Hogan Family Foundation -- Founders

After the Navy, Ed earned his commercial pilot's license and began working for Sky Coach on the East Coast in 1948. He later flew as co-pilot for US Air Coach out of Burbank, California in 1951 before joining Transocean Air Lines as District Sales Manager in Los Angeles (1954), Honolulu (1956) and San Francisco (1957). Transocean Air was the first tourist flight operation to Hawaii. When he transferred to New York in 1958, he became director of domestic and Pacific sales.

As his career developed further, he and his wife Lynn, a graduate of Pratt Institute College, opened their first retail travel agency, Pleasant Travel Service, in 1959. Three years later they moved the family business to the West Coast, to better serve the destination of Hawaii. Pleasant Holidays LLC today enjoys total revenues of approximately $500 million annually.

In 1998, the Hogans sold Pleasant Holidays LLC to the Auto Club of Southern California. Today, Ed Hogan stays busy serving as Chairman of the non-profit Hogan Family Foundation, Pleasant Travel Service, Pleasant Aircraft Leasing and the Royal Lahaina Development Company, and Royal Lahaina and Royal Kona Resorts.

In 2001, Ed and Lynn celebrated their 50th Wedding Anniversary with 250 close family and friends at their Chateau Plaisance in Lake Sherwood, California.

Following is a brief overview of the Hogan enterprises:

PLEASANT TRAVEL SERVICE
Hawaiian Hotels & Resorts (hotel ownership/management: Royal Lahaina Resort on Maui and Royal Kona Resort on the Big Island of Hawaii)
Real Estate Development (Presidentail Estates)

PLEASANT AIRCRAFT LEASING
Gulfstream 200 and 400 private jet airplane available for lease in association with Clay Lacy Aviation in Van Nuys, California.

POSH Private Jet Holidays

THE HOGAN FAMILY FOUNDATION
In 1998, Ed and Lynn Hogan established the Hogan Family Foundation with the mission to promote a greater understanding of the importance of promoting the entrepreneurial spirit through the creation and operation of educational, civic-minded and humanitarian programs designed to encourage a more productive and contributory society. Since it’s founding in 1998 the Foundation has invested more than $40 million in its charitable programs.

The Foundation’s contribution to education focuses on encouraging the entrepreneurial spirit with the funding of programs in Entrepreneurial Studies at Gonzaga University in Spokane, Washington and Chaminade University in Honolulu, Hawaii. In 2004, the Foundation held the first Hogan Entrepreneurial Award Dinner honoring the Chairman of Countrywide Financial, Angelo Mozilo.

Humanitarian programs include the Hogan Angel Flight Program, assisting with travel arrangements for needy medical patients, and the “My Bag” Children's Foster Care Support Program.

The Hogan Family Foundation has also made cultural contributions with the building of the Gardens of the World, a 4.5-acre community park in Thousand Oaks, California, which features different types of gardens found around the world. The Foundation’s most recent project is the building of the new Rancho San Francisco in Hidden Valley, California. This 22-acre facility will house the 15 Hands Rescue Sanctuary to provide shelter for abandoned and abused horses, as well as, the St. Francis Rangers Program which teaches underprivileged children the care and riding of its 32 horses and participates in equestrian show competitions.

Under the chairmanship of Ed and Lynn Hogan, the Hogan Family Foundation continues to develop new programs of a philanthropic nature. The Hogan’s desire to “give back” to their community and society as a whole is a gesture of gratitude for the success they have enjoyed in their lives.

Vice Chairperson, The Hogan Family Foundation, Inc.
Secretary, Vice Chairperson of the Board & Director, Pleasant Travel Service

Marilyn (Lynn) Hogan is a graduate of the highly acclaimed Pratt Art Institute in Brooklyn, NY with a Bachelor's Degree in Graphic Arts. Following graduation she worked for a New Jersey advertising agency and later became a flight attendant for US Air Coach. In 1951 she married Edward J. Hogan her high school sweetheart, and a co-pilot for US Air Coach. Following her marriage, she worked as an artist at the Walt Disney Studios in Burbank doing picture cells for Disney's animated feature classic "Peter Pan” in 1955 and had her first child Brian.

Over the next 4 years, Ed was transferred 5 times, ending in New York with Transocean Air Lines. When the airline went out of business in 1959, Lynn and Ed opened their own travel agency called Pleasant Travel Service in Point Pleasant, NJ. Lynn ran the office while Ed developed new business for the agency, including organizing some local groups to travel to Hawaii.

In 1962, Lynn and Ed, now with four children, moved their business to California to better serve the destination of Hawaii. Lynn ran their Panorama City (in the heart of San Fernando Valley) retail travel office and the advertising. The travel trade ads were designed by Lynn, written by Ed, and each family member was featured in some of the ads.

As other travel agencies began asking them for help in developing travel packages to Hawaii, Pleasant Hawaiian Holidays, now the largest travel company to Hawaii was born. In 1975, the Hogans moved the retail office and the wholesale operation to Westlake Village (about 30 miles north of San Fernando Valley). While Ed concentrated on building the wholesale business, Lynn worked side by side with her husband handling all the design/production of consumer and travel trade ads, brochures, letterheads, and other collateral sales material. Lynn also oversaw the operation of the two retail travel agencies. Over the next 10 years, the Hogans expanded their travel empire by purchasing six hotels in Hawaii and one in California and Lynn continued her active role in marketing and decorating the hotels.

Lynn Hogan earned her Certified Travel Counselor (CTC) designation in 1995.Lynn and Ed were inducted into the prestigious ASTA World Travel Hall of Fame in 1993. Lynn has been the recipient of many honors and awards during her career. In both 1997 and 1998, she was named as one of the "Top 200 Women Most Powerful Women in Travel" by Travel Agent Magazine. In 1998, she was also voted number 53 on Working Women magazine's list of top 500 women-owned businesses in the United States and she was recognized by USA Today as one of its top two women owners of travel companies in the country.

In 1998, with the sale of Pleasant Holidays to the Automobile Club of Southern California, Ed and Lynn Hogan established the Hogan Family Foundation, a non-profit organization dedicated to promoting the entrepreneurial spirit through the creation and operation of educational, civic-minded and humanitarian programs designed to encourage a more productive and contributory society. Lynn Hogan serves as Vice Chairman of the Foundation with the main focus on educational and charitable programs. For the past five years, the Foundation has funded programs in entrepreneurial studies at Gonzaga University in Washington and at Chaminade University in Hawaii. Other Foundation programs close to Lynn’s heart include the “My Bag” Foster Care Children’s Support Program, and the Hogan Angel Flight Program.

In 2000, the Hogans were recognized by Travel Agent Magazine as travel industry leaders and in the same year the University of Houston inducted Lynn and Ed into its Hospitality Industry's Hall of Honor with permanent displays at the school's Conrad A. Hilton College of Hotel and Motel Management. Also, that year the Hogan Family Foundation received the Odyssey Award by the Travel Industry Association of America. The Association of Travel Marketing Executives bestowed its "Inspiration Award" on the Hogans for their Foundation's unique Mobile Classroom. In 2002 The Business Journal of the San Fernando Valley named Lynn Hogan as one of their “Woman Who Mean Business” for her outstanding achievement in business in the San Fernando Valley. In June of 2003, Ed and Lynn Hogan were named “Master Entrepreneurs of the Year” by Ernst and Young. In May of 2004, Lynn Hogan received her honorary Doctorate from Chaminade University in Honolulu, Hawaii. Also In May 2006, Lynn recieved her honorary Doctorate from Gonzaga University in Spokane, Washington.

Lynn Hogan retired from her duties as Vice Chairman of Pleasant Holidays, LLC in December 2001. Beyond her business and charitable activities, Lynn stays in shape with five-hour-a-week aerobics classes. Lynn and Ed make their home in Lake Sherwood California where she enjoys studying piano, her home and caring for her four French Poodles. Lynn has raised four wonderful children, Christine, Gary, Glenn and Brian all of who have held leadership positions within the Hogan businesses. Christine Hogan is the Executive Vice President of the Hogan Family Foundation, Gary is Executive Vice President of Operations of Hawaiian Hotels and Resorts, Glenn is Executive Vice President of Sales and Marketing of Hawaiian Hotels and Resorts and Brian is the Vice President of Pleasant Travel Service. The Hogans also have four grandchildren. Having recently celebrated her 50th Anniversary by re-taking her vows, Lynn feels blessed that she has not only had a successful marriage and a wonderful family, but also a very satisfying career.