Infinity Aviation Group Names Justin Pridgeon General Manager of Vero Beach FBO
Why It MattersFBO groups are competing on facility depth and management continuity, with hangar capacity, customs access and a local operator's experience standing in for the fuel margin that no longer differentiates a ramp.
What happened
Infinity Aviation Group has appointed Justin Pridgeon as general manager of its FBO in Vero Beach, Florida. Pridgeon has more than 20 years of experience in the FBO industry. He previously held various management roles at Corporate Air FBO, which was founded by his father, Rodger Pridgeon, and most recently served there as service line manager.
Infinity Aviation Group CEO Steven Levesque said the company was pleased to have Pridgeon join, citing his extensive experience managing the facility. Levesque expressed confidence that the Vero Beach FBO would quickly become South Florida's preferred destination for private jet travellers, and said the group plans to keep expanding the facility, adding hangar space and services.
The Infinity Aviation Vero Beach FBO has a 5,000 sq ft terminal with a passenger lounge, plus a crew lounge with private bathroom, shower and snooze room, an eat-in kitchen and a 12-seat conference room. It also houses a 3,800 sq ft US Customs and Border Protection facility. Eight hangars totalling more than 106,500 sq ft can accommodate aircraft such as the Gulfstream G700 or Bombardier Global 7500, and the FBO offers direct access to a 350,000 sq ft ramp area and full ground support services.
Beyond Vero Beach (VRB), Infinity Aviation operates an FBO in Nashua, New Hampshire, a public-use general aviation airport 45 miles from downtown Boston, and an FBO at Trenton-Mercer Airport in New Jersey. The group is headquartered in downtown Charleston, North Carolina.
Industry impact & what to watch
Hiring a manager who already ran the facility under its previous operating name is a common way for an FBO group to take over a site without a break in how crews and passengers are handled. In a segment where fuel is largely priced against the same wholesale benchmarks everywhere, continuity of the people on the ramp and at the desk is one of the few things a customer can actually notice from one visit to the next.
The facility description points to where such groups put their capital. Hangar space for ultra-long-range types, an on-site customs facility and a large ramp are the assets that decide whether an FBO can hold based aircraft and international arrivals, as opposed to fuel stops. Those assets also take time and money to add, which is why Levesque's stated plan to add hangar space and services is the part of the announcement that would change the site's competitive position.
The next concrete milestone is any announcement of new hangar capacity or services at Vero Beach, since that is the commitment the CEO tied to the appointment.
