Opinion ID: 179414
Heading Depth: 3
Heading Rank: 2

Heading: The 2007 Heli-Expo

Text: Also in 2007, Rain attended the Heli-Expo, an annual trade show sponsored by the Helicopter Association International (HAI). At the 2007 Heli-Expo, Rolls-Royce, the AMCs, and the ARFs sponsored a private customer appreciation event. The FIRST Network members purchased passes to the event from Rolls-Royce to give to their customers. Rain obtained a pass from an AMC and attended the event. At the event, Rain spoke with various Rolls-Royce employeesincluding Scott Crislip, then the President of the Rolls-Royce Helicopter Divisionwithout incident. While Rain was speaking with Rolls-Royce employee Tom Leonard, Jeff Edwards, a Rolls-Royce vice-president, approached Rain. Concerned that Rain would bait a Rolls-Royce employee into making a disparaging comment about him, Edwards told Rain that his presence at the event was inappropriate, and asked him to leave. Both Leonard and another Rolls-Royce employee, Andrew Maasch, were in the vicinity while Edwards spoke to Rain. Rain exited the event through the hotel lobby, at Edwards's direction, and Edwards followed Rain out. On his way out, Rain passed a business associate, Eric Witters, and told Witters that he was getting kicked out. Another individual, Steve Van Hemert, also was asked to leave the event. Van Hemert is the general manager of a shop that services Model 250 engines. Representatives from the AMCs were upset that Rolls-Royce had asked some of their invited guestsfor whom they had purchased ticketsto leave the event.