Ranger Aerospace is an aviation-specialized holding company that partners with institutional co-investors to acquire, grow, and positively transform aerospace services companies. Its founder, Steve Townes, an engineering graduate of West Point, has been Ranger's CEO for 25 years. He is also the past (inaugural) chairman of a statewide public/private partnership called "South Carolina Aerospace." Ranger's history includes a successful "Junk Bond" offering in its early years, a tumultuous unsolicited takeover attempt of a publicly traded medium-sized aerospace company, and deliberately hiring veterans when and where feasible.