NATA has named Sonoma Jet Center the recipient of its inaugural Above and Beyond FBO Award, presented at its Aviation Leadership Conference this week.

The FBO, located at Charles M. Schulz-Sonoma County Airport in California’s wine country, established the Sonoma Jet Center Fire Relief Fund last year, bringing in approximately $20,000 to aid airport colleagues who lost their homes and belongings in the wildfires that consumed large areas of the state last year. Owners Josh and Julia Hochberg also used their facility to host a Sonoma County fire relief event that helped raise more than half a million dollars for emergency and long-term relief to the surrounding community.

Josh Hochberg is the chairman of the NATA aviation business community, an EAA Young Eagles program coordinator and a board member of the local chapter. He also is a founding member of the North Bay Disaster Response Team and a ground school teacher at a nearby high school. The company has established a flying club so its employees can further their careers in aviation, and it recently became the first FBO in Northern California to achieve stage 2 registration in IBAC's International Standard for Business Aviation Handling (IS-BAH).

“Sonoma Jet Center and its leadership are standouts in many areas, including altruism, efforts to inspire future aviation professionals, commitment to promoting industry-standard safety programs, and dedication to giving back to general aviation,” said NATA president Gary Dempsey.