Tailwind Concessions Acquires Oakwells and Multiple F&B Concessions From Kind Hospitality

WILMINGTON, N.C. – Tailwind Hospitality, Inc. (dba “Tailwind Concessions” or “Tailwind”), headquartered in Wilmington, North Carolina, today announced the acquisition of Oakwells, a Winter Park, Florida-based regional airport and train station concessionaire, as well as the acquisition of four food and beverage concessions at Phoenix-Mesa Gateway Airport from Kind Hospitality.

Oakwells, founded in 2004, currently operates retail and grab n’ go concessions, as well as full-service bars and restaurants, in twelve airports and one train station across the country providing superior service and quality offerings to its airport customers and their respective passengers.

“We welcome Oakwells, along with its impressive team and operations, to the Tailwind family,” stated Jeff Switzer, CEO of Tailwind. Switzer added, “We are excited to partner with Mike Reilly, founder and CEO of Oakwells, who will also join the Tailwind team post-close along with his over 100 employees, to ensure a successful combination of the businesses and continue to provide best-in-class service and responsiveness to our airport partners.”

Mike Reilly added, “We have long competed with Tailwind in the airport market, and it was great working with the Tailwind team to get this transaction done. We’re confident that our employees and airport partners will mesh with Tailwind’s strong customer-first culture to ensure the continued growth of the combined business.”

Tailwind also closed its acquisition of a majority stake in four food and beverage concessions at the Phoenix-Mesa Gateway airport previously owned by Kind Hospitality and its founder Nava Thursaisingam. The acquisition includes four food and beverage revenue centers, including concepts with local breweries and restaurants. Jeff Switzer stated, “We view this more as a partnership, not an acquisition, with Nava and his impressive team and look forward to partnering together on other airport opportunities in the future.”

In November 2021, Palladin Consumer Retail Partners partnered with Tailwind and its existing management team to recapitalize the Company and acquire a smaller competitor, Air Host, creating a leading airport concession platform focused on small and mid-sized airports throughout the United States. Since the investment, Tailwind has more than doubled its footprint while further building out its offering of nationally known brands and local concepts, and now operates over 160 concessions in nearly 60 airports across the continental United States and Alaska.