{{Short description|American entrepreneur (born 1968)}} {{Infobox person | name = Kenny Dichter | image = | birth_date = {{birth date and age|1968|01|16}} | birth_place = | citizenship = United States | education = [[University of Wisconsin]] (B.A., 1990)<ref name = uwa>{{cite web | url = http://www.uwalumni.com/awards/forward_dichter/ | publisher = University of Wisconsin | title = Awards - Kenny Dichter | accessdate = 26 July 2019}}</ref> | occupation = Founder of [[Wheels Up]], Entrepreneur | children = | parents = | spouse = }} '''Kenny Dichter''' (born January 16, 1968) is an American entrepreneur and the founder and chairman of [https://realslx.com/ REAL SLX], a sports and lifestyle experience platform launched in September 2024 and [https://realjet.com/ REAL JET], a global private aviation brokerage launched in May 2025. REAL SLX is built to put its members at the right events, in the right seats, next to the right people. REAL JET serves its customers in the same way—by connecting flyers with the right companies, the right aircraft, and the right people. He is also the founder of [[Wheels Up]],<ref>{{Cite web |title=Experience Matters |url=https://wheelsup.com/company/leadership/ |access-date=2016-06-15 |website=wheelsup.com}}</ref> a publicly traded private aviation company, and co-founder of Alphabet City Sports Records, [[Marquis Jet]], and [[Avión tequila|Tequila Avión]].
== Career ==
=== Alphabet City Sports Records === After graduating from the University of Wisconsin in 1990, Dichter founded Alphabet City Sports Records with friend [[Jesse Itzler]].<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.uwalumni.com/awards/forward_dichter/|title=Kenny Dichter '90|date=2008-03-01|website=Wisconsin Alumni Association|language=en-US|access-date=2016-06-15}}</ref> The label focused on creating and selling songs that were frequently heard in sports stadiums and arenas.<ref>{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=pA8EAAAAMBAJ|title=Billboard|date=1997-05-17|publisher=Nielsen Business Media, Inc.|language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=http://nymag.com/daily/sports/2011/10/the-tale-of-go-ny-go-.html|title=The Tale of 'Go NY Go'|last=Rosenthal|first=Seth|website=The Sports Section|access-date=2016-06-15|archive-date=2016-08-10|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160810195033/http://nymag.com/daily/sports/2011/10/the-tale-of-go-ny-go-.html|url-status=dead}}</ref> The firm was eventually sold to [[SFX Entertainment]] in 1998 for $4.3 million in cash and stock.
=== Marquis Jet === Dichter founded Marquis Jet in 2001, the first fractional card jet program. By 2007, the firm was turning over more than $700 million per year from its 3,500 customers.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.ainonline.com/aviation-news/aviation-international-news/2011-08-31/marquis-jet-founder-kenny-dichter-resigns-netjets|title=Marquis Jet founder Kenny Dichter resigns from NetJets|website=Aviation International News|access-date=2016-06-15}}</ref> In November 2010, Dichter sold [[Marquis Jet]]<ref>{{cite web |last1=Ginsberg |first1=Leah |title=How this founder convinced Warren Buffett to work with him—and built 2 multimillion-dollar businesses |url=https://www.cnbc.com/2017/12/01/how-kenny-dichter-built-wheels-up-into-a-multimillion-dollar-business.html |website=CNBC |access-date=26 July 2021}}</ref> to [[NetJets]], a subsidiary of [[Warren Buffett]]'s [[Berkshire Hathaway]].<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.reuters.com/article/us-berkshire-netjets-idUSTRE6A344W20101104|title=Berkshire's NetJets buys Marquis Jet card company|date=2010-11-04|newspaper=Reuters|access-date=2016-06-15}}</ref>
===Tequila Avión=== Tequila Avión, a brand of [[tequila]], was founded by Dichter and Ken Austin.<ref name = huffpost>{{Cite web|url=http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2015/05/05/tequila-avion-entourage_n_7216748.html|title=This Marketing Strategy Was So Perfect, Customers Thought The Product Was Fake|publisher=HuffPost Live|access-date=2016-06-15}}</ref> The brand was named the 'Best Tequila in the World' and 'Best White Spirit in the World' at the 2012 [[San Francisco World Spirits Competition]].<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/tequila-avion-wins-worlds-best-white-spirit-worlds-best-tequila-double-gold-and-two-silver-medals-at-the-2012-san-francisco-world-spirits-competition-145911305.html|title=Tequila Avion Wins World's Best White Spirit, World's Best Tequila, Double Gold and Two Silver Medals at the 2012 San Francisco World Spirits Competition |website=www.prnewswire.com|access-date=2016-06-15}}</ref> The company was acquired by [[Pernod Ricard]] for $100 million.<ref name = nypost>{{cite web | url = https://nypost.com/2014/07/10/pernod-takes-a-100m-gulp-of-tequila-avion/ | publisher = New York Post | title = Pernod takes a $100M gulp of Tequila Avion| accessdate = 3 October 2023}}</ref>
=== Wheels Up === A few years after the sale of Marquis Jet, Dichter re-entered the private aviation industry by founding Wheels Up. Rather than a fractional card program, Wheels Up is a membership-based business that charges users per flight hour without spending requirements or time commitments.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://wheelsup.com/membership/|title=Membership|website=wheelsup.com|access-date=2016-06-15}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://wheelsup.com/membership/individual-and-family/|title=INDIVIDUAL AND FAMILY|website=wheelsup.com|access-date=2016-06-15}}</ref> In July 2021, Wheels Up became the first private-aviation company to publicly trade on the [[New York Stock Exchange]].<ref name = cnbc>{{Cite web |last=Singh |first=Pia |date=2021-07-14 |title=Wheels Up CEO looks to transform private jet industry as company goes public via SPAC |url=https://www.cnbc.com/2021/07/14/wheels-up-ceo-looks-to-transform-private-jet-industry-as-company-debuts-via-spac.html |access-date=2022-04-29 |website=CNBC |language=en}}</ref>
Dichter stepped down as CEO in May 2023<ref name="Frank09May23">{{cite web|url= https://www.ainonline.com/aviation-news/business-aviation/2023-05-09/wheels-founder-kenny-dichter-steps-down-ceo|title= Wheels Up Founder Kenny Dichter Steps Down as CEO |access-date= May 9, 2023|work= Aviation International News|date= May 9, 2023}}</ref> with a [[Securities and Exchange Commission]] [[Form 8-K]] showing that he will continue to receive his $950,000 annual salary for two years and that he will remain a director on the company board, among other pay and benefits on departure.<ref name="Phelps11May23">{{cite web|url= https://www.avweb.com/aviation-news/outgoing-wheels-up-execs-exit-package-includes-salary-flight-privileges/|title= Outgoing Wheels Up Exec's Exit Package Includes Salary, Flight Privileges|access-date= 12 May 2023|last= Phelps|first= Mark|work= Mark|date= 11 May 2023|archive-url= https://archive.today/20230512121102/https://www.avweb.com/aviation-news/outgoing-wheels-up-execs-exit-package-includes-salary-flight-privileges/|archive-date= 12 May 2023|url-status= live}}</ref> Prior to an August 2023 $500 million funding round by [[Delta Air Lines]] for Wheels Up, Delta’s CEO [[Ed Bastian]] noted that “Kenny Dichter has done a masterful job over the last decade building a high-quality brand, great experience, a lot of new members.”<ref name = corporatejetinvestor>{{cite web | url= https://www.corporatejetinvestor.com/news/wheels-up-and-delta-focused-on-growing-corporate-customers/?amp=1 | publisher = Corporate Jet Investor | title = Wheels Up and Delta focused on growing corporate customers | accessdate = 25 August 2023}}</ref>
=== REAL SLX === In 2024, Dichter launched REAL SLX, a global sports and lifestyle membership club focused on hospitality and access to sports, entertainment, and cultural events. The platform offers curated, invitation-based experiences for its members. REAL SLX forms part of Dichter’s broader work in developing lifestyle-oriented ventures centred on events and experiential access.launched [https://realslx.com/ REAL SLX], a global sports and lifestyle experience club offering high-touch hospitality and insider access to sports, entertainment and cultural events.<ref name=":0">{{Cite web |title=Kenny's back for Real |url=https://www.corporatejetinvestor.com/opinion/kennys-back-for-real/ |access-date=2025-05-19 |website=Corporate Jet Investor |language=en-US}}</ref>
=== REAL JET === In 2025, Dichter expanded the [https://realslx.com/ REAL SLX] platform with the launch of [https://realjet.com/ REAL JET], a boutique private aviation brokerage designed to simplify travel through seamless, on-demand access to premium aircraft. The company operates without membership fees or long-term contracts, offering what Dichter calls a “frictionless experience” for private flyers. “We’re connecting travelers to the right aircraft, the right operators, and the right people,” he told Aviation Week.<ref name=":1">{{Cite web |title=Wheels Up, Marquis Founder Kenny Dichter Introduces Real Jet {{!}} Aviation Week Network |url=https://aviationweek.com/business-aviation/aircraft-propulsion/wheels-marquis-founder-kenny-dichter-introduces-real-jet |access-date=2025-05-19 |website=aviationweek.com}}</ref> Targeting both first-time private flyers and small to midsize businesses, [https://realjet.com/ REAL JET] positions itself as a modern alternative to traditional jet card programs—bringing Dichter full circle in a category he helped reimagine over the past two decades.<ref name=":2">{{Cite web |last=SLX |first=REAL |title=ENTREPRENEUR KENNY DICHTER LAUNCHES REAL SLX, A GLOBAL SPORTS AND LIFESTYLE EXPERIENCE CLUB |url=https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/entrepreneur-kenny-dichter-launches-real-slx-a-global-sports-and-lifestyle-experience-club-302247393.html |access-date=2025-05-19 |website=www.prnewswire.com |language=en}}</ref><ref name=":3">{{Cite web |last=SLX |first=REAL |title=Kenny Dichter Returns to Private Aviation with the Launch of REAL JET |url=https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/kenny-dichter-returns-to-private-aviation-with-the-launch-of-real-jet-302457732.html |access-date=2025-05-19 |website=www.prnewswire.com |language=en}}</ref><ref name=":0"/>
==References== {{Reflist|2}}
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Dichter, Kenny}} [[Category:Living people]] [[Category:American chief executives]] [[Category:University of Wisconsin–Madison alumni]] [[Category:1968 births]]