Scott Zimmer

President
Air Advantage

Scott Zimmer, along with his wife Dawn and their business partner Leroy A. Koglin, Jr. began Air Advantage, a Wireless Internet Service Provider (WISP) serving rural Michigan in July, 2002. Scott grew up on a farm near Unionville (Michigan) where they grew corn, wheat, sugar beets and navy beans and made farming his profession for 6 years after high school. After leaving the family farm in 1986, Scott earned his Bachelor of Business Administration with an emphasis in accounting from Saginaw Valley State University. Upon graduation with honors from SVSU, he went to work at the national accounting firm of Deloitte & Touche and then as a comptroller for a printing company in Bay City, Michigan. He joined his wife’s technology consulting firm, Zimco, Inc. in 1999 and together they began Air Advantage in 2002.

They began their wireless broadband network on top of 5 grain elevator silos and have expanded their operations to over 150 service areas serving over 6,000 customers in previously un-served and underserved rural areas. In 2006 and again in 2007, Air Advantage was one of 60 organizations throughout the U.S. to receive a Small Business Blue Ribbon Award presented by the United States Chamber of Commerce. This award is given to businesses showing excellence in financial performance, business history, staff training and motivation, community involvement, customer service and business planning. In September 2010, Air Advantage received an American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) award for $64 million to expand broadband coverage throughout 13 counties in rural areas of Southeast Lower Michigan.

Scott is active in church, community and civic affairs where he is a member of the Frankenmuth Rotary Club, sings in the St. Lorenz Lutheran Church Praise Band, and is on the St. Lorenz Church Ministry Council. He has previously served as President of the Frankenmuth School District Board of Education and has served on the Frankenmuth Chamber of Commerce Board of Directors, Frankenmuth Rotary Club Board of Directors, and the Frankenmuth Community Foundation Board of Governors.

Scott and his wife Dawn have 2 adult sons, one daughter-in-law and they all reside in Frankenmuth (Michigan).