Steve Varsano, an Embry‑Riddle Aeronautical University Trustee and CEO of The Jet Business, met with several David B. O'Maley College of Business students on April 1 for a roundtable discussion on corporate aviation and private jet sales.

Varsano, a 1977 Embry‑Riddle graduate and internationally recognized executive and entrepreneur, shared a presentation on the corporate jet market, recounting stories from his decades of experience working in the aviation business. His presentation was followed by a question-and-answer session with students.

“If it weren't for Embry Riddle, I wouldn't have had the start of my career and network,” said Varsano.

He credited Embry‑Riddle with giving him an entrance into the world of aviation business, which included internships at St. Pete-Clearwater International Airport and the American Association of Airport Executives.

After graduation, Varsano worked at the General Aviation Manufacturers Association, a Washington, D.C.-based trade group. He later moved into jet sales at U.S. Aircraft Sales and the CMI Aircraft Fund. In 2011, he founded , the world’s first and only street-level aviation showroom for corporate jet aircraft, based in London.

“In the entrepreneurial world, when you make the decision to go forward, you really have to make the decision to go forward,” he said. “I mean, you are all in.

Varsano, who is a pilot, also talked about his lifelong love of aviation. Originally from New York City, he was 14 years old when a friend’s brother took him up for his first airplane ride in a Cessna.

“I went up for a ride, and I just fell in love," said Varsano, who worked as a dishwasher to pay for flying lessons and earned his pilot’s license at 17.

That love of flying is critical in his business and in talking with clients, he said. It is important for an employee to be good at sales and have a wide contact base, but if they don’t love aviation, clients can sense that.

“The key is, 'Do you have aviation in your blood,'" said Varsano. “If you have that passion for airplanes and aviation, it comes across, and when you talk to somebody, they want to engage with you. It’s just that little extra piece that you can't teach.”