Private Jet Center (PJC) Names Industry Veteran Chip Schultz as Chief Executive Officer

PITTSBURGH--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Jul 22, 2026--

Private Jet Center (PJC), one of the nation's fastest-growing private aviation companies, today announced the appointment of Chip Schultz as Chief Executive Officer, marking a significant milestone in the company's continued expansion and evolution.

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What began two decades ago as a single fixed-base operator outside Pittsburgh, then known as Pittsburgh Jet Center, has since evolved into one of the country's leading Part 135 operators, providing incredible levels of safety and service. Today PJC is among the top 30 operators nationwide, with more than 8,000 hours annually. As demand for private aviation continues to grow, PJC is accelerating its expansion while investing in its people, processes, and technology to strengthen safety oversight, operational excellence, and client satisfaction — all while remaining true to the core values that have guided the company since its founding.

Most recently, PJC successfully renewed its coveted ARGUS Platinum Certification, one of the aviation industry's highest third-party safety distinctions. The renewal followed an extensive audit process that included months of preparation and a comprehensive on-site review of the company's operations, maintenance, safety, and compliance programs.

PJC's growth has been driven by a vertically integrated business model that combines aircraft management, Jet Card, charter operations, maintenance, fixed-base operations, and pilot resources under one organization. This dynamic ecosystem allows PJC to deliver consistent service, operational efficiency, and scalability for both aircraft owners and charter clients. The model is further strengthened through PJC's partnership with Jets.com, providing clients access to a large network and a seamless pathway from charter flying to aircraft ownership and management.

Schultz joins PJC with more than two decades of aviation leadership experience spanning flight operations, safety, and executive management. Most recently, he served as Senior Vice President of Operations at flyExclusive, where he led operations for over 300 pilots and helped fuel the growth of its 100-aircraft fleet. Prior to that, he held senior positions with Northern Jet Management and TMC Jets, leading significant safety and growth initiatives. An accomplished pilot and U.S. Navy veteran, Schultz holds multiple type ratings and has accumulated more than 6,800 flight hours throughout his career including at Mesaba Airlines, Comair and Frontier Airlines.

"What drew me most to PJC wasn't just the progress the company has already made—it was the clear sense that this is a place where people matter, where doing things the right way is the only way, and where the culture is something you can feel in a conversation," said Schultz. "Three things will guide everything I do here: safety, service, and culture. Real safety lives in the daily choices we make and the culture that empowers everyone to speak up. Growth only makes sense if it improves the experience people have come to expect from PJC, and my job is to help channel the energy this team already has into results we can all be proud of as we scale."

Dan Satterlund, co-owner of PJC and Chief Operating Officer of Jets.com, welcomed Schultz to the role. "Chip is exactly the kind of leader PJC needs right now. His operational expertise, safety background, and commitment to culture make him uniquely qualified to lead this next chapter in our growth. His leadership will help us solidify our services and bring PJC and Jets.com even closer together.“

Today, PJC enters its next chapter with a top-tier operational platform, renewed ARGUS Platinum certification, a scalable vertically integrated business model, and a growing aircraft management pipeline. Under Schultz's leadership, the company is poised to continue its trajectory as one of private aviation's most dynamic and respected operators.

About Private Jet Center

Founded in 2006, Private Jet Center (PJC) is a leading provider of aircraft management, private jet charter, maintenance, and fixed-base operations. Headquartered in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, PJC operates a growing fleet of managed aircraft and serves clients throughout North America. Through its vertically integrated operating model and commitment to safety, service, and operational excellence, PJC delivers customized aviation solutions for aircraft owners and charter clients alike.

One of the nation's leading Part 135 operators, Private Jet Center (PJC), welcomes industry veteran Chip Schultz as Chief Executive Officer

COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) — Marcus L. Martin felt instant trepidation Sunday when he saw five adults wading thigh- and waist-deep in the Scioto River. A frequent boater on the Ohio waterway, the Baptist pastor knew the area where they were standing to be treacherous. He believes the people he captured in a photo to be the ill-fated group that drowned that day.

“I just remember being taught that area was kind of dangerous, in the sense of there being steep slopes” and a quick drop-off into the river, he told The Associated Press. A few years earlier, Martin had warned a pair of young people playing in the water at that same spot to “be very careful.”

He saw five adults in the water and two children playing on the grassy bank nearby, tracking the description of the group provided by Delaware County authorities after the drownings.

Martin and his family floated away to enjoy a beautiful summer evening. But when they returned past the spot about two hours later and saw the group still wading in the river, Martin thought to snap a photo.

“I don't know what it was. I said, I just need to capture this picture,” he said.

Martin said he knows the area well from 10 years of boating there and considered warning the people of the potential danger. But, unlike when he'd warned the two people earlier, there were two or three boats between him and them and he didn't want to cross between them and cause too many waves in the water.

He's been losing sleep over the decision since news broke of five people drowning that afternoon. It feels “surreal,” he said.

“I believe the picture I took may have been the last picture of them being alive,” he said.

Delaware County Sheriff Jeffrey Balzer has said authorities believe one of the adults began struggling to swim and the others successively went to that person's aid. All five were swept under and died. The two women’s bodies were recovered Sunday and the three other bodies a day later.

Neither Balzer's office nor the local EMS agency immediately responded to requests for verification of the photo and those who appear in it.

Martin said he feels certain the group he photographed is of the five people who perished Sunday; it's rare to see people fishing or swimming in that stretch of the river. He said he attempted to share the picture with both law enforcement and a news reporter at the scene the day after the drownings, but no one seemed interested.

Honduran authorities confirmed Tuesday that four of the five adults were Honduran citizens. One was Jose Mario Pineda Dias, 33, another his wife Marina Suyapa Regalado, 28. Pineda was from the department of Lempira and Suyapa from the department of Cortés, according to Flabia Zamora, director of consular affairs at the Honduran Foreign Ministry.

The names of the other couple and the fifth individual would be released once their families could be notified of their deaths, a spokesperson for Balzer said Wednesday.

A Honduran embassy said the government is in contact with the victims' families and assisting local authorities in verifying their identities. In a statement, it added that Honduras stands ready to repatriate any of the victims should relatives request that — a process that could take six weeks.

An 8-year-old and a 10-year-old, children of one of the couples, were orphaned by the tragedy. A boy shouting for his mother was spotted by a passing driver on the day of the accident and reported to 911.

Scott Varner, a spokesman for Franklin County Children Services, said the youngsters have been in the agency's care since Monday and that they are working with relatives and family friends in Columbus who are providing them with a temporary home. The children were provided with therapy dogs as they coped with the trauma, he said.

The Honduran embassy statement said the consulate has checked in with family members about their well-being and stands ready to help once relatives make a decision on next steps for the children.

The Scioto River is seen near Hayden Falls Reserve on Tuesday, July 21, 2026, in Dublin, Ohio. (AP Photo/Patrick Aftoora-Orsagos)

Signs are posted inside the Riverside Dr Scioto Fishing Area on Tuesday, July 21, 2026, in Powell, Ohio. (AP Photo/Patrick Aftoora-Orsagos)

In this photo provided by Pastor Marcus L. Martin, a group of people he believes were those who died in a recent drowning accident, are shown fishing along the Scioto river in Powell, Ohio, Sunday, July 19, 2026. (Pastor Marcus L. Martin via AP)

In this photo provided by Pastor Marcus L. Martin, a group of people he believes were those who died in a recent drowning accident, are shown fishing along the Scioto river in Powell, Ohio, Sunday, July 19, 2026. (Pastor Marcus L. Martin via AP)