New Business Aviation Group Forms in Nevada

January 24, 2013

Business aviation has a new advocate in the state of Nevada.

The Nevada Business Aviation Association (NVBAA), which formed last December, recently held its first membership meeting in Las Vegas, and in less than a month, more than 60 members have joined the new group.

“Our mission is to serve and enhance the industry in the state of Nevada,” said Reza Karamooz, president of the new association and CEO of Las Vegas-based Lucky Jets, an aircraft charter brokerage company. “We have never had this type of organization in our state.”

Karamooz noted that Stacy Howard, NBAA‘s regional representative for the Western region, was instrumental in “igniting” the spark that led to the formation of NVBAA.

“Nevada is a growth environment for business aviation, and there is great enthusiasm among the new members of the Nevada Business Aviation Association,” said Howard. “The formation of NVBAA is especially timely. There will be some legislative initiatives proposed during the state‘s 2013 session which could benefit business aviation in Nevada. This group can help give voice to those concerns.”

Indeed, staying on top of legislative issuesis a key goal of the new group, said Karamooz. NVBAA also wants to start mentoring younger people about the business aviation industry, and become a reliable, go-to source for reporters seeking Nevada aviation-related information.

NVBAA is in the process of forming a number of committees, including membership, finance, safety and operations, events and communications. Karamooz said that the group hopes to start holding fundraisers, educational events and other functions in the near future.

Although Las Vegas has a large number of business aircraft operators, Karamooz stressed that NVBAA strives to represent industry interests from all across Nevada.

“We are not a Las Vegas association,” said Karamooz. “We are a Nevada association.” He noted that NVBAA already has the support of the Nevada Department of Transportation and interest from the governor‘s office.

Other officers of NVBAA are Dion Glenn, vice president (and flight operations support manager for Fertitta Enterprises); Justine Harrison, secretary (and an attorney with Harrison Counsel) and Bill Couture, treasurer (and operations manager at MGM Resorts Aviation).

NVBAA meetings will be held around the state on the third Wednesday of every month, with the next meeting scheduled for Feb. 20 at a to-be-determined location. For more information about NVBAA, visit www.nvbaa.com.