Meridian Air Group approached Payne, Ross as a start-up company looking to tap into two very focused target markets. Meridian first needed to reach travelers who frequently charter planes for both business and recreation. They also, however, needed to reach recreational pilots who are in need of a fixed base of operations (FBO) for the boarding and maintenance of their planes. An FBO serves as a maintenance and layover point, but in Meridian's case it also has unexpected service and professional crews that could be easily overlooked or dismissed by flyers who might bypass a small rural airport on their normal flight routine.