Emery Aviation history

In 1960, Ira Hartzog formed Hartzog Aviation and acquired the former Illini Aviation, becoming one of the first distributors for Beech Aircraft in the Midwest.

In 1961, the year Emery relocated headquarters to a leased office building in Wilton, Connecticut, Emery acquired ground facilities at Bradley Air Field in Hartford, Connecticut.

A major turning point for the institute came in 1963 when a former Navy Commander, with a notable aviation record of his own, was named President.

The nearest competitor was the Air Express division of John Emery’s former employer, Railway Express, but Emery’s $38.5 million in revenues for 1964 exceeded those of the four nearest competitors combined.

By 1965 Emery Air Freight was “the tallest midget” among air freight-forwarders, John Emery, Sr. told Business Week.

In 1970, the name changed to Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University – which is now recognized worldwide as the unrivaled pinnacle in aviation and aerospace education.

Concurrently, in 1972, the Thomas family created the Poplar Grove Airport just east of Rockford.

19, 1974; “The Emery Overnight Express,” Business Week, Sept.

REA Express Inc., John Emery Sr.'s former company, went out of business in 1975, leaving the field open to Emery and a newcomer, Federal Express Corporation.

In 1978, two years after Federal Express became profitable under the leadership of its president, Arthur C. Bass, Emery started a small-package business.

In 1981 Emery, rechristened Emery Worldwide, bought 24 Boeing 727 freighters and leased 40 other planes, taking on a long-term debt of $130 million—more than 60 percent of the company’s total capital.

Profits rose 145 percent in 1983 to a record $25 million and yielded record revenues of $683 million.

In 1985 Emery opened a European hub in the Netherlands, leasing cargo planes to fly there nonstop from Dayton.

By mid-1986 Purolator Courier Corporation, the fourth-largest ground-only company among United States carriers, was losing money badly.

Emery bought Purolator for $323 million in April of 1987 to handle small-package capacities, but the purchase was too late.

18, 1988; “The Big Guns Aiming at Emery Air,” Business Week, Feb.

The California company bought Emery on April 3, 1989, for $478 million.

On July 30, 1990, Scott, yet another casualty in the ongoing effort to revive Emery’s success, resigned as CEO of Consolidated Freightways, Inc. after 23 years with the company, including two years with Emery in tow.

Bass was replaced in March of 1991 by W. Roger Curry as part of a new Consolidated management team headed by new president and CEO, retired former chief financial officer, Donald E. Moffitt.

In September 1992 Emery reported its first monthly profit since being acquired by Consolidated.

In 1993 the company reported $1.3 billion in revenues.

From this secure position, Emery raised its rates 7.2 percent in October 1994.

In 1995 the company launched Emery Expedite! to provide quick-response, door-to-door service using trucks, aircraft charters, and next-flight-out air transport.

A $1.7 billion contract to run the USPS Priority Mail service on the east coast was awarded to Emery in 1997.

In 1998, the Thomas family, owners of the Poplar Grove Airport, bought Emery Air Charter, expanding their offerings in the Rockford area.

Then in 2003, Emery Air Charter acquired the Raytheon facility, consolidating all the services, and becoming one of the largest aviation service companies in the Midwest.

In 2006, Emery Air expanded again, adding Regional Airline service, and now specializes in the Embraer and Bombardier CRJ family of regional airliners, as well as other corporate/RJ maintenance.

Airfreight numbers grew by more than 15% to 2.7 billion pounds of freight that has landed and traveled through RFD compared to 2.3 billion pounds in 2019.