Meet the Founders: The 5x5 Trading Origin Story

Four partners were tired of watching clients get half the story. After years inside the aviation industry, they stepped out to build something different—an advisory firm built around what clients actually needed: not a pitch, but a partner. This is the story of how 5x5 Trading came to be.

Before 5x5 Trading had a name, it had a purpose: to give serious aircraft buyers and sellers something the traditional brokerage world hasn’t—unfiltered advice from people who’d actually been in their shoes.

It didn’t start with a branding plan or a pitch deck. It started with four partners looking at how deals were getting done (and deciding they could do it better).

Addressing the Gaps in Traditional Private Jet Brokerage

The traditional brokerage model often revolves around available inventory, but that doesn’t always serve the buyer’s best interest. These visionaries believed the conversation should start with the buyer’s mission, not the ramp.

The founders spent years inside the industry and recognized an opportunity to do things differently. Instead of letting sales targets shape the strategy, they built a firm that prioritizes clarity, patience, and alignment, backed by data, not pressure. 

A Vision for Buyer-First Advisory

The team was brought together by the belief that aircraft transactions could be smarter, quieter, and more collaborative. They weren’t looking to sell. They were looking to advise. That meant stepping out of the sales cycle and into something more durable: long-term, fiduciary relationships grounded in data, experience, and trust.

Meet the Founders of 5x5 Trading

The founders of 5x5 Trading—John Odegard, Chris Brenner, Seth Zlotkin, and Jeremy Bogle—share more than one hundred years of aviation experience. They share a belief: buyers and sellers deserve better than brokerage-as-usual.

These are not career salespeople chasing deals. They’re operators, strategists, and partners who’ve worked across every part of the private aviation ecosystem—fractional, whole ownership, sales, fleet, and transition. 

John D. Odegard, Jr.—Founder & Partner 

John brings more than 30 years of experience in aviation leadership, spanning fractional sales, aircraft transitions, and global brokerage. 

After shaping the sales backbone at NetJets and co-founding QS Partners, he helped launch Wheels Up Aircraft Sales before building 5x5 from the ground up. His reputation is built on clarity, consistency, and building client relationships that last far beyond the transaction.

Chris Brenner—Founder & Partner

Chris is a dealmaker and strategic thinker with more than 20 years in aircraft sales. He’s led large sales teams, run Americas-wide operations at Jetcraft, and helped shape the brokerage program at Wheels Up. 

Chris knows how to move complex deals forward, but he’s best known for how he guides clients through them: steady, thoughtful, and always focused on what makes sense for the mission.

Seth Zlotkin—Founder & Partner

With over three decades across startups and Fortune 1000 firms, Seth has built a reputation for pairing sharp analytics with trusted communication. 

He’s worked in fractional ownership, brokerage, and strategy, leading teams at NetJets, QS Partners, and Wheels Up. Whether it’s a first-time buyer or a legacy fleet owner, Seth brings structure and calm to complex aviation decisions.

Jeremy Bogle—Founder & Partner

Jeremy’s background bridges aircraft sales, operations, and executive management. He’s run fleet operations, scaled managed aircraft programs, and advised clients through the full lifecycle of ownership. 

At JetSelect Aviation and later Wheels Up, he built and led high-functioning sales and operations teams. At 5x5, he’s the one clients call when execution matters and timing can’t slip.

The 5x5 Difference

This is a firm built by operators. Every recommendation, every deal, every piece of analysis is rooted in firsthand experience and informed by real-time data. Instinct is backed by proprietary market intelligence, ownership cost modeling, and decades of pattern recognition from people who’ve seen the full life cycle of aircraft ownership.

Rooted in Experience. Fueled by Data.

The team uses live market tracking, aircraft-specific economic modeling, and cost forecasting to remove guesswork from high-stakes decisions. That level of clarity changes the experience for first-time buyers, corporate flight departments, and multi-aircraft owners alike.

Multi-Disciplinary Expertise. One Clear Objective.

When you work with one partner at 5x5, you get all four. John, Seth, Chris, and Jeremy operate as a single advisory team, combining transactional depth, operational knowledge, and strategic perspective. That means smarter problem-solving, fewer blind spots, and a steady hand in any market condition.

Client-Focused. Values-Driven.

There’s no inventory to push. No quotas to hit. The only agenda is what’s right for the client. That shows up in how they advise, how they communicate, and what they’re willing to say when the best move is not to move forward.

Relationships last because the advice holds up over time, whether you're trading up, cashing out, or just trying to get a clear read on the market.

Global Outlook. Bespoke Strategy.

The firm’s expertise spans more than just whole aircraft sales and acquisitions. They bring real experience across fractional ownership, charter, aircraft management, jet cards, and total ownership cost planning—so the advice you get reflects the full picture, not just one sliver of it.

Why Work with 5x5

You need someone who knows how to think through the deal from start to finish. At 5x5, you work directly with senior partners who’ve done this before, from every side of the table.

There’s no inventory bias. No pressure to move fast. Just a clear strategy, built around your goals, backed by real-time market data and years of pattern recognition.

This is what it looks like when private aviation is handled with the same care, clarity, and discretion you bring to the rest of your business. 

When You Call 5x5, a Founder Picks Up

If you're serious about buying or selling an aircraft, talk to someone who’s done more than close deals. Talk to someone who has built a firm around doing deals differently. At 5x5, you work directly with the partners. Get straight, informed answers from people who’ve sat on your side of the table. Get in touch today and let’s cut through the noise.