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Business was tough to find in November 2008 at Rectrix, a new high-end private jet service at Sarasota Bradenton International Airport.

Makes sense in at least one regard, considering the global economy imploded that October. “You could not have picked a worse time,” to open a private jet business, says Rectrix President Richard Cawley.

Still, Rectrix, with another facility and a corporate headquarters in Hyannis, Mass., persevered. The facility now has at least half the local market share of private jet service, says Cawley. Revenues doubled from 2009 to 2010, adds Cawley, and were up 8% in 2011. He declines to elaborate on specific annual revenue figures.