Bentley Motors Website: Extraordinary Journeys: Kenn Ricci

AVIATOR

Kenn’s passion for flying began while he was in the Air Force ROTC program at his beloved University of Notre Dame. Upon graduation, Kenn nervously told his father he was going to be a pilot instead of becoming an accountant. As an aviator, Kenn has visited more than 100 countries.

He flew then-Governor Bill Clinton during his Presidential election campaign, as well as musical acts including Bruce Springsteen, Barbra Streisand and Elton John. While Kenn’s desire to control his own destiny pushed him to build an aviation empire, he’s still never happier than being in the left cockpit seat.

ENTREPRENEUR

Early in his commercial pilot career, Kenn was laid off. Determined to control his own schedule, he bought a small charter company and the entrepreneur hook was set. His first company, Corporate Wings, was named an Inc. 500 Fastest growing companies in 1985.

In 1998, Kenn reinvented the fractional ownership model when he founded Flight Options to sell shares of pre-owned private jets. Flight Options revenues rose from $35M to over $300M in just seventeen months, and after the merger with Raytheon, Kenn stepped down as CEO and founded the investment firm Directional Aviation Capital. In 2012 and 2013, Directional Aviation acquired Sentient Jet and Flexjet and has since added a variety of aviation companies to the Directional portfolio. Kenn has been honored as an Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the year, and Directional is one of the largest groups of private aviation companies with more than 2,000 employees. Kenn’s book Management by Trust is based on his philosophy of how building trust within an organization accelerates growth and enterprise value.

PHILANTHROPIST

For Kenn and his wife, Pamela, philanthropy is a family passion. In 2017, Notre Dame and Kenn announced his $100M gift to the university. Over the years the Ricci family has generously supported the Northeast Ohio Chapter of Cystic Fibrosis Foundation for the research and treatment of the disease, which effects 30,000 children and adults in the United States.

Kenn serves on the Board of Trustees for the University of Notre Dame, the Smithsonian and University Hospitals. Also a graduate of the Cleveland Marshall School of Law, Kenn was named Alumni Of The Year and named to their Alumni Hall of Fame in 2018.

CONTINENTAL GTC W12

This Continental GTC is painted Ghost White (Pearlescent) with three coat finishes and Saddle as the main trim. This GTC includes the Mulliner Driving Specification with Black and Polished Edge Alloy wheels. The convertible roof is Tweed with a Magnolia roof interior.

The main hide interior is linen with matching contrast stitching, with a heated 3 spoke hide trimmed steering wheel. The sound system is Bang & Olufsen for Bentley, and this example includes the Bentley rotating display. The interior is finished with Koa veneers, the front seat comfort specification, and illuminated Bentley sill and derivative treadplates.