Flying With the Jet Set
Todd Rome - Blue Star Jets President

Design & Decor

BLUE STAR JETS PRESIDENT TODD ROME MAY RUN THE LARGEST AIR CHARTER COMPANY IN THE WORLD, BUT THAT DOES NOT MAKE HIM ALL WORK AND NO PLAY. THIS IS ONE MOGUL WHO'S A BIG PROPONENT OF MIXING BUSINESS WITH PLEASURE.

When I first meet Todd Rome he is every bit the businessman, Sporting a perfect tan and an outfit that is utterly yacht-chic, he opens the door to his Fisher Island home, ushers me inside and starts to tell me all about his multi millon-dollar company: Blue Star Jets is a 5-year-old company that is now grossing over $100 rnillion in sales, with as much as a billin dollars projected for the next five to seven years. "We sell flexibility. we sell access, we sell luxury, we sell speed," he says, the perfect, salesman Rome is brisk, eloquent and efficient---he sounds exactly the way I expect one of the nation's most powerful men to sound. Then, he tells. me that his, favorite thing about Fisher Island is getting to ride around in a golf cart. "It's great," he insists. I just put on my sandals and drive around the, island. We don't do that in New York."

At first I am skeptical of his claim finding the idea of the owner of a jet company choosing golf carts as his preferred means of transportation about as likely as seeing Donald Trump in a pair of overalls - oh wait. As our conversation progresses, Rome's sly, occasionally self-deprecating wit creeps into the conversation ("Another thing I like about Fisher Island is the nice nine-hole golf course. if you're not that great of a player - and I'm not - nine holes is better than 18."), and I begin to see that this magnate plays as hard as he works.

Now, make no Mistake about it - Rome works. He used to work on Wall Street, where be ran a large, brokerage firm, before a passion for aviation led him to team up with Richard Sitomer - and co-found Blue Star jets. The company offers access to more than 2,500 aircraft and can fly in and out of 5,000 airports, as opposed to the 500 airport-- available to commercial passengers. "I wanted to make flying private more affordable, for the next jet set in their 30s, the next up-and-coming crowd that I felt I represented," he says. I travel a lot, so I really see the trends and what's happening".

What's happening is that the private aviation industry is growing at an annual rate of 30 percent, despite soaring fuel prices. Because flying privately offers both convenience and security and is not as expensive as one might believe (prices range from $2,000 to $4,000 an hour for Charter Jets), it's becoming more popular even among consumers outside the traditional luxury market customer base. "We're seeing more families flying private than ever before," Rome explains, "We've always had the rock stars and the athletes and the big corporate executives, but now families are sharing jets, and we're seeing more family travel than ever before."

Still in "professional" mode, Rome goes on to analyze the industry growth and clarify that it is not entirely a response to the security issues of a post 9/11 world, but rather part of a larger economic structure. "Safety and economic concerns will always be there, and some people like to fly private because its more secure, he says. "We do background checks on the pilots, aircraft and maintenance records, so we know exactly what you're flying on and who you're flying with at all times. It's also time-efficient to fly private, because while the flight times are comparable to commercial travel, you save time by avoiding the delays and hassles. You only have to be at the airport 30 minutes before your flight, and because we can go in and out of smaller airports we're closer to where you want to go than big commercial airports.

"But I think one of the real things that we're seeing is that because of the real estate boom in South Florida, a lot of people own second or third or fourth residences, and they're going back up North and corning back downn South, and there's a lot of travel back and forth because there are business opportunities here in Miami that we've never seen before."

Rome himself is sure to take advantage of these business opportunities, His Fisher Island home, which he and his wife have owned for five years, proved a fabulous investment. "Here on Fisher island, prices doubled over the past 12 months, It's really something to think about when you can make more money in real estate than you can at your job," Rome remarks. And while owning a home in Miami's most exclusive location a private island accessible only by ferry or helicopter. might seem like a leisure-driven choice, Rome- is quick, to point out, that both this, his, third residence, and his second home in the Hamptons are also all about networking. "This is where the power players are- the business executives, the moguls from all over the world," he says. "In the Hamptons, you have things, like the polo events and the horse shows, which are great marketing opportunities for my business. Down in Florida, there's an entirely different set of opportunities for the jet business. We're meeting people down South who we would never meet up North. Our second strongest office is Boca Raton, which really covers, from Palm Beach and Naples, all the way down to Miami. We have a lot of customers here on Fisher Island and certainly all over South Florida."

But, as is becoming increasingly clear, Rome is certainly not all business, and he enjoys mixing marketing opportunities with charity and social events. "We've hosted the Red Cross Ball out in the Hamptons and threw the biggest event of the summer" he tells me. We usually get behind Fisher Island, we get behind Art Basel. Last year we were also known for the VMAs, because we. threw a huge party for Usher on a 150 foot yacht. As fun as is, it all builds brand awareness. We have a lot of luxury partners and partner nights, and we'll be doing a lot more of that here in South Florida."

Sometimes, however there is no business involved, and it's all about pleasure. When Rome's wife, Carol, enters the room, the entrepreneur relaxes even further, and the couple discusses the things they do for fun. Incredibly amiable and resembling a brunette Christie Brinkley, Carol has her own take on the jet-set lifestyle. "What's nice is that many people share this lifestyle, which means that they're based in New York, have retreats out on the East End, and then have third residences in South Florida, whether its Palm Beach or Miami," she says. "Regardless of the season, there are always social events going on because it's a year-round community. There are always people to see, places to go - there's just this whole wave that extends beyond business purposes, It's a lifestyle, a circuit - it's like a little triangle.

Among the couple's favorite vacation destinations are Monte Carlo and St. Tropez. "St. Tropez is very casual. It's not pretentious or about putting on ball gowns, but about relaxing and indulging and enjoying life - long lunches, late dinners and partying into the night. That's really what we enjoy, she says. Rome himself is a fan of Monte Carlo, which he describes as having "a very James Bond feel". Usually the couple flies back and forth between one location and the other on company-chartered helicopters. "We typically use our service; we're clients as well," Rome says. "We take the jets back and forth to Miami and St. Barth from New York, and we'll go to Aspen in the winter. We take Blue Star Jets' helicopters to get from Manhattan to the Hamptons, or when we are in Europe to get from country to country. I'm glad I'm in the business, becuase I'm a big customer. We like the best of both worlds, because we get tired of sitting still."

FLORIDA AND FISHER ISLAND: ROME FAMILY FAVORITES

In regards to South Florida, Rome says the company is looking to do more in Miami. We see South Florida as a place that's still going to be growing. The demand is there - people from up North and out West will always be coming here. It's a tropical, magical place, and we definitely want to set up more shop here. Blue Star probably will opne up another office, probably one in Miami headed by Craig Siegel, who's the managing partner of our Boca Raton office. We see that there are a lot of opportunities for us here, and we love it here."

Although they typically only make it down to Florida about five times a year, both say they wish it could be more. "South Florida is natural," Rome says. "You get the Latin American flavor, which we don't get up North, and which we love. We love the best of both worlds - we love going to Miami and enjoy Nobu and Prime One Twelve and all the great restaurants that Miami offers, but we also love to retreat back to Fisher Island, where the pampering is at ultimate level. We love luxury, we love the spa here, we love the services. Everyone knows your name on Fisher Island. The tiki bar is a very special place, the Vandebilt mansion is tremendous, an institution. The dining on the island is also amazing.

Their home on the island was decorated by Gordon Done of the Chicago firm Done Andre, and is an eclectic mix of Asian influences and local flavor, best represented by two huge paintings that hang in the living room, which the couple bought at an art fair on the island. "We knew that we wanted to create the whole Spanish feeling, since the Mediterranean homes are very popular in South Florida, and we wanted to add a little warmth to the ambiance here," Carol says. "I know that a lot of the trends have been toward contemporary design lately, with an emphasis on more modern décor and the warmth that it offers, with the woods and darker tones. We feel that it really lends itself to our lifestyle and what we're used to."

And although they love this concept, it is different from the one they have chosen for their other homes. Their Hampton home, a 15,000-square-foot residence on almost 3 acres of land "is the most beautiful house you've ever seen," Rome says. The feel of the house is very light and airy, with its white and blue tones and light-colored woods. "I just wanted a true kind of old-establishment American Hamptons lifestyle," Carol says. "We named it Chateau Rome." Rome smiles and looks around his Fisher Island living room. "this is Villa Rome," he says.

Year-round the couple and their two daughters live in a townhouse on the Upper East Side. "It's a six-story building, 6,000 square feet with its own private elevator," Rome notes. "We even have a backyard with some trees, so its perfect for our girls." Rome lights up when he mentions his two daughters, Jessica and Skylar, who attend the second and third grade at a private school in Manhattan, and he says the two have their own list of requests when they fly Blue Star Jets. "My little girl Jessica loves the pigs in the blanket, just like her father," Rome says. "They love the ice cream sundaes, and we always put kid videos, movies and music on board. I even try to get the teen magazines on there because they've started to read that. We really cater to our children. My youngest daughter likes the big contenders - the big shrimp cocktails and the lobster."

As we move into the photo shoot, both Rome and Carol really let loose and let me witness their fun-loving tendencies firsthand. "I need some Beyonce," Carol declares, as the photographer prepares to snap his pictures. She turns up the volume on their state-of-the-art sound system and leans into me with a conspiratorial smile. "My neighbor always complains," she says, rolling her eyes, and then turns the music up even louder before tossing her hair expertly and smiling for the camera. Rome also enjoys the photo shoot, having so much fun that he takes control and creates one-of-a-kind phot-ops as he jumps onto the bed and throws himself into the bathtub. "I'm the director," he jokes, instructing his wife to hand him towel for a shot. "Don't make me lose my mojo!"

Despite the fact that they are late for an appointment, the two pose for pictures in almost every room of their Fisher Island home, exuding so much energy that our photographer breaks a sweat trying to keep up with them. They graciously thank us for our visit, and Carol even invites us to the party they planned to attend that evening. Before I leave, it occurs to me to ask Rome whether he himself can fly planes. "No. But I'm a great passenger," he quips.