STEVEN MARKHOFF, Esq.
214-***-**** ******.********@*****.***
Wellington, Florida
Aviation Executive uniquely qualified with both extensive C level and General
Counsel operational business experience in complex financing, mergers & acquisitions,
corporate finance, corporate governance, complex litigation and labor negotiations
Accomplished executive and General Counsel with cross-functional P&L experience in both start-
up and established organizations. General Counsel at numerous publicly traded airlines with broad
transactional, contract and supply chain, fleet acquisition and labor negotiation experience in the
major airline, regional carrier and air cargo industries. Strategic, no-nonsense and energetic front-
line leadership style focused on driving organizational change, improving operational performance
and increasing profitability.
Mergers & Acquisitions Team Leadership Litigation management
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Complex Financings Complex negotiations Capital Raising
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SEC expertise Vendor Management Labor law & relations
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Career Highlights
Operational – COO at Kitty Hawk, managed all airline and hub operations. Led re-fleeting
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of Hawaiian Airlines with new delivery fuel-efficient B767 and B717 fleets, negotiated
financing, leases and managed fleet induction. Restructured Hawaiians flight, maintenance,
inflight and ground operations as part of fleet renewal program. Led union negotiations at
Kitty Hawk for 10-year collective bargaining agreement. Negotiated CRJ-200 Regional Jet
acquisitions for Mesa Air Group
Corporate Finance oversaw numerous capital raises from both institutional and private
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equity investors. Negotiated over $2 billion in leveraged lease financing. Managed listing
of company onto the American Stock Exchange. Negotiated $1 billion interest rate hedge
for aircraft debt. Led Kitty Hawk’s listing on AMEX
SEC responsible for all SEC filings while General Counsel including 10K’s, 10Q’s S-4’s,
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Proxy Statements, 8K’s. Managed Sarbanes Oxley implementation. Oversaw Board
governance issues.
Corporate Governance Corporate Secretary to numerous publicly traded companies.
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Working with boards oversaw corporate governance issues including shareholder rights
plans and Sarbanes Oxley implementation.
Mergers & Acquisitions negotiated and led acquisition of one publicly traded airline by
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another publicly traded airline. Identified and led purchase of West Coast trucking company
by a publicly traded cargo airline, raised $15 million in equity financing to support the
acquisition. Negotiated and led acquisition of luxury charter airline.
Labor Negotiations Led union negotiations at Kitty Hawk for 10-year collective bargaining
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agreement with the pilot group.
New Business Development – At eJet Aviation, led start-up global maintenance company in
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partnership with Lufthansa Technik. Developed business plan, raised funding, and built
company to profitability. At Kitty Hawk, initiated strategic partnerships with UPS and
USPS that drove material revenue and profitability gains. Diversified Kitty Hawk’s revenue
by building coast-to-coast trucking network.
EXECUTIVE HIGHLIGHTS
SKY ONE HOLDINGS, LLC Ft. Lauderdale, FL
d/b/a Sky Limo Air Charter
President, General Counsel & Secretary April 2013 – January 2014
Engaged by private investment bank to complete due diligence, financial analysis and acquisition
of merchant banking acquisition of luxury private jet charter operation with 15 aircraft. Elected as
President & General Counsel to stabilize the company and oversee the transition. Stabilized
company from significant cash losses to break even in 5 months.
EJET AVIATION HOLDINGS Wellington, FL
President, CEO, General Counsel & Secretary April 2008 to June 2013
Co-founded and led development of a maintenance services company focused on airliners operated
in VIP configurations. Developed extensive strategic partnership with Lufthansa Group to provide
global maintenance, logistics and technical support. Between 2009 and 2013, built a customer
base in Europe, Asia and the United States by offering airline-style fixed-cost coverage of parts,
engines, and APUs for Boeing, Airbus and Bombardier aircraft.
Developed business plan and raised funding from private investors
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Negotiated extensive global partnership with Lufthansa Group
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Directed sales and support activities worldwide
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Achieved profitability and sustained growth
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KITTY HAWK CARGO Dallas, TX
Chief Operating Officer, General Counsel & Secretary May 2006 to November 2007
Senior Vice President Strategic Planning & General Counsel March 2003 to May 2006
Led and managed all aspects of scheduled nationwide heavyweight freight overnight air network
with hub and sort facility in Ft. Wayne, Indiana. Managed all corporate finance and corporate
governance issues. Oversaw all SEC filings. Managed a full transformation of the business
including fleet renewal, acquisitions, labor negotiations and initial AMEX listing.
In first 60 days as COO, increased average yield by 15% and reduced air and ground
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network expenses by $20 million per year
Negotiated and secured US Postal Service contract to carry 3 million pounds of mail per
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day of holiday mail resulting in a $13.3 million net profit in 3 weeks
Managed initial listing of the company on the AMEX
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Negotiated and led financing of $15 million convertible preferred financing and $25
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million credit facilities to acquire and expand airport-to-airport trucking network
Re-fleeted the airline from legacy 727 freighters with modern Boeing 737 fleet
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Led sales team, oversaw hub operations, managed all legal affairs, and managed complex
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labor negotiations that resulted in industry-leading 10 year contract
Led acquisition of West Coast trucking company
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Boeing 737 Captain qualified
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INTENRATIONAL MANAGEMENT SOLUTIONS Dallas, TX
President April 2002 to March 2003
Financial, operations and management advisor for airlines, aviation related companies and
distressed companies. Led due diligence of aircraft manufacturing company for investment
fairness opinion. Provided contract finance and general counsel duties to small companies.
HAWAIIAN AIRLINES Honolulu, HI
Vice President, Acquisitions November 1999 to April 2002
Tasked with complete fleet renewal of the airline and ETOPS program management. Granted
complete profit and loss responsibility for the purchase, financing and operational induction of 16
Boeing 767-300ER’s and 13 Boeing 717’s.
Negotiated purchase contract and sale/leaseback with Boeing for 25 aircraft.
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Negotiated leveraged lease financing of 25 new Boeing aircraft
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Negotiated all vendor contracts related to the new fleets including maintenance, flight
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operations, training and ground operations
Managed aircraft configuration, including buyer options, cabin interior, avionics options
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and the FAA approved maintenance plan for the new fleets,
Managed all pilot, flight attendant and maintenance training
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Negotiated $70 million in off-balance sheet financing for spare parts
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Management responsibility for operational integration team that successfully placed the
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717 and 767 fleets into service on time and under allocated budget
Re-engineered maintenance operations moving from high cost in-house labor to cost
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efficient cost per flight hour maintenance support for both new fleets, achieving some of
the lowest maintenance costs in the industry
Successfully led ETOPS certification team that became the first US airline to ever be
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granted 180 minute ETOPS upon initial certification.
MESA AIR GROUP Phoenix, AZ
Counsel & Secretary August 1998 to October 1999
Mesa Air Group is a regional airline that was operating as USAir Express, United Express and
America West Express.
Oversaw all legal matters, SEC filings for parent and subsidiaries operating 150 aircraft
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across the US
Directed and managed the acquisition of CCAir, a publicly traded USAirways Express
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carrier based in Charlotte, North Carolina
Negotiated leveraged lease financing for new CRJ-200 aircraft
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Responsible for oversight of all FAA regulatory matters, labor and employment law
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matters, insurance and corporate governance
KIWI INTERNATIONAL AIRLINES Newark, NJ
General Counsel & Secretary February 1997 to August 1998
Kiwi was a startup Low Cost Carrier based at Newark airport operating Boeing 727’s in the New
York-Chicago-Florida triangle. …
Led aircraft leasing negotiations, collective bargaining negotiations, oversaw all legal and
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FAA matters.
Responsible for strategic planning. Created strategic alliance with a large East Coast tour
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operator resulting in a 15% increase in revenue.
Created and implemented internal FAA compliance audits for flight and maintenance
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operations.
VALUJET AIRLINES Atlanta, GA
General Counsel May 1995 to December 1996
ValuJet was a publicly-traded low-cost carrier based in Atlanta that later became AirTran Airways
which was recently acquired by Southwest Airlines
Oversaw all legal and FAA matters including all matters relating to the 1996 fatal crash of
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flight 592
Managed complex litigation resulting from the crash including shareholder lawsuits,
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wrongful lawsuits and insurance litigation
Directed DOT Fitness recertification of the airline and managed NTSB investigations
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Directed internal FAA compliance audits for maintenance and flight operations
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Managed all collective bargaining, labor and employee issues.
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Directed government affairs
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Education
Brooklyn Law School, Juris Doctorate 1994
Concentrations in corporate law and finance
Admitted to practice in New Jersey
American College in Paris and State University of New York – Albany 1989
B.A. in Political Science
Airline Transport Rating, Type Rated Boeing 737 and FAA 121 Line Qualified