jack risko

Jack Risko is President and CEO of Windstar Capital Advisors LLC, a firm specializing in managing, advising and investing in both growth companies and companies facing restructuring issues. He is also Chairman and CEO of AeroTrade Holdings, a company specializing in the sales, trading and leasing of commercial aircraft engines. Jack has a broad background as both a CEO and a financial advisor and investor. Most recently he has served as Chairman and CEO of AeroThrust Corporation of Miami, FL, historically the largest independent servicer of Pratt & Whitney JT8D engines for airlines around the world. As a leading global MRO company, AeroThrust is a major manufacturer and remanufacturer of complex and highly engineered engine components for the global aerospace industry. After acquiring the unprofitable company from Saab AB of Sweden in 2001, Mr. Risko replaced senior management, turned the company around, restored profitability, and over the next five years tripled sales and increased the company’s net worth tenfold. Mr. Risko spearheaded the Company’s marketing initiative into the BRIC countries, and its successful expansion into new product lines. He further restructured the company in the recent recession, which concluded with a successful sale of the company to another private equity firm. Mr. Risko previously served as Chairman and CEO of another industrial company, National Airmotive Corporation of Oakland, CA. In that situation, he negotiated the LBO purchase of the company, restructured management, restored its profitability, successfully concluded an intrusive government investigation, restructured and renegotiated the company’s bank and trade debt, added new product lines, and executed an acquisition of a related company. Mr. Risko spearheaded the company’s efforts to conclude an IPO for the $250MM company, which it consummated less than two years after the LBO. NAC was subsequently sold to Rolls Royce plc. Mr. Risko has also participated as an early investor and/or CEO or COO in a number of e-commerce and technology firms including iSolve, software.com, POGO Jet, ForMyCause.com and a number of other firms. In addition to start-ups, Mr. Risko also has extensive experience at the back end of the company life-cycle, and has advised companies in Chapter 11 and Chapter 7 situations. He has also served on a number of Boards of Directors of public and private companies, including First Aviation Services, Inc. and New Vision Television LLC.