed at the rapid growth of Skydive Sebastian. Obviously there are always some people who buy a house near an airfield and then complain about the noise. But fortunately the council recognises that skydivers put over a million dollars a year into the local economy. They can see the benefits to the town so it is just a matter of keeping the lines of communication open.

The zone is almost entirely European. Is this intentional?
The locals say you need a passport to get onto the airfield! As well as being a good market, it's nice to have the European vibe, the humour and old friends coming to stay. It's a very transient zone with most people just here for a short holiday. That's kind of neat because you get to meet people from different cultures all over the world.

Tell me about the teams you have sponsored
The first was Team Sebastian, skysurfer Bob Greiner with cameraman Cliff Burch. I saw their early jumps and Bob is just superb. They won everything they went for including the Extreme Games and the SSI Pro Tour. The sponsorship of Sebastian XL came from a night Pete was staying round my house and spoke about the Team '97 project, I said I'd help them with free training jumps. The third deal was with Dawn English and Joey Jones who are really dedicated 4-way jumpers. I sponsored their team Sebastian Air FX, they got third place at the US Nationals. There are over 50 teams at these Nationals, the competition is fierce so the team did really well. The two Sebastian 4-ways teamed up to do 8-way and got third with no training, outstanding, isn't it?

What's happening to the sponsored teams now?
Bob Greiner unfortunately injured himself and won't be competing any more, he will be working as a judge on the Pro tour. Dawn and Joey from Sebastian Air FX are looking for two replacement team members, then they plan to do 1,000 training jumps in '98. Pete and the guys from Sebastian XL are training hard and are going to be a force to be reckoned with at the World Meet in Turkey. We know the US and French will get the top two places but there is a real fight on for bronze. I reckon it will be between Russia, South Africa and the UK.

Any more deals in the offing?
Olav Zipser is in the process of opening a freeflying school at Sebastian, there will soon be a sponsored Sebastian freeflying team.

Why do you give the sponsorship?
For two reasons. Firstly, it is a form of advertising. I see Brits looking on Sebastian XL in the same way as they did Frank Bruno - here is Britain's best hope of a world medal for years. Secondly, it's not just for business, I thought 'let's give you guys a chance'. My sponsorship has all gone to skydivers with huge potential who hadn't been given the opportunity to prove themselves.

What do you think makes Sebastian such a success?
We are a customer related industry, it all boils down to caring about the customer and keeping them happy. Skydiving has moved away from the 'Blue Skies, Black Death' era. Skydivers who visit your drop zone are customers and should get treated in the proper manner, just as in a restaurant or shop. I put that over to all the staff - these are the people who write your pay check. In Britain, CCI's get used to chewing your ear off for safety reasons and think it extends to where you park your car.

I keep hearing about free beer, what's that all about then?
In January we were having resurfacing work done on the runways, it was supposed to take two days and ran over to three. It wasn't our fault, it was the council's but what difference does that make? It was our customers who were affected. I called everyone together at 12 noon, explained that we would be closed for the rest of the day and apologised for the inconvenience. To make up, I told everyone they could have free drink until closing time and all jumps would be $5 tomorrow. I wanted to keep them happy and stop them from going anywhere else - and it worked. It was expensive, I couldn't believe how much everybody drank! They all had severe headaches the next day. The funny thing about the Brits is that I got more recognition from giving out free beer than I did for investing all that money in the new team rooms, gym and creeper area.

How does your AFF training compare with the UK?
We try and keep Brits graduating at Sebastian to match BPA standards. Our chief instructor Mick Hall knows the BPA system. We have a very good reputation for the quality of our graduates. No-one in the UK has had any problem with Sebastian students. We now video all level 7 AFF jumps. This gives British instructors a chance to assess the student's ability and also provides proof that they passed the level.

What ratings do you have?
They are all USPA ratings but I am a qualified tandem, static line and AFF instructor with over 3,000 jumps. I'm also a USPA safety and training advisor. I fly too but at the moment only have 70 hours. I hate not being able to fly my own planes. I'm going to try and get back into flying this summer and get a few more ratings. That way I'm not reliant on anyone else. I like to know how to do every single job on the DZ, that way I know if it's being done properly.

What do you get out of running a DZ?
When people leave and say how brilliant it was, what an awesome time they had and how they're going to tell everyone else about Sebastian. That makes me feel great.

What of the future, what are your plans?
I just want Sebastian to go from strength to strength. The growth already is beyond belief, I want the zone to keep growing but not to the point where we get out of touch with reality. Personal attention to all customers and students is important. I have great staff, they are fantastic. All team players, every one of them. They work well together and give me lots of feedback. I love feedback. My office is always open for comments. People tell you all the good things but they don't tell you what they didn't like. If they don't tell you that you can't improve. Skydivers already say they love the way we run Sebastian but I don't want to rest on my laurels, I want to make it even better.

Andy Grimwade was talking to Lesley Gale

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