Human leadership meets technology.
Leader. Advisor. Builder.
Cuban-American entrepreneur. Aviation operations to aviation technology. I sit on the operator’s side of the table.
The Philosophy.
Christ first. Everything flows from this foundation. Identity rooted in faith, leadership anchored in purpose, and service driven by grace.
Leadership earned through fiduciary thinking, treating clients like family. From the cockpit to the boardroom, translating operational precision into strategic execution. Leading from alignment, not approval.
Currently serving as Founder of Glades Air and Head of Sales, Americas at NERD.aero. Also serving as Executive Director of the Central Florida Business Aviation Association (CFBAA). Previously Partnerships Director for TEDxOrlando (through May 2026).
Strategy
Precision planning for scalable growth
Developing comprehensive roadmaps that transform vision into actionable milestones, leveraging data-driven insights and proven frameworks like EOS to drive sustainable business growth.
Integration
Connecting systems, people, and processes
Bridging technological advancement with human leadership, creating cohesive ecosystems where tools, teams, and workflows operate in seamless harmony.
Execution
From vision to operational excellence
Translating strategic plans into tangible results through disciplined implementation, continuous optimization, and a relentless focus on measurable outcomes.
The Work.
NERD.aero
Head of Sales, Americas
I work with operators, flight departments, and FBOs on how the work actually gets done. When the right next step is cybersecurity or custom software around your operations, I bring NERD’s engineering team and aviation technology specialists to the table. I will also tell you when you do not need new tech.
Glades Air
Founder
Private aviation concierge for travelers who want the trip handled end to end. I founded Glades Air and built its technology stack, including the client portal, so every quote, itinerary, and touchpoint runs on software I designed.
CFBAA
Executive Director
Volunteer Executive Director of the Central Florida Business Aviation Association. Focused on workforce development, education, and real community for people curious about careers in business aviation.
Sharing Ideas. Leading People.
Whether on a stage or in a room with operators and leaders, I care about ideas that move people to action and about equipping others to lead from alignment, not approval.
TEDxOrlando
Partnerships Director (past)
Previously led partnership and sponsorship efforts for TEDxOrlando, an independently organized TED event in Central Florida. Past role, through May 2026.
- Building bridges between sponsors and ideas worth spreading
- Connecting innovators, leaders, and the local community
- Driving lasting impact through global ideas and local action
Dale Carnegie Training
Former Business Advisor
Previously served as a Business Advisor in Central Florida, coaching executives and organizations through leadership development and cultural transformation. Stepped down in May 2026 and remains a proud champion of the methodology, glad to recommend a local program.
- Coached executives and organizations on leadership development
- Supported cultural transformation work with local teams
- Glad to recommend a local Dale Carnegie program
“Leadership is not about having all the answers; it is about asking the right questions, sharing ideas worth spreading, and empowering others to lead from alignment, not approval.”
Beyond Validation.
A book in progress for high-performers learning to lead from alignment, not approval.
Beyond
Validation
Lead from alignment,
not approval.
Built and Launched.
Companies, apps and brands Hakar has designed and launched on his own.
Glades Air
Private aviation concierge
Hakar’s own company, a private aviation concierge for travelers who want private jet charter handled end to end. Glades Air plans the flight and the trip around it, from the first request to the final itinerary. Clients request trips and follow their plans through a client portal at gladesair.com. Hakar designed and built the entire technology stack himself, so every quote, itinerary and client touchpoint runs on his own software.
Internal tools, private: a travel concierge CRM, a rapid quote tool and a live itinerary app, built by Hakar for Glades Air’s own team.
Azipom
Sales prospecting SaaS
A self serve sales prospecting SaaS that does the prospect research before the first conversation. Give Azipom a company name, plus a person’s name if you have one, and it pulls publicly available information from dozens of sources into one clear brief. That makes outreach relevant instead of copy and paste. Hakar designed the product, built it and launched it on his own.
Sample prospect brief
Alex Rivera, VP Operations
Example Company
- Talking point: recent expansion
- Angle: saving the team time
Urban air mobility network
eVTOL and vertiport directory
A directory and marketplace for urban air mobility that connects consumers with eVTOL operators and vertiports. The goal is a true network of services, where travelers can find a flight and operators and vertiports can find each other.
Conference networking game
Mobile event app
A mobile conference networking game that turns a show floor into conversations. Attendees fill a networking card by meeting people and visiting booths, with progress tracked across every day of the event. Photos come straight from the camera, uploads queue up and retry when the venue connection drops, and anti cheat flags send questionable squares to a manager review tool. Making that hold up on a crowded conference floor was the hard part.
Lifestyle brand
Aviation-inspired, invite only
An aviation-inspired luxury lifestyle clothing brand that is exclusive and invite only. Still refining. To request an invitation or more information, send a note through the contact form.
ShotGroups
AI marksmanship training app
An AI shot group analysis app for marksmanship training. Shooters snap their target with the in app camera and AI hole detection scores the group. Weekly challenges, seasons and leaderboards keep people coming back, with live Stripe payments built in. Getting AI to count holes reliably in real world photos took many rounds of testing and tuning.
Curious about other independent work? Send a note through the contact form.
Every project here was designed, built and launched by Hakar Torres independently, outside business hours and not for any employer or client. Work built for a company, internally or for a client, stays private out of respect for client confidentiality.
Where I've Been Featured.
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Meet Hakar Torres: A journey through leadership, aviation, and entrepreneurship.
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