Hotline Highlight – ARSA Honors Diaz Balart
December 09, 2025
The hotline – ARSA’s premier member newsletter – contains news, editorial content, analysis and resources for the aviation maintenance community. All members should ensure they receive their edition the first week of each month. Not getting yours? Click here for direct access. For more information about the association’s periodicals, click here.
From the “ARSA on the Hill” section of the November 2025 Edition…
ARSA Honors Diaz Balart with 2025 Legislative Leadership Award
Rep. Mario Diaz-Balart (holding plaque) poses after receiving ARSA’s Legislative Leadership Award with (left to right) Daniel Mendelson, Eric A. Mendelson, HEICO Co-Chairman & Co-CEO, Alex de Gunten, HEICO Business Development Officer, and Victor H. Mendelson, HEICO Co-Chairman & Co-CEO.
ARSA Government Affairs Chairman and HEICO Vice President of Industry Engagement Alex de Gunten presented ARSA’s 2025 Legislative Leadership Award to Rep. Mario Diaz-Balart (R-Fla.) at a Miami luncheon on Nov. 25. Also attending were HEICO Co-Chairmen and Co-Chief Executive Officers Eric A. Mendelson and Victor H. Mendelson, as well as Eric’s son Daniel Mendelson.
The award is given annually to a member of Congress who has gone above and beyond in the interests of aviation safety, regulatory efficiency, and maintenance industry workforce development. With more repair stations in Diaz-Balart’s congressional district than any other, it’s no wonder he has established a strong track record of standing up for aviation businesses and jobs on Capitol Hill.
The aviation maintenance industry congratulates Rep. Diaz-Balart as he joins the ranks of past ARSA Legislative Leadership Award recipients, Sens. Tammy Duckworth (D-Ill.) (2021) and Jim Inhofe (2018) and Reps. Garret Graves (R-La.), Rick Larsen (D-Wash) (2022), Brenda Lawrence (D-Mich.) (2020), and Sam Graves (R-Mo.) and Dan Lipinski (D-Ill.) (2019), and Virginia Foxx (2017).
Please plan to attend ARSA’s Legislative Day in March in conjunction with the association’s Annual Conference for the presentation of the 2026 award.
