Our Story
The Seed of AeroWake
The seed that AeroWake bloomed from was planted when we [Kyle, Austin, and Ty] began high school together. There, we learned to weld and develop fabrication skills in our agriculture classes. Down the line, we were all practically thrown into a boat-making hobby shop through a mutual connection for a single project while attending college. We couldn’t get enough of boatbuilding and spent the next four years learning the craft of boat fabrication including improving designs, learning from mistakes, and perfecting our welding techniques.
In that time, we successfully built over 30 boats. In late 2019, we started looking at our situation and realized that we wanted to do more. We had developed a burning passion for building high-quality boats and an entrepreneurial itch to run our own business. We approached our mentor and shared our desire to go out on our own.
A year later, we decided to ‘dive into the deep end’ and start our own business – AeroWake. While most college students spent their free time figuring out how or where to score some beer, we were writing a business plan and looking for investors who could help bring our vision to life. In late 2021, we were able to team up with a seasoned business executive and investors, allowing us to officially launch AeroWake Boats in April 2022. While the name “AeroWake” is new to the industry of boat fabrication, we are not.
MEET THE TEAM
Paul
Co-Founder & Chief Experience Officer
Buffalo, NY
Favorite vacation spot:
Colorado…winter or summer is fine with me!
What am I best known for around the shop?
Being the one that worries the most and is always asking about our sales pipeline!
What inspired you to create AeroWake?
I have always loved business and operations. It is very rewarding to help others create success and achieve common goals. Once I had the opportunity to meet my business partners, I immediately got hooked on their vision and knew we could build world class boats and provide our customers with a unique experience.
Kyle
Co-Founder & Operations Manager
McKinney, TX
Favorite vacation spot:
My bed after a long day of welding.
What am I best known for around the shop?
The design expert behind all of the metal work.
What inspired you to create AeroWake?
A life-long drive for innovating and building things by hand. It just so happened that I needed an outlet for a career too.
Austin
Co-Founder & Wiring Technician
Bonham, TX
Favorite vacation spot:
Colorado in the winter
What am I best known for around the shop?
Rigging and Wiring/Harness work
What inspired you to create AeroWake?
The ability to become a young entrepreneur with a group of guys that I enjoy being around and can learn different aspects of business/life from.
Ty
Co-Founder & Lead Fabricator
Bonham, TX
Favorite vacation spot:
Wolf Creek Ski Resort
What am I best known for around the shop?
Fabrication and being the one that actually answers the phone!
What inspired you to create AeroWake?
I came from a background of performance race cars and fabrication. I immediately was hooked after I was able to build my first boat. There is something truly special about building something from the ground up and combining that aspect with the same motors and high horsepower that I grew up with. If you love what you do, you’ll never work a day in your life.
Kendall
Summer Intern, Texas A&M - Mechanical Engineering, Class of 2024
McKinney, TX
Favorite vacation spot:
Jackson Hole, WY
What am I best known for around the shop?
Design work, documenting processes, and stuff they don’t want to do!
Ben
Summer Intern, University of Texas - Aerospace Engineering, Class of 2023
Rogers, AR
Favorite vacation spot:
Switzerland
What am I best known for around the shop?
Computer aided design [CAD] for new boat builds and being the smartest one in the building [or that’s what they tell me anyway].
