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With over two decades of experience in the hardware, sustainability and aerospace sectors, Mark will focus on ensuring Archer’s finance infrastructure robustly supports the company’s progress towards its goal of launching manufacturing operations in 2023 and achieving FAA Type Certification in 2024

After 11.5 years at Bloom Energy and 25 years in corporate finance, Mark brings a unique understanding of how to build and maintain finance organizations in innovative sustainability companies with high-growth trajectories 

As Archer matures its financial and investor relations functions  following its debut on the NYSE in 2021, Mark will bring his experience gained through helming finance organizations at multiple companies through transition from private to public entities to lead and fully build out Archer’s finance team 

PALO ALTO, CA., January 21, 2022 - Archer Aviation Inc. (NYSE: ACHR) today announced the appointment of Mark Mesler as the Company’s Chief Financial Officer. 

Following the company’s NYSE public debut in 2021, Mark will lead all aspects of Archer’s financial operations, including investor relations, financial planning and analysis, treasury, accounting and operations finance. His immediate focus will be on ensuring the company’s product development and manufacturing roadmaps are supported by robust financial planning and cash management strategies. He will also provide critical focus to strengthen Archer’s investor and research analyst relationships and scale its industry-leading finance team. 

Having spent over 11 years with Bloom Energy, Mark helped lead the company’s IPO on the New York Stock Exchange in July 2018. During his tenure at Bloom, he was responsible for closing all  corporate equity and debt financings prior to the company’s IPO, in addition to scaling the finance team and supporting infrastructure as the company transitioned into the public markets. Most recently, Mark held the CFO role at Volansi where he provided strategic and financial leadership for the autonomous drone technology and logistics company. Additionally, Mark previously held the position of Chief Financial Officer and Vice President of Operations at Aquest Systems and Director of Finance at KLA-Tencor.

“I have spent a large part of my career advancing the application of clean energy, so joining Archer, with its clear vision of enabling sustainable aerial mobility, is a natural fit for me. Having recently developed the finance infrastructure in a business that is transforming the logistics sector with VTOL drone technology, I am now thrilled to be transitioning into the consumer eVTOL aircraft market to scale the finance function as the company enters its next phase of growth and development” said Mark Mesler, Archer CFO. “The potential for eVTOL to change the way people live and travel is on the cusp of becoming reality, and I look forward to the challenge of stewarding the company’s financial resources to deliver on that vision.”

“Having completed our first successful test flight in December 2021, Archer is entering its next critical phase of development and adding Mark to our leadership team adds tremendous strength to our ability to deliver on our go-to-market strategy. As a seasoned veteran of senior strategic financial roles in the sustainable energy and aerospace sectors, Mark will bring a highly-honed perspective that will help us deliver growth in the most cost-effective way” said Brett Adcock, Archer co-founder and co-CEO. 

“Mark’s track record in scaling newly-public companies will be a significant asset to Archer as we progress swiftly and efficiently towards our key business milestones in 2022 and beyond'' added Adam Goldstein, Archer co-founder and co-CEO. “His operations-centric focus combined with his track record of driving financial performance by partnering with functional and business unit management teams will help drive our success. Having someone like Mark onboard with his deep understanding of the challenges we face around sustainability and urban air mobility is undoubtedly a great win for us.”

Mark graduated with Highest Distinction from Penn State University with a B.S. in Finance and holds an MBA in Finance from Carnegie Mellon University’s Tepper School of Business. Mark replaces Ben Lu who will remain as a consultant to Archer during Mark’s transition into his role. 

For continued updates visit www.archer.com and follow along on social media. 

Archer’s mission is to advance the benefits of sustainable air mobility. Archer’s goal is to move people throughout the world's cities in a quick, safe, sustainable, and cost-effective manner. Archer is designing and developing electric vertical takeoff and landing aircraft for use in urban air mobility networks. Archer's team is based in Palo Alto, CA. To learn more, visit www.archer.com. 

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Source: Archer

Text: ArcherIR

Archer appoints Mark Mesler as Chief Financial Officer 

Ours is a path to revolutionize the way we move. Driven to reimagine what daily life can be: quieter, sustainable, empowering us to venture further. No simple task, it’s a path requiring countless steps. So let’s begin at the start, and answer the questions: what is an eVTOL aircraft? And how might they shape our future? 

At its core, an eVTOL aircraft is exactly as its name would imply. First, it’s an electric aircraft, relying on rechargeable batteries instead of a fuel-based internal combustion engine. Second, an eVTOL aircraft ascends and descends vertically allowing it to operate within smaller spaces in an urban landscape relative to a conventional airplane that requires a full runway to takeoff and land. The goal of eVTOL aircraft is to establish Urban Air Mobility networks within large cities to provide sustainable solutions for chronic traffic problems - giving citizens the opportunity to fly above traffic and get to destinations in and around town much faster - and, ultimately, more safely. 

From a safety perspective, our eVTOL aircraft share a lot in common with airplanes, namely they’ll be flown by professional pilots, and they have multiple redundancies built into their design. However, our eVTOL aircraft’s redundancies go further than a traditional plane, by combining 12 electric motors, 6 independent battery packs and the latest fly-by-wire technology. We are also working closely with the FAA to certify our aircraft to the highest standards of safety before we bring our eVTOL to market. The result is an aircraft that is designed to have zero points of catastrophic failure that will be certified to the same standard as existing commercial aircraft - making Archer’s eVTOL aircraft among the safest that will ever take flight. And with significantly more motors than traditional aircraft, one may be concerned with how much louder it would be. It’s a valid concern that we’ve spent a lot of energy on addressing with our eVTOL aircraft design. Because of this emphasis on sound mitigation during our design process, Archer’s eVTOL aircraft will be remarkably quiet, operating at lower decibel levels when flying overhead than airplanes, helicopters, and cars. Once an eVTOL aircraft reaches cruising altitude, a person on the ground would be hard pressed to differentiate the humming overhead from the rumble of the surface streets surrounding them. 

Not only do eVTOL aircraft allow us a new dimension in travel, they do so faster than a car, to a wider range of destinations than a plane and do so powered by electricity. We believe this combination will allow for operational scale and efficiency that makes short-range air travel fast, affordable, and eco-friendly in a way never before experienced. Imagine flying over rush hour traffic on a weekend getaway; arriving at your destination in 15 minutes instead of the hour, or more, you would have spent on the highway.

Flying taxis may seem like science fiction, but urban air mobility (UAM) is closer than you might think. Archer is already moving through the certification process with the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) for its first eVTOL aircraft, working with cities to develop guidelines for UAM infrastructure, and building out Prime RadiantTM, a proprietary system that’s helping us make informed decisions about creating a UAM network aimed at maximizing the benefit of eVTOL aircraft.

We aren’t building a flying car, a helicopter, or a small jet. This is not the next iteration. It’s the next era, taking all that we’ve learned from where we’ve been, and realizing the vision of where we want to go. A future in which you can move more freely, efficiently and safely. We can’t wait to share the eVTOL aircraft era with you. 

What is an eVTOL aircraft? And how might they shape our future? At its core, an eVTOL aircraft is exactly as its name would imply. First, it’s an electric aircraft, relying on rechargeable batteries instead of a fuel-based internal combustion engine. Second, an eVTOL aircraft ascends and descends vertically allowing it to operate within smaller spaces in an urban landscape relative to a conventional airplane that requires a full runway to takeoff and land.

What is an eVTOL Aircraft?

The greatest of journeys begin with a single step. That single step sets our direction, our cadence. It’s the access point from vision to reality. Jets fly out of airports, helicopters land and takeoff at heliports and ships set sail from seaports. Soon, electric vertical takeoff and landing (eVTOL) aircraft will provide a new type of transportation called Urban Air Mobility (UAM) and will need their own definitive hubs: a new type of takeoff and landing facility called a “vertiport”.

As Archer plans for the future of UAM, we’re not just thinking about achieving regulatory approval or manufacturing a new type of aircraft that is safer, quieter, cleaner and more affordable to operate than ever before. To deliver on our vision of sustainable air mobility, we also have to build an ecosystem in cities to provide a UAM service. An important element in that ecosystem is vertiports, which future riders will visit to board their flights. 

To build a valuable vertiport network, we’re considering practical infrastructure issues like the locations, requirements, standards and operations of our vertiports. It’s an area where the Archer team is already leading the industry, working with Urban Movement Labs, a non-profit organization spun out of the Los Angeles Mayor’s Office of Economic Development, to shape UAM policies in the city.

We are working collaboratively with cities to ensure the thoughtful integration of UAM into the fabric of our communities. That means bringing stakeholders together to actively consider all voices, which ultimately creates the greatest value of an urban air mobility service. Cities can't plan without the knowledge of operators like Archer. We need to provide them insight into our aircraft, its capabilities, how that aircraft will be operated, and the locations where we want to place these vertiports to provide maximum benefit to the local area. 

Though a fixture of the next generation of travel, vertiports will still feel very similar to aviation infrastructure today. There will be three main areas at a vertiport: airside operations, landside operations, and a terminal building. Airside operations, much like current airports, will be where our aircraft takeoff and land as you fly between vertiports. Landside operations will incorporate passenger pick-up and drop-off zones. The terminal is similar to a train or airport terminal today: a place to relax and connect during your short wait to board the aircraft.  

The great news is that since an eVTOL takes off and lands vertically, it does not need long runways. That, combined with the low noise signature of eVTOLs, means that vertiports could be conveniently located throughout urban and suburban hubs, instead of relegated to the outskirts of cities as is so commonly the case with current airport locations. It also allows for retrofitting existing structures to serve as vertiports.

Expanding existing forms of transit infrastructure can be both expensive and inefficient. San Francisco's Transbay Terminal took more than eight years to complete, costing more than $2 billion dollars. The Moynihan Train Hall at New York City’s Penn Station cost $1.6 billion, and took nearly 30 years, from start to finish. 

We believe there’s a more cost-effective, less disruptive solution. That solution involves the light retrofit of existing infrastructure in cities. With this approach, a network of vertiports in a city can be developed for a fraction of the cost and allow for more flexible, distributed movement. One option Archer is exploring is converting the rooftops of parking structures into vertiports. The idea is attractive for several reasons. Parking rooftops are generally located in congested parts of cities, an issue UAM is trying to address, they’re built to handle significant weight loads and they are generally underused - who wants to pay to park, only to have one’s car sitting in the elements? 

In the early years, we're looking to make positive use of otherwise under-utilized real estate in communities. The goal is to leverage these assets and convert them into something that creates more value for society. However, in the longer-term, as UAM operations scale, we envision purpose-built vertiports to support a high-volume of riders as the price of our service becomes comparable to car ridesharing today.

To develop an optimal vertiport network that creates significant public benefit, we are using data to understand traffic flows in and around cities. Once we have identified the most attractive locations, we’ll work with municipal officials to determine if the site meets the criteria for permitting. The final decision on vertiport locations balances customer demand, regulations, environmental concerns, customer needs, and data—optimizing for safety and public convenience. Regardless of where these vertiports are ultimately located, Archer is committed to shepherding in an era of UAM that is safe, accessible, and thoughtful for both cities and travelers. More than a new journey, we are moving towards a new age in transportation.

Soon, electric vertical takeoff and landing (eVTOL) aircraft will provide a new type of transportation called Urban Air Mobility (UAM) and will need their own definitive hubs: a new type of takeoff and landing facility called a “vertiport”.

What Is a Vertiport?

The skies have become ours. No longer confined to a vision, nor relegated to the realm of “what if,” we are pushing further into what can be. In this year of historic milestones for Archer, it draws to a close with our journey taking us higher. Maker has successfully completed its first hover test flight a little over six months after being unveiled, and with it we begin a new chapter. Our world-class team has demonstrated the ability to eclipse the speed of traditional developmental timelines in aviation and we will be working hard to continue that pace as we move into 2022. Let’s look at what's next.

We began with a concept. We examined what it meant to move, what kept us grounded. How could we travel more freely, more sustainably, and perhaps most importantly, more safely? We drew upon the knowledge of the past and built our team with those intent on expanding the boundaries of what is possible and commercializing our vision. We planned, designed, and tested. And then we tested again. Setting out not just to create another option, but instead a new era.

Now Archer is a flying company. Throughout the next year we will continue to test, rigorously evaluating our first full scale electric vertical takeoff and landing (eVTOL) aircraft. Our team will be continuing to fly Maker as we move through 2022, rapidly collecting data and methodically pushing towards further expeditions. Every system will be monitored, analyzed under the most strenuous conditions, and further refined. We will see Maker expand its hover testing and eventually move into forward flight testing, and with it, see a slew of additional developmental advancements.

These tests and developmental advancements of Maker will help us progress further down the path towards full FAA Type Certification of our production aircraft. In 2022, we will set our sights on receiving our G-2 issue paper, which will set forth the means of compliance with the regulatory requirements established in our G-1 issue paper signed in September 2021. This is the next major step in the certification journey with the FAA. Through shared knowledge, exhaustive research, and further proof of concept, our dedication to establishing the foundation of safety is unwavering. From independent propulsion, to individual battery packs, to multiple redundant flight systems, we are aiming to achieve the highest standards of safety with our eVTOL aircraft. Driving to go beyond merely meeting the minimum, we are working towards mobility that’s as safe as it can be.

We’re aiming to deliver mobility that’s as efficient as it can be. In parallel with our eVTOL aircraft development, we are continuing our work on establishing urban air mobility (UAM) infrastructure, which is equally important in making UAM a reality. Through Prime Radiant (TM), our proprietary system simulation framework, we are continuing to advance our knowledge of urban travel patterns. It’s helping us create more advanced data modeling and more intelligent solutions to the issues our modern urban environments face.

Our partnerships will continue to propel us towards the future. With the knowledge of how we move today, we can better design how we move in a new dimension tomorrow. Progressing with partner cities, our work towards the development of a network of vertiports carries on. We intend to repurpose underutilized existing infrastructure to serve as initial vertiports, which enhances the investments already made in our communities. Their development is key to the advancement of UAM, and vital on our journey to revolutionize the way we move.

Our vision ventures ever closer to reality. Capping the year with our historic first hover test flight merely sets the stage for what will come next. There is still much ahead on our roadmap, more milestones to be met and more history to make. This coming year will not only see us move forward, it will see the bar set higher. We’re grateful for those who’ve joined us along this journey, and we can’t wait to share the next chapter with you.

Maker has successfully completed its first hover test flight a little over six months after being unveiled, and with it we begin a new chapter. Our world-class team has demonstrated the ability to eclipse the speed of traditional developmental timelines in aviation and we will be working hard to continue that pace as we move into 2022. Let’s look at what's next.

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