Stevens Aerospace and Defense System is one of America’s premier aviation maintenance, repair and overhaul operators, but that didn’t happen overnight.
In 1950, Stevens Aerospace and Defense Systems was simply “J.P. Stevens Aviation,” having already gone through its first evolution after launching at Greenville Downtown Airport in the 1940s as “J.P. Stevens Aviation Department.”
If “J.P. Stevens” rings a bell for many Greenville natives, it should. For many years, the textile giant was part of the reason Greenville was known as the “Textile Capital of the World.”
Such a large operation needed its own fleet of aircraft to ferry executives and other personnel between various mills and manufacturing sites, said Phil Stearns, director of sales and marketing for Stevens Aerospace and Defense Systems.
“Out of that operation came J.P. Stevens Aviation in 1950,” he said. “They branched out and started working on other aircraft in the Greenville area and became one of Beechcraft’s largest dealers.”
Runway of success
Still headquartered at South Carolina Technology and Aviation Center (SCTAC) next to Donaldson Field Airport south of Greenville, Stevens Aerospace turns 75 years old this year. It has more than 400 employees spread between locations in Greenville County, in Colorado near Denver International Airport, and in Smyrna, Tennessee, near Nashville International Airport.
About 300 of those more than 400 employees work directly with or on aircraft every day. About 100 are technicians based in Greenville, Stearns said.
On any given day, Stevens Aerospace technicians are working in, on and around anywhere from 80 to 100 aircraft across the U.S., he said.
Rooted in private aviation, Stevens offers world-class MRO to hundreds of clients, including the U.S. Department of Defense.
“We work on everything from King Air turboprops to Citation’s and Embraer’s jet aircraft, all the way up to large-cabin Gulfstream and Global jets,” Stearns said. “And, if you’re broken down out in the middle of nowhere, you call, and we’ll be there.”
Such flexibility and responsiveness is made possible by a team of roving aircraft technicians who will drop everything, grab their gear and go where they’re needed.
Airside assistance
“That’s our AOG (aircraft on ground) team,” Stearns said. “Think of it as emergency roadside assistance for a private aircraft. They can go most anywhere in the world.”
Such commitment to world-class service is a key part of why Stevens has sustained 75 years of success in the volatile aviation industry, said Marketing Manager Emily Hamilton.
“One way we have not changed in 75 years, despite the massive changes in the industry, is the premium we place on our people,” she said. “The same people you see on our social media are the same people actually doing the work, the same people you’ll shake hands with when you land.”
Stearns said the company’s heritage as a family-owned business continues today.
“We still feel like a family business to our customers,” he said. “Everyone is committed to going out of their way to be customer-facing, human-to-human. We invite our customers into the process because we understand that it’s the customer’s family who will be on board that aircraft. And you have to be able to trust the technician doing the work.”
Despite the fast-paced industry, technicians and employees at Stevens still have fun.
“We’re a family. We’re extremely good at what we do,” said Stearns, who is also a multi-engine, instrument-rated pilot. “But we still like to have fun doing it.”
Stevens’ footprint near Denver International Airport came about through a 2024 acquisition, and Stearns said more growth is expected in the coming years.
“By the time we turn 85, I fully expect we’ll be in a few other U.S. locations,” he said. “We’re constantly looking for new locations, and existing companies to acquire that expand our footprint.”
Stevens Aerospace timeline
1950: J.P. Stevens Aviation founded at Greenville Downtown Airport
1962: Relocated to Greenville-Spartanburg Airport
1967: Certified as a Beechcraft service center and dealer
1989: Purchased by current owner, Tom Foley of Greenwich, Connecticut
1998: Relocated to a 200,000-square-foot facility at South Carolina Aviation and Technology Center (previously Donaldson Center) south of Greenville
2001-2006: Certified as Learjet, Embraer service center
2016: AOG (aircraft on ground) mobile maintenance service launched
2018: Rebranded as Stevens Aerospace and Defense Systems
