About Us
IT ALL STARTED WITH A PAIR OF OLD FRIENDS
Aerial Influence’s story begins with a friendship that goes back decades. Michael Ferguson and David Plummer met at the age of 5 in the same neighborhood in Indiana and quickly bonded over their shared love of remote-controlled cars and competitive spirit.
Over the course of 30 years their friendship remained close, despite going down different career paths—Michael went into the real estate world while David built a career in television.
Their journey with drones began when Michael and David connected with one of David’s colleagues who wanted to show them a drone they were using for broadcasting. As the drone took flight, they were immediately hooked. The drone was able to capture shots that only a helicopter or plane could get in the past.
This moment helped Michael realize he wanted to build something bigger than himself. A company that would make a difference in a variety of industries. What more could drones do, especially in industries not traditionally associated with drone use?
David had checked the boxes on just about everything he hoped to accomplish in television, and he was beginning to think about the next mountain to climb. When he realized he could climb that mountain with his life-long friend, he had his answer.
In 2016, Aerial Influence was born. Michael immediately went full-time into the venture by taking a leap of faith and purchasing a 15-acre farm in Elburn, Illinois. The property included an old barn, open land, and many trees that would need clearing. David left his television career a bit later and jumped with both feet into the drone world.
As they started meeting with potential clients, they noticed a common trend. Many people had similar questions and reservations around drones, even misconceptions. At the same time, there were a lot of people wanting to see demos and how drones would work in the real world. Their original hope to see where a drone could impact industries quickly evolved into including a passion to help guide customers into the future.
They knew they wanted to impact more than just industries. They wanted to impact real, everyday lives.
With a clearer direction for their company, they committed to exploring drone use in four industries: agriculture, enterprise, municipalities, and public safety.
To better guide and serve people David and Michael wanted to give clients an all-in-one experience where someone could stand side-by-side with them and try out the drones. To create such an experience, the acreage needed extensive renovations which Michael and David undertook themselves. It took blood, sweat, and tears to open up their new, modern showroom and flying fields, but it was a huge success.
Throughout the growth of Aerial Influence, both David and Michael have found great reward in the positive impact they have been able to make on the future of industry and individuals. The reward they didn’t know they would find is the deeper bond of friendship that comes from working in a partnership with a lifelong friend.
