New Piper Picks New Head, Suffers Bomb Scare…

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Key Takeaways:

  • New Piper's Vero Beach plant was evacuated due to a bomb threat, which occurred a day after CEO Chuck Suma was unexpectedly replaced by James K. Bass.
  • An anonymous Piper employee linked the bomb scare to the executive change, stating that staff were shocked by the announcement.
  • The bomb threat was received via a phone call to a security guard, and fire alarms were triggered simultaneously, though no bomb was found after a search.
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Reaction To Change At The Top?

Sometimes it takes a little while for a head-office personnel shuffle to sink in but apparently not at New Piper. The Vero Beach plant was evacuated Tuesday after receiving a bomb threat. The threat came a day after CEO Chuck Suma was shifted to the position of Vice Chairman to make way for James K. Bass. A Piper worker who spoke on condition of anonymity said the move shocked employees and the bomb scare was related to the announcement. The Vero Beach Sheriff’s Office dispatch center received the threat at 8:42 a.m. Tuesday. A spokeswoman for the dispatch center told AVweb the call came from a security guard who received a phone call in which the threat was made. He also told police that fire alarms at the building were triggered at the same time the call was received. (Nice touch.) The building was searched but there was no report of a bomb being found.

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