When HAI Convention News reported on Enstrom Helicopter at last year’s Heli-Expo, the Menominee, Mich. company, founded in 1959, was on the heels of losing a $75 million U.S. Department of Homeland Security competition. Since then, Enstrom has focused on developing additional accessories for its aircraft and increasing its global presence. The 121 employees of Enstrom (Booth No. 1331) produced 29 aircraft last year–five more than the previous year–and expect to make 32 this year.

In October, Enstrom signed a contract to build one of its 480B turbine helicopters for the Republic of Estonia’s ministry of environment, scheduled for delivery in April.

“We continually look for quality dealers in each one of the countries we haven’t gotten a helicopter into yet,” said Enstrom president and CEO Jerry Mullins. “It has taken a lot of travel, and we are pretty thin.”

The Enstrom marketing team consists of Mullins, Tracy Biegler and Mike Roer. “We’re getting the word out through a broader dealer network,” Mullins said. “We talk to people who know the country that we’re looking for a good quality dealer. We’ve been selective.”

Here at Heli-Expo, Enstrom will present its Dealer of the Year award to Simon Oliphant-Hope of Eastern Atlantic Helicopters of Shoreham by the Sea, UK. The company has delivered seven new 480Bs to date, with one additional aircraft due for UK delivery next month. Enstrom also announced that Rocky Mountain Rotorcraft of Erie, Colo., will serve as a dealer for that region.

As part of Enstrom’s pound-the-pavement domestic marketing strategy, the company will fly its 480B Guardian, outfitted with front-mounted Gyrocam infrared camera, to 10 police stations in the Southeast on its way home to Michigan.

The base price for the turbine 480B is $758,500, with the piston-powered F28F and 280FX starting at $357,500, according to Mullins.