John’s involvement in aviation began in 1941 at age 19. He obtained his
private pilot’s license through a civilian pilot training program sponsored
by a federal government that was quietly preparing for war. He joined the Army
Air Corps in the weeks following Pearl Harbor. After flight training, he was
assigned to the Fighter Command School at the Orlando Air Force Base and was
subsequently assigned to the 9th Air Force in Europe. He served as flight leader
and flew 66 combat missions including close-air support on D-Day. For service
to his country, Captain Brown was awarded 13 oak leaf clusters and the Distinguished
Flying Cross.In 1947, after graduating from the University of Michigan with a degree in Business Administration and advance studies in transportation, John began his airport career at Willow Run Airport as an employee of the Airline Terminal Corporation. He was reassigned to headquarter offices on Wall Street in New York City where he met Charles O. Landrum. In 1949, John and Charlie co-founded the firm of Landrum and Brown. Gross revenue for the first year was $13,342.43. Over two decades, however, John and Charlie built one of the most successful airport consulting practices in the country.
In 1970, John and Charlie sold their company to Booz Allen and Hamilton. John, however, found that the culture of a large company was not to his liking. So, in 1973, after becoming a “free agent,” he founded the Company that today bears his name.