Since she was a teenager, Brianne Gray has wanted to help her community. She began by working for people with various impairments and as a teacher for a brief period before she joined the police academy shortly after graduating from college. Bri worked in law enforcement for 15 years and was exposed to drones/UAS by a coworker and fellow officer, Joe Piazza, who is currently the head of MissionGO’s Infrastructure Inspection Division. She shares, “He and I were both Officers together before retiring and jumping on board with MissionGO and, when he showed me how much small unmanned aircraft can serve the community, I was hooked.” Brianne was able to use UAS for a variety of tasks, including search and rescue, high-risk situation overwatch, K-9 searches, and more.
Bri was drawn to MissionGO because it was founded on many of the same values she was taught as a child, and serving the community is a common concept that runs across all of the company’s pillars. Cargo delivery, training, and critical infrastructure inspection are the three main services provided by MissionGO. Cargo delivery, in particular, refers to vital medical cargo such as emergency organ transplants and blood transfusions.
Bri finds, “What more precious cargo can you transport with a cause to save lives and better serve our medical community?”
She goes on to say that the training is aimed at assisting public service entities to develop their drone units in order to better serve their communities and keep police officers safe, as well as support more detailed and effective search and rescue missions. Drones are used by critical infrastructure inspection to check equipment like utility poles, pipelines and bridges in order to avert fires, collapses, and other disasters. All of the MissionGO team’s efforts are focused on using drones to assist in making the community a safer place.
A Certified UAS Pilot
Brianne always found it rewarding to serve the community and to help others. It is a thankless job, but it has a long-term impact. She states, “Helping others – on any level—is one of my core values and what makes life easier and more fulfilling.”
MissionGO has developed tremendously during the last few years. Bri was a pilot when she initially started working with MissionGO and was in the process of becoming an instructor. As her career progresses, MissionGO has provided her with several opportunities to advance within the organization. She was promoted to Project Manager for the company’s Infrastructure Inspection Division and is currently working on contracts to assist in the prevention of wildfires in California by inspecting key infrastructure such as electricity poles.
Bri wants to maintain the company’s high level of professionalism and standards as it grows, and, as the industry and technology develop, she continues to work toward MissionGO’s objectives. She looks forward to the challenge and growing with MissionGO and her co-workers and feels privileged and honored to work on such impactful projects.
Holding High Values
MissionGO was established with ideals that demand the greatest degree of professionalism. In addition, strict laws must be followed in the aviation business to ensure that all activities are safe and successful. The very core of MissionGO is based on these high standards being set and followed. The team has processes in place to maintain this level, as well as a set of checks and balances to ensure that it remains so. More significantly, the staff at MissionGO have created, embellished, and preserved this culture.
Bri is one of the many amazing professionals at MissionGO with a wide range of experience, skills, and personalities. Everyone has their own set of talents and shortcomings, which makes for an excellent team. Their résumé, however, is not the end of the story. They’re also wonderful people. “Family men and women who have a high level of ethical and moral standards,” says Brianne.
The team works together to encourage each other’s creativity, talents, and ideas. The unmanned aircraft systems (UAS) industry is continually expanding and has yet to reach its peak, so working in an organization like MissionGO requires everyone to be adaptable. MissionGO creates and maintains an innovative work atmosphere by encouraging healthy behaviors, supporting one another’s development, and adhering to the highest ethical standards.
Sharing Strength that comes from Facing Challenges
With each challenge or effort, there are certain to be a number of errors, missteps, or outright failures. Brianne says that having a passion for what she’s aiming to do has helped her get back up after falling. Having wonderful people around to assist her has also made a significant difference. She says Joe Piazza was a big supporter of her when she first started flying drones. They both employed technology in law enforcement and worked together as police officers. There were (and still are) many “naysayers” when it came to the use of drones. She states, “People didn’t want to invest in the potential. There was a big uphill battle with showing that these drones can be extremely useful, but I was supported greatly by Joe, and many others at MissionGO, to continue to use the technology and spread the positivity of its success.“
Bri has learned that success may take various shapes after numerous setbacks and believes that success is more of a journey than a destination. She is ecstatic to be working in a profession she enjoys in a healthy workplace with colleagues of wonderful character and expertise. She opines, “This is what I try to keep in sight when I define my personal success. Not every day is going to be good; not every task, contract, or project is going to be successful. But striving for that is a big part of feeling and being successful.“
Perseverance, faith in the new technology and willingness to learn/grow have all been important in each step has taken her to get back up from “failure”. She adds, “Without people around to help with that, like my teammates at MissionGO, I don’t know if I would be where I am today.”
‘Build a Great Team and Lead by Example’
Brianne thinks that, as a leader, you should treat people the way you want to be treated and goes on to say that you should lead by example, from the front, and develop leaders and growth in your team, as well as make them better than you. She believes it is a reflection of your capacity to educate and lead, and that the progress of your team is a mirror of your own.
MissionGO is setting a new standard for next-generation transportation logistics. By leveraging unmanned aircraft systems (UAS), MissionGO delivers improved reliability, reduced costs, and increased transparency to benefit multiple sectors, including healthcare and critical infrastructure. MissionGO is always looking for enthusiastic and dedicated team members who want to push the UAS industry into the future with integrity and the highest degree of safety. To learn more about MissionGO, visit their website at www.missiongo.io.
