Philip Trenary


Philip Hartley Trenary was an American businessman and civic leader who was the CEO and president of the Greater Memphis Chamber and a former CEO of Pinnacle Airlines.

Early life

Philip Hartley Trenary was born on August 1, 1954 in Pawhuska, Oklahoma, the son of May Ruth and Buck Trenary.
He grew up nearby in Shidler, Oklahoma. He learned to fly a plane before he learned to drive a car.
Trenary earned a bachelor's degree in aeronautical engineering technology from Oklahoma State University in 1979.

Career

In 1984, Trenary founded Exec Express Airlines in Stillwater, Oklahoma. After EEA was moved to Texas in 1987, it was renamed Lone Star Airlines. In 1997, Trenary moved to Memphis to run a local airline that would become Pinnacle Airlines, a $1 billion turnover, regional airline employing 7,700 people.

Personal life and death

Trenary was married to Bridget, they had three children, and later divorced.
Trenary was shot dead in Memphis on September 27, 2018. He was 64.