CABAAChicago

What CABAAChicago does

CABAA (Chicago Area Business Aviation Association) is a 501(c)(6) nonprofit professional association founded in 1998, headquartered in Lemont, Illinois, that serves business aviation professionals in the Chicagoland region. The organization operates as a community-led membership body, providing networking, safety resources, legislative advocacy, and education support across four stated pillars: Relationship Building, Legislative Advocacy, Safety Promotion, and Education Support. Its core offerings include a tiered membership program (Corporate at $350/year for unlimited employees, Individual at $50/year, and free Student memberships), an annual scholarship program that distributes more than $90,000 in funding and training awards, and a calendar of events headlined by an annual Golf Outing and Safety Day programming.

The organization runs nine active committees (Air Traffic Control, Events, Flight Attendant, Golf, Government Affairs, Maintenance, Membership & Outreach, Safety, and Scholarship & Mentoring) and is governed by a volunteer board drawn from major aviation operators, corporate flight departments, FBOs, OEMs, and airport authorities, including representation from NetJets, Boeing, Abbott Laboratories, McDonald's Corp., DuPage Airport Authority, Northern Jet Management, B. Coleman Aviation, and Executive Jet Management. Its affiliated entity, the CABAA Educational Foundation (CEF), is a separate nonprofit private foundation that raises tax-deductible donations and grants to support business aviation education in the Chicagoland area.

CABAA's revenue model combines subscription-style membership dues, event ticket sales, and corporate sponsorships. It is not a technology company, has no disclosed AI/ML capabilities, and operates with a small staff of 11 employees. The association positions itself as the grassroots regional complement to the national NBAA, focused specifically on Chicagoland-relevant issues in corporate aircraft operations.

Name

CABAAChicago

Legal name

Chicago Area Business Aviation Association

Website

https://cabaa.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1998

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

CABAA is a 1998-founded, Illinois-based 501(c)(6) nonprofit association serving business aviation professionals in the Chicagoland region through tiered membership, an annual $90,000+ scholarship program, networking events, and legislative advocacy, governed by a volunteer board representing major operators and corporate flight departments.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Business Aviation Association Services

NAICS

Business Associations (81391), Business Associations (813910), Professional Organizations (81392)

SIC

Services-Membership Organizations (8600), Airports, Flying Fields & Airport Terminal Services (4581)

akta.pro primary industry

Aviation & Aerospace (EDABALAC)

Keywords

• Business aviation association
• Aviation membership organization
• Aviation scholarship programs
• Corporate flight department networking
• Aviation safety advocacy

Headquarters

HQ city

Lemont

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Operations, Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Membership Dues: Corporate membership at $350/year provides unlimited employees access; Individual membership at $50/year for single person; Student membership is free. Dues are used for operational expenses.
2. Event Revenue: Annual golf outing and other events generate revenue through attendee ticket purchases and corporate sponsorships. The 2025 Golf Outing raised over $87,000 for scholarships.
3. Corporate Sponsorships: Corporate sponsorships support events and scholarships. Event profits specifically fund annual scholarships for those pursuing aviation studies.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

CABAA is a nonprofit membership association that connects business aviation professionals in the Chicagoland area through tiered memberships, safety and advocacy programming, hosted networking events, and an annual scholarship program exceeding $90,000. Its core deliverable is community access, professional development, and education funding for corporate flight departments, vendors, students, and educators involved in business aviation.

Product overview

CABAA (Chicago Area Business Aviation Association) is a nonprofit membership organization established in 1998 that serves the business aviation community in Chicagoland. The organization operates as a service-based association rather than a technology product company, offering membership programs, scholarship funding exceeding $100,000 annually, networking events, safety resources, legislative advocacy, and professional development through nine active committees. The core offerings include membership (corporate, individual, and student tiers), scholarships (financial and professional training awards), events (golf outings, Safety Day, career fairs), and training partnerships with aviation industry providers.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• CABAA Membership Program
• CABAA Annual Scholarship Program
• CABAA Golf Outing
• CABAA Safety Day
• Safety Committee Newsletters and Resources
• Legislative Advocacy Program
• CABAA Educational Foundation (CEF) Grants
• Professional Training Awards

Named customers11 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Seven partnerships are on record, tiered core, major and minor.

• NBAA (National Business Aviation Association)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerNBAA addresses business aviation issues on a national level while CABAA focuses on Chicagoland issues at a grassroots level. Both associations perform vital services to the business aircraft community, and membership in both organizations is recommended. CABAA's Josh Hernandez interned with NBAA for two consecutive summers during his time at Quincy University.
• CAEmajorOthersCAE provides professional pilot training awards and professional maintenance training awards to CABAA scholarship recipients. Training includes ATP-CTP courses, Professional Pilot Training Awards, and Professional Maintenance Training Awards.
• FlightSafety InternationalmajorOthersFlightSafety International sponsors professional pilot training awards and maintenance training awards for CABAA scholarship recipients, including SIC (Second-in-Command) Initial training on the Citation Excel and principles of troubleshooting courses.
• Aircare InternationalminorOthersAircare International provides FACTS (Flight Attendant Cabin Safety Training) to CABAA scholarship recipients as part of the flight attendant professional development awards.
• DaVinci Inflight Training InstituteminorOthersDaVinci Inflight Training Institute provides Culinary Elite Scholarships to CABAA scholarship recipients for flight attendant culinary and service training.
• Avel Flight SchoolminorOthersAvel Flight School provides FAA Dispatcher Courses as training awards for CABAA scholarship recipients.
• CABAA Educational Foundation (CEF)coreOthersCABAA Educational Foundation is a nonprofit, private foundation tasked with raising tax-deductible donations and seeking grants that support business aviation. CEF considers special grant requests for projects, educational events, or professional development opportunities on a case-by-case basis for Chicagoland-based organizations or individuals.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Market position

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/cabaachicago

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles18 records

Subsidiaries1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about CABAAChicago