It began in the 1940s when J.P. Stevens and Company recruited a technician team to maintain its corporate aircraft fleet. Within a short time, the Greenville, South Carolina, textile manufacturer’s aircraft mechanics took in work from other owner-operators, and a stand-alone aircraft maintenance firm evolved. By 1950 Stevens Beechcraft was formally etablished, a small, family-owned aircraft maintenance support company and Beechcraft dealer in Greenville.

Over the past 75 years, Stevens Aviation has continued to evolve and progress as its capabilities have grown and locations have realigned. To cite a few examples, operating under the Stevens Aviation name in 1962, the company established what was then the sole FBO at the just-opened Greenville-Spartanburg International Airport (GSP). By the 1980s, Stevens had evolved into a full-service MRO offering maintenance, avionics, completions, as well as aircraft sales, aircraft charter/management, and FBO operations.

In 1989 Stevens was acquired by Thomas C. Foley, Sr., through his investment company, the NTC Group. In 2022, his son, Thomas C. Foley, Jr., was appointed Chairman.

A further rebranding to Stevens Aerospace and Defense Systems—as Stevens is known today—took place in 2018 to reflect the fact that the company “does more than basic maintenance on private aircraft and is actively engaged in military aircraft modifications,” according to Phil Stearns, the company’s Director of Sales and Marketing and Chair of NATA’s Maintenance Committee.

“Government specialties follow civilian specialties very closely. However, we have some unique capabilities when it comes to integrating highly complex, military-type systems into existing aircraft,” Stearns explained. The company, he noted, has been engaged in military and government aircraft modifications since 1998.

No longer an FBO operator, Stevens is focused on maintenance, repair, and overhaul (MRO) services primarily for the turbine aircraft trade.

With operations currently located in Greenville, Denver, and Nashville, each location tends to have its individual focus. As Stearns explains, the Greenville location at Donaldson Field Airport (GYH) was established in the early 2000s as the company’s corporate headquarters and is where all of Stevens’ military modifications are performed. Greenville is also an authorized service center (ASC) for Beechcraft, Embraer, and Piaggio aircraft, and offers maintenance, heavy structural sheet metal work, avionics services, and paint and interior work. It also services Bombardier Global, and Gulfstream airframes, among others.

The MRO operation at Smyrna Airport (MQY), located outside of Nashville, offers maintenance, avionics, and interior work. At that location, Stevens teams with Hollingshead Aviation to offer its customers full FBO and line services. And Stevens commenced operations at Denver Centennial Airport (APA) last year, providing maintenance and avionics services.

“All locations service King Air, Citation, and Hawker airframes,” Stearns pointed out. “In addition to Part 145 certification at all locations, the Greenville facility has European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) certification—as well as other foreign aviation regulatory authority approval.” In that regard, he added that Stevens actively bids both domestic and international jobs.

As of February 2025, the three Stevens locations encompass eight hangars, incorporating 250,000 square feet. Currently, the company employs approximately 275 technicians, most of whom hold A&P certificates. However, Stearns reported that additional mechanics will be added at each location going forward.

“We are actively hiring technicians for all three sites, although the exact amount has yet to be determined, since that will depend on the number of qualified people available.”

In addition to its MROs, Stevens operates a dedicated AOG operation, as a cadre of first responders to an aircraft on ground within and outside the US. In January 2025, that maintenance unit was staffed with an additional 50 technicians and 25 mobile service trucks, operating out of approximately 20 bases throughout the US. “That is growing each month, and we expect to hire more technicians for the AOG team.”

Because of shifting business conditions and new opportunities, other locations, including Nashville International Airport (BNA), Dayton International Airport (DAY), and Macon Middle Georgia Regional Airport (MCN) were either relocated—in the case of Nashville—or consolidated into other locations, which was the case with Macon.

“At BNA, our landlord launched a redevelopment project, which meant having to replicate our facility at that airport. Because of the high cost to do so, we chose to move about 15 miles away to Smyrna Airport, where we have our own facility and better control of our destiny,” Stearns said.

Stearns also pointed out that the Macon location was originally intended to be a dedicated Gulfstream/Global Express MRO, which in hindsight was too limiting.

“We either had more work than we could handle or not enough. By consolidating it into GYH, we retained much of the business but eliminated quite a bit of redundancy between the two separate facilities.”

And, while the Dayton location had been a Stevens MRO for a long time, its existence, Stearns explained, went back to the days when Stevens was a Beechcraft dealer. “For a variety of reasons, we determined that it was no longer a good strategic fit,” he noted.

Asked about what goes into the business case to add new locations, Stearns stressed that a variety of factors are taken into consideration.

“At Stevens, additional locations are opportunistic. We find existing operations that fit, or can fit, our business model and strategy and integrate them,” he explained. “The first question we ask is, will the location enhance the customer experience and provide a return on any necessary investment we make? Also, does it have long-term strategic value, and what synergies are available?”

Centennial Airport, said Stearns, is a good example. “At APA, the facility’s prior operator was Mayo Aviation, now part of George J. Priester Aviation, a part 135 charter management company,” he noted. “They were not interested in operating an MRO, but they still needed maintenance on their fleet, which presented a built-in business opportunity.”

Along this line, Stearns explained, Stevens’ sister company, Tenax Aerospace, presented another opportunity at APA. “Tenax, which provides aircraft for special missions, had some fleets based in the Western US, and had a requirement for an aircraft maintenance location in that region,” he said.

Today, in its 75th anniversary year, Stevens has continued to develop an MRO focus on certain airframes, including partial, full, and custom interior refurbishments, as well as special mission conversions for government customers. Painting is also among its expertise, encompassing complete stripping and repainting, fuselage re-striping and color changes, as well as registration number changes.

“Stevens has built a unique maintenance and modification expertise, particularly with King Air, Beechjet, Citation, Hawker, Phenom, and Piaggio airframes, along with several engine and avionics vendors,” said Stearns. “We have formed partnerships with other parties, such as equipment manufacturers and engineering firms, so we can provide a complete solution, especially when a customer needs a highly complex modification.”

Stearns also noted that Stevens offers a comprehensive selection of OEM, as well as FAA-approved PMA (Parts Manufacturing Authority) parts. PMA, he explained authorizes the MRO to manufacture a select number of parts to lower costs, turn-times, and increase availability. “We are constantly looking for PMA opportunities that make sense,” he said. “Some of the best opportunities are also the simplest.”

In February 2021, the company took a major step to enhance its parts fabrication capabilities with the purchase of a Hass VF-2SS high performance, super-speed, vertical, four-axis computer numerical control (CNC) machine that enables the company to manufacture precise metal parts. Installed at Greenville, the machine will serve all three Stevens’ locations. According to a Stevens press release, the CNC will “decrease customer costs and down-times, when immediate or lower cost parts needs arise, or when vendor lead times and price points can be improved.”

“We did this mainly to enhance the customer experience,” Stearns remarked. “Prior to installing the CNC system, we had to get in line with our vendors if, for instance, we discovered that we needed a part machined on a Friday afternoon. By bringing parts manufacturing in-house, we decide what takes priority and our machinists can come in Saturday morning, make that part, and keep the larger task on schedule.”

Stevens, according to Stearns, also holds “dozens” of STCs for avionics upgrades, unique equipment installations, and deice system enhancements, along with complete interior installations and reconfigurations. Citing one example, the company is currently developing the STC for Gogo Business Aviation’s Galileo HDX connectivity system for the King Air, slated for completion by the fourth quarter of 2025.

On the engine side, Stevens announced in 2023 that its Williams International standard Total Assurance Program (TAP) authorization had been upgraded by the OEM to Williams Elite status. The original TAP authorized Stevens to provide all routine, unscheduled line maintenance, and facilitation of all regularly scheduled checks on the OEM’s FJ-44 engine. With Elite status, Stevens can now perform on-wing hot section inspections, reducing down times and costs. The company has made this available at Greenville and Nashville, as well as through its mobile service teams throughout the US.

Citing competitive reasons, Stearns would not disclose Stevens’ next evolution in terms of new locations or services. “We will continue to look at potential opportunities that make sense,” he said.