WASHINGTON, Mo. — The Hoffmann Family of Companies on Tuesday announced plans to launch a helicopter tour service after acquiring 10 acres, including a hangar, at the Washington Regional Airport, north of Washington, Missouri.
Terms of the deal were not disclosed. The acquisition adds a new dimension to the Naples, Florida-based company's rapidly expanding tourism venture surrounding the towns of Augusta and Washington, about 55 miles west of St. Louis. The company since the start of 2021 has invested more than $150 million in everything from wineries and vineyards to a 96-foot-long tourism yacht called the Miss Augusta.
The hangar will house Hoffmann's newly acquired four-passenger helicopter, which the company will use for flying tours along the Missouri River. The company said it will also use the land it acquired to build a fixed-base operator, or FBO, which are entities that provide various aviation services, such as fueling and aircraft maintenance. The hangar is also utilized by Mid-American Coaches, the Washington-based tour bus company the Hoffmanns acquired in April 2021.
The company said it has yet to determine an exact route for the helicopter tours, or when they will begin, other than to say that it will fly from the Washington airport to the town of Hermann about 30 miles to the west, and back. In a news release, the company said the tours would be narrated and feature views of the Washington countryside as well as the family's collection of recently acquired vineyards.
The Hoffmann Family of Companies is a conglomerate of 85 companies and brands and more than 200 real estate holdings. It is anchored by DHR International, a Chicago-based national executive recruitment firm with a Clayton office, while its commercial real estate holdings include the Moneta Building and the 8000 Maryland Ave. office tower Clayton, as well as an arena in Fort Myers, Florida, and the minor league hockey team that plays in it.
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