Crucial MRO, a full-service Maintenance, Repair, and Overhaul (MRO) company of aircraft, began construction at Southern Illinois Airport in 2019. However, the pandemic caused a delay in the opening of the facility until 2022.  

Crucial MRO has commercial airline contracts with Contour and Victory Air. Currently, Crucial MRO operates two hangars at Southern Illinois Airport (SIAA) and has plans to expand in the future.  The company has 55 employees and will be expanding to 70+ with the beginning of a new contract with Allegiant Air. 

Marc and Stacy Burton have a long history of working in the airline and commercial aviation industry, starting with seat repairs and maintenance in Indiana. The Burton’s have had multiple locations, but recently closed their other site and consolidated all their resources in Jackson County. Commercial planes are required to undergo disassembly every two years to perform routine maintenance and to check for issues such as skin cracks, wear and tear. Crucial MRO can offer these services at a much quicker rate and lower investment compared to most other repair stations.

Why Southern Illinois? 

How did the Burtons end up at the Southern Illinois Airport? They were approached by Gary Shafer, Southern Illinois Airport Director at a MRO trade show, who informed them of the opportunity to relocate their business to Jackson County.  Marc and Stacy prefer to operate in a small community and found that Southern Illinois has a strong work ethic, low cost of living, and ideal climate. They also like to grow their own employees, and Crucial MRO employees in Jackson County have a desire to advance. In fact, some employees have relocated their families to here from nearby states.  

Marc is a fabricator by trade and has an artistic background that is well-suited for his profession due to the attention to detail required. The Burtons were high school sweethearts and have a fondness for the Midwest.  They recently purchased a home near Murphysboro. 

 Having worked for the airlines Marc, Stacy and the managing staff of Crucial MRO have personally witnessed firsthand the lack of quality, customer service, expeditiousness, and value in support of commercial jet operations. These traits created the competitive culture mentality in which Crucial MRO cultivates today, driving its team to continually be the best.