William Harton: Born Into the Business
Senior Vice President–Development
Hawthorne Global Aviation Services
Age: 35
Years in Aviation: 13
Memberships: NBAA, NATA, AAAE and Wings Club
Did you know?
When Harton isn’t working, he’s spending time with his two beautiful daughters.
William Harton was born into the aviation business. He’s actually third generation in general aviation services as his grandfather started with Hawthorne in the 40s and his father in the late 60s. His father, Dean Harton, was the architect of Piedmont Hawthorne/Landmark Aviation serving as president/CEO and eventually vice-chairman when it was sold to Dubai Aerospace/Encore in 2007. With more than 12 years of experience in the aviation industry, Harton joined Hawthorne Global Aviation Services at its inception in 2011 and is currently serving as senior vice president of development for the Charleston, SC-based company, where he leads the company’s acquisition efforts. Hawthorne is a premier provider of general aviation services with a rich history in the industry dating back to 1932. Harton has put his extensive background with mergers and acquisitions to use managing all four key acquisitions and development projects for the company. These include Hawthorne’s acquisition of Heartland Aviation’s FBO at Chippewa Valley Regional Airport in Eau Claire, Wis. in October of 2014; Atlanta Executive Jet Center’s FBO at Cobb County International Airport in July of 2014 and FBO development rights for Chicago Executive Airport in May 2013. In January of 2012, he also led the acquisition process for ExcelAire LLC , a FBO and aircraft charter and management company located at MacArthur Airport on Long Island, NY. Prior to joining Hawthorne Global Aviation Services, he joined Hawthorne Corporation in 2006 as vice president, where he managed various financial sponsors on an international scale, including Europe, the Middle East and India. Prior to working with Hawthorne Global Aviation, Harton served as assistant vice president/aviation insurance broker, for Marsh Aviation in its New York City office. At Marsh, he specialized in aerospace products and worked for several years with private equity/mergers and acquisitions due diligence teams for Fortune 200 aerospace manufacturers and aircraft leasing companies. Harton is a graduate of Duke University with a Bachelor’s degree in History.
