Exclusive Charter Services Co-founder Dies at 42

Adam Ashley Klein, who co-founded West Palm Beach, Florida-based Exclusive Charter Service (ECS) in 2004, died after a battle with cancer on January 18. He was 42. Born July 14, 1975, Klein originally was involved in the technology sector and had run a technology department for an international bank. But an interest in aviation led him to team with Jason Johnson to help found ECS. Through his stewardship, the company has grown into a full-service charter and management firm with seven U.S. locations.

Klein, who had taken up flight lessons, was diagnosed with Stage IV stomach cancer in April 2017. A father of two children, he had channeled his experience into fundraising for children’s cancer and was active in charities including the Make-a-Wish Foundation and Angel Flight, among others.

Those activities came in addition to ECS’s work in hurricane relief, most recently delivering thousands of pounds of goods to the Caribbean in the wake of the hurricanes that ripped through the region last year.