Mike Guagenti
As CEO of LAUNCH, Mike is responsible for building and growing LAUNCH to honor the commitment to be the most innovative, customer-driven and solutions-based firm for technical workforce solutions. During his 25-year career, he has helped lead a diverse set of companies on strategy, operations and finance. Mike has developed relationships and provided aviation-related resources to MROs, airlines, leasing companies and engineering firms. Mike has a passion for entrepreneurship and a long history of leading his clients and employers to financial success.
Jean Rollo
As an owner, founder and the President of LAUNCH Management Services, Jean has high-level oversight of the companywide HR, legal, marketing and IT departments. She also helps to develop the overall market strategy for LAUNCH. Jean was selected for the prestigious 2025 Chicago Titan 100 award, a distinction honoring Chicago’s Top CEOs and C-Level Executives, demonstrating her exceptional leadership, vision, passion, and influence in her field. In her 30+ year career, Jean has gained extensive experience in executive management and ownership with multiple successful companies in technology, aviation, and other industries, providing her with a unique capability to lead LAUNCH.
Jean’s journey into the world of staffing began in the IT staffing and services sector, where she gained valuable insights into the dynamics of talent acquisition and service provision. It was during this time that she developed a deep appreciation for the importance of matching the right talent with specific industry needs and delivering services tailored to the unique requirements of businesses. Those experiences have helped shape much of LAUNCH and its continual process of refining its services to better serve the needs of our clients.
Jean is passionate about the LAUNCH values of Leading, Partnering and Caring and ensures the company stays true to those beliefs in all aspects of the business.
In addition to her work at LAUNCH, Jean is a member of Chief, a private network for women executive leaders. She is an avid mentor and coach to several young women across a variety of businesses – guiding them as they seek to become leaders themselves. Jean also devotes time as a consultant to the Executive Service Corps, aiding in the success of numerous Chicago-area nonprofit organizations.
Mike Reporto
As President & Chief Commercial Officer, LAUNCH has aligned all the company’s business under Mike Reporto. In his role, Reporto oversees sales, fulfillment, operations, recruiting and client services. His oversight extends to all aviation services and LAUNCH TEAMS as well as the integration of the company’s newest acquisitions. He is accountable for the financial growth and strategy of LAUNCH Workforce Solutions, TEAMS, and the digital marketplace businesses.
Reporto’s leadership creates consistency and cohesiveness across the company for both clients and employees, while his passion for service and execution ensures the teams work together to provide the highest quality of workforce solutions for our customers. He is a true changemaker at LAUNCH and has spearheaded the creation of several new programs aimed at creating a pipeline of mechanics for the future of aviation maintenance. In January of 2023, Reporto was named a Top 100 Staffing Leader to Watch in 2023 as part of the World Staffing Awards.
Throughout his tenure at LAUNCH, Reporto has served as President of Staffing and Senior Vice President of Recruiting Operations, where he oversaw huge advancements in LAUNCH’s service execution, as well as the recruiting and compliance efforts. Mike has provided direction on recruiter allocation, sourcing strategies, strategic development, as well as the growth, coaching, mentoring, and development of the sales and recruiting team. He also worked closely with sales to develop and manage the LAUNCH client services team.
In his past, Mike served as Senior Professional Account Recruiting Manager and Recruiting Lead at Aerotek Commercial and Manufacturing Services. The highlight of Mike’s five-year tenure at Aerotek was being named the company’s top producing Commercial and Manufacturing Recruiter in both 2014 and 2015, after winning back-to-back Million Dollar Club Contests. Mike was well on his way to his third contest win before originally agreeing to join LAUNCH to head its recruiting efforts.
Mike has a degree in Human Resource Management from Northern Illinois University. He is married and resides in Chicago, IL with his wife and daughter.
Marie-Claude Payant
As Chief Financial Officer of LAUNCH, Marie-Claude oversees the finance organization and is a key member of the senior leadership team. She works closely with the Board of Directors to help pursue the Company’s growth strategy. During her tenure at LAUNCH, she successfully integrated three companies and led two ERP implementations. Marie-Claude plays a key role in the Company’s M&A efforts and is well versed in buy and sell-side transactions including due diligence, accounting and tax considerations, financing activities and post-acquisition integration. Marie-Claude has oversight over the accounting, regulatory, tax, financial planning and analysis, budgeting, and treasury functions.
Prior to joining LAUNCH, Marie-Claude ran her own financial services consulting firm where she served clients in the Chicago area. Before that, Marie-Claude spent 17 years in public accounting where she specialized in serving clients ranging from high-growth start-ups to pre-IPO and publicly traded companies.
Marie-Claude has a bachelor’s degree in accounting from the University of South Florida and an MBA from Florida State University. She is a Certified Public Accountant, licensed in Illinois and Florida. Marie-Claude lives in Chicago with her husband and three children. Outside of work, she enjoys playing tennis and spending time outdoors. She is a key leader in her son’s Boy Scout Troop, serving as Assistant Scoutmaster, and has supported her two oldest children in their journey to earning the rank of Eagle Scout. Marie-Claude is a native of Quebec and is fluent in French.
Paul Nowicki
As Chief Operating Officer, Paul serves on the Corporate Senior Leadership Team and is responsible for overseeing LAUNCH Operations which includes Information Technology, Claims and Risk, Safety and Quality, Office Operations, and Facilities Management. He also works with the Board of Directors and C-Suite Leadership on the continued development of market planning and strategic initiatives. He ensures day-to-day business functionality utilizing his leadership, communication, and management skills gained over his 20+ year career in staffing and finance.
Paul previously served as Vice President of Strategic Initiatives where he focused on driving and implementing strategic planning across the entire LAUNCH organization. He’s also has managed the National Sales Division leading a team of Sales Directors and Managers responsible for new business development and client relationship management across the organization. Prior to working with LAUNCH, Paul spent nearly 10 years in Light Industrial and Professional Staffing across multiple Midwest markets.
His passion lies with coaching and developing high-performing teams to help those around him realize their potential to achieve personal and organizational goals. Paul received his Bachelor’s Degree in Finance from Illinois State University and earned his MBA from Marquette University.
Natalie Nowicki
As Chief Human Resources & Risk Officer, Natalie is part of the executive leadership team at LAUNCH, helping to create and drive organizational effectiveness while supporting the CEO, President and COO on all major initiatives. She is passionate about leadership and dedicates her focus to advancing the company’s vision.
Natalie has overall responsibility for developing and managing the human resources team at LAUNCH, including benefits oversight, performance management, employee retention, compensation management and talent acquisition. She also sets, enforces and evaluates the company’s HR policies, procedures and best practices to ensure they are always up to date. As part of this, she is responsible for managing legal and risk management for LAUNCH as it relates to employment law and legal compliance.
In addition to her role, Natalie oversees and ensures FAA compliance for the company.
Natalie has a Bachelor’s degree in Communication from Santa Clara University and is a Certified Professional in Human Resources (SHRM-CP).
John Smith
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