Key Personnel

Fred J. Klein

Fred Klein, President and a founder of Aviation Specialists Group, Inc., has been involved in the asset-based finance industry since the mid-1970s with special emphasis on aircraft financing.  He has extensive experience with projects involving asset valuations, residual value forecasting, operating and finance lease negotiations, risk assessment, problem deal workouts and equipment sales.  He is a frequent industry speaker, has published articles in publications including Commercial Aviation Report, Commuter/Regional Airline News, Aircraft Economics and the Handbook of Airline Marketing and wrote a regular column for the Equipment Financing Journal

Mr. Klein became an ISTAT (International Society of Transport Aircraft Trading) Certified Appraiser in  1997, a Senior Appraiser in 2006 and now holds the designation Appraiser Fellow.  He served on the ISTAT Board of Directors from 1998 to 2012 and was on the ISTAT International Appraisers Board of Governors from 2007 to 2012, the last three years as its Chairman.  He was also Chairman of ISTAT’s annual North American conferences in 2003, 2004 and 2005.

Prior to founding Aviation Specialists Group in 1996, Mr. Klein spent seven years with aviation consulting firm Avitas.  As Vice President - Valuations, he headed the team which performed aircraft, engine and aviation asset appraisals, undertook special studies and projects and provided lease/loan analysis and negotiation expertise.  Before that, Mr. Klein was Vice President - Marketing in which capacity he headed the company’s sales and marketing group, performed special projects for clients and made frequent industry presentations.

He began his finance career with Greyhound Leasing & Financial Corporation in 1974 where he worked in all phases of the asset finance business including asset management, credit, marketing and problem deal workouts in North America, Europe and Asia. ­ From 1976 to 1980, Mr. Klein worked in Tokyo as Managing Director of Century Greyhound Leasing, an aircraft and ship finance joint venture with DKB, C. Itoh, Bank of Tokyo and LTCB.  In 1984, he undertook a special assignment as Shipping Director of Greyhound's European subsidiary where he handled all aspects of the company's ship finance portfolio and headed the company’s offices in Zug and Piraeus.  Upon returning to Greyhound Financial in Phoenix, he was appointed Vice President - Asset Marketing.  As head of the Asset Management Group, Mr. Klein was responsible for all asset valuations, equipment sales and field inspection programs as well as marketing the company's transportation finance products.  He was also frequently involved in problem transaction workouts.

Mr. Klein holds a B.A. in Economics from Dartmouth College and an M.B.A. in Finance from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.