Steve Varsano (’77, DB) is the founder and CEO of The Jet Business, the world’s first and only street-level aviation showroom for corporate jet aircraft.
An internationally recognized executive and entrepreneur, Varsano started his career in marketing, buying and selling corporate jets 40 years ago. His London-based firm and showroom have been the subject of extensive profiles by The New York Times, the BBC, Forbes, and The Sunday Times, among others, and he is often sought by media for discussions on trends in business aviation. Varsano is a former board member of private jet charter company XOJET and the spaceflight firm Virgin Galactic.
He is also the founder of the Atlantis 2000 Group, a consulting firm established in 1993 to seek merger and acquisition opportunities for companies in the real estate, aviation, and restaurant sectors. Over the course of his career, he has served as Chief Operations Officer at Mountleigh International, Senior Vice President at investment firm Triarc and Triangle Companies, and Head of Business Development for the international restaurant conglomerate Yum! Brands.
Originally from New York City, Varsano first found inspiration in the skies at age 14, when a friend’s brother took him on a flight in a four-seater Cessna. Working as a dishwasher to pay for flying lessons, he soloed at 16 and earned his pilot’s license at 17.
Varsano subsequently pursued a degree at Embry‑Riddle, Daytona Beach, earning a B.S. in Aeronautical Studies in 1977. His Embry-Riddle experience included cooperative education internships with the St. Petersburg-Clearwater International Airport and the American Association of Airport Executives in Washington, D.C.
After graduation, Varsano joined the Washington-based General Aviation Manufacturers Association, where he oversaw the trade group’s Statistics/Forecasting and Airport/Airways committees.
His jet brokerage career started at U.S. Aircraft Sales, a private aircraft firm based in McLean, Virginia, where he became sales director. He later served as national sales director for the CMI Aircraft Fund.
Over the course of his career, Varsano has brokered hundreds of aircraft, generating billions of dollars in sales. He is also a commercial instrument-rated pilot of both single- and multi-engine aircraft.
Inspired by the idea for a private aircraft showroom, Varsano opened The Jet Business in 2011 in London’s Knightsbridge district.
Aimed at the large-cabin and ultra-long-range aircraft market, The Jet Business features a full-size Airbus Corporate Jet ACJ319 interior cross section mockup. The company also boasts one of the most detailed and advanced libraries of jet model data, including full-size schematics, images, videos, brand histories, and real-time product statistics. An in-house application allows this information to be shared with customers on a large video wall, giving clients a truly experiential buying process.
Varsano credits Embry-Riddle for giving him the foundation and foothold he needed to enter the aviation business. In turn, he aims to provide opportunities to the next generation. The Jet Business has hosted a number of interns, teaching them about the corporate aircraft marketplace, industry research, and the complexities of the sales process. This includes dealing with the most demanding client base from almost every industry sector, as well as clients who hail from different regions and cultures across the world.
“We like individuals to come here with a passion for aviation. In fact, it is really essential. If aviation is flowing in their arteries, the learning curve is exponentially enhanced,” he said.
