From sitting inside a Cessna 150 piloted by Richard Wall (fs’69, ff’77-04) to developing products for the technology industry and private aviation, Wiebe has soared from his days as a Tabor College student to now a thriving entrepreneur.
Wiebe has served as CEO of six business startups and currently leads Radiant Technology out of Wichita, Kan. Recognized by the Experimental Aircraft Association (EAA) for award-winning work, Wiebe’s current company has developed digital instrumentation for sport, experimental, and ultralight aircraft.
His work in innovation and technology dates to the late 1970s and is part of a vast catalog of cutting-edge development.
“I liked the idea of inventing something and selling it,” Wiebe said. “I did traditional engineering out of college in Wichita, but I realized I would be better utilized if I went down the path of being self-employed. It was a lot more fun and I felt it was what I was called to do.”
Wiebe recently introduced a CO-Pocket carbon monoxide detector alarm for the general aviation sector.
“I introduced [the detectors] about six months ago and it has taken off,” he said. “We’ve become one of the largest manufacturers of non-TSO and non-PMA carbon monoxide detectors on the market.”
Wiebe is currently involved in product development for radio technology that would enable automated verbal messages to be delivered to the cockpit.
“If you’re getting a clearance and you’re busy and distracted, you can see it scroll by,” Wiebe said. “I’ve got someone in Wichita working on an AI hardware and software engine that will do the interpretation of it using technology that’s open source called Wispr and the Jetson Nano, which is a small AI engine that Nvidia sells.”
A desire to innovate and learn dates to his days in Tabor classrooms.
First attending Tabor in fall 1975, Wiebe had no hesitation in enrolling in mathematics and computer science courses. He took mathematics courses from Frank Brenneman, Ph.D. (ff’74-08), faculty emeritus, and even turned his senior dormitory into an entrepreneurial incubator when he and Marlin Deckert (g’80) began creating a computer-related business venture.
“I made the major what I felt like it needed to be for my interests and it lined up with what I wanted to do when I got out of school,” Wiebe said. “The math portion of what I learned was invaluable. What I learned in Calculus I was foundational in so many things that I see in the world.”
Wiebe, the son of longtime English professor Katie Funk Wiebe (ff’67-89), interned at the Cessna Aircraft Company in Wichita as a Tabor student. He now calls the ‘Air Capital of the World’ home as he continues to grow his businesses.
“Tabor provided a foundation for me to look around and grow intellectually and spiritually,” Wiebe said. “Some of that continues to this day, but I truly love the people I met and learned from while at Tabor.”