History

Hawthorne Corporation was founded in 1932 in Charleston, South Carolina as an aviation service company and expanded into defense contracting during World War II. Beginning in the 1960's, Hawthorne began acquiring businesses in other industries that led to ownership of trucking, finance, automobile, industrial, real estate and recreation companies. Throughout this diversification, Hawthorne maintained its aviation roots and in 1991, Dean Harton initiated a growth program that culminated in the Carlyle Group-sponsored acquisition/merger with Piedmont Aviation in 1998. In the following years, the newly created Piedmont Hawthorne to grow internally as well as through major acquisitions including Associated Air Center and Garrett Aviation Services. Operating under the name Landmark Aviation, the company is now the second-largest general aviation service provider in North America. During the same period, the financial arm of Hawthorne Corporation grew significantly with the creation of Hawthorne Investment Banking in 1995. HIB led or advised on transactions on a global scale across multiple industries ranging from aviation to retail and manufacturing. Today Hawthorne Corporation is well positioned to capitalize on its rich history, excellent reputation, vast experience, and global contacts.