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Owner’s
Corner
Blue Skies and Talley Winds
Citation CJ2+
The entrepreneurial route was natural for Jason Talley. When asked what his aspirations were growing up, Talley said, “Looking back, I went through lots of options as potential careers and always realized that I was a self-starter and in control of my own destiny.”
His self-cultured ambitions led him to pursue a math degree at Missouri Southern State University in his hometown of Joplin, Missouri. During his undergraduate tenure, Talley was involved with creating and operating several technology companies. The efforts won him the North American Entrepreneur of the Year competition in 1998.
After graduation in 2000, Talley moved north to Kansas City. He began flight training and purchased a Beechcraft Sierra that he owned for several years. “The Sierra was my first aircraft and offered the perfect balance of easy flight characteristics and usability for a new pilot,” he said. “I still keep a photo of the airplane and me on my desk.”
The year following his relocation, Talley furthered his formal education at the University of Missouri-Kansas City
Jason Talley
School of Law, graduating in 2004. The legal education added another dimension to Talley’s entrepreneurial tool chest, and he continues to practice to this day. Talley is admitted to the Bar in California, Missouri and Kansas, where most of his current entrepreneurial pursuits are based.
The markets he has primarily focused on throughout his career are restaurant, aviation and information technology. A few of Talley’s commitments include acting as the Chairman and CEO of Baker’s Burgers (a quick-service restaurant chain) and Broader Technology Advisor at JSSI.
Talley’s flying has spanned most of his business career. Much of his ability to successfully conduct operations across the country has been enabled by private aircraft. He noted, “I have owned a lot of airplanes over the last 21 years, including the Sierra, a partnership in a Piper Cheyenne, several Piper Malibus, a Piper Meridian, as well as several Cessna Citations.”
As his businesses expanded, so did Talley’s mission profile, leading to the purchase of a Citation Mustang. One of the reasons he initially purchased the jet was the
December 2021 / TWIN & TURBINE • 27