AIAC AT THE RENAISSANCE WEEKEND
For Immediate Release
L. M. Levie, Chairman of American Industrial Acquisition Corporation (AIAC) and Trustee of the Explorers Club, participated in this year's Renaissance Weekend, convened December 28, 2025, through January 1, 2026. Ambassador Philip Lader and Rev. Linda Lader hosted the gathering at its longstanding New Year's home, the Charleston Place Hotel in the Historic District of Charleston, South Carolina.
Since its founding in 1981, Renaissance Weekend has drawn a community dedicated to meaningful, interdisciplinary exchange that transcends conventional boundaries of profession, politics, faith, ethnicity, and generation. Among its distinguished alumni are U.S. Presidents, Supreme Court Justices, Nobel Prize winners, Astronauts, Ambassadors, military leaders, university presidents, and chief executives of major corporations and foundations. Notable past attendees include Gerald Ford, Bill and Hillary Clinton, Justices Stephen Breyer, Harry Blackmun, and Neil Gorsuch, Asa Hutchinson, General Wesley Clark, Alan Greenspan, Jeh Johnson, Jamie Dimon, Jon Huntsman, Susan Crown, Reid Hoffman, Leon Panetta, and Alan Patricof.
The New Year's gathering remains the flagship event among several Renaissance Weekends convened throughout the year. Approximately 750 participants take part in a diverse program of seminars, roundtable discussions, and performances, all grounded in principles of civility, bipartisanship, and commitment to the public good. Attendees craft their own schedules from offerings spanning civic engagement, finance, science and technology, law, journalism, and the arts. A longstanding off-the-record tradition safeguards the candor and independence that define the Renaissance Weekend's character.
Mr. Levie personally greeted the following distinguished attendees:
Hon. Phil Lader - Senior Advisor, Morgan Stanley, Director, Rand Corp., formerly Chair, WPP plc, Ambassador to the UK, White House Deputy Chief of Staff, Deputy Director, Office of Management and Budget
Rev. Linda Lader - Minister, Palm Beach Gardens Presbyterian Church, formerly Minister, New York Avenue Presbyterian Church, Washington, DC
Hon. Janet Mills - Governor of Maine and former Attorney General
Hon. Seth Moulton - U.S. Congress, Candidate for U.S. Senate
Dr. Susan Hockfield - Former President, MIT, American Association for the Advancement of Science, Provost, Yale University
Charlie Bolden - Former Administrator of NASA and Astronaut and Space Shuttle Pilot
General David M. Walker - Former U.S. Comptroller General
Hon. Mark C. Sanford - Former Congressman and South Carolina Governor
Claire Babineaux-Fontenot - CEO of Feeding America, the nation's largest hunger-relief organization, former Treasurer of Walmart
Gillian Sorenson - Former Assistant Secretary General, United Nations, Trustee, International Rescue Committee, Director, Corporation for Public Broadcasting
Anna Escobedo Cabral - Former Treasurer of the U.S., former Director of Smithsonian Institution's Center for Latino Initiatives, former President and CEO of Hispanic Association on Corporate Responsibility, former Deputy Staff Director for U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee
Richard Viguerie - Former Publisher, Conservative Digest and political marketing pioneer
Esther Dyson - Pioneer tech investor, author, and former Chair of ICANN
Andrew Tobias - Bestselling financial author and former DNC Treasurer
Anthony N. Banbury - President and CEO of IFES (International Foundation for Electoral Systems), former UN Assistant Secretary-General for Field Support, former Senior Director at National Security Council (Clinton/Bush administrations), former Asia Regional Director for UN World Food Programme
Rev. Dr. David W. Miller - Professor of Ethics, Director Princeton University Faith & Work Initiative, Member, Yale CEO Summit
Sandy Climan - CEO, Entertainment Media, Producer, The Aviator, Former Executive Vice President, Universal Studios, former Director, CAA
Dr. Reza Banki - Former CFO, X Corp (formerly Twitter), former CFO and Chief Strategy Officer of Tubi, former consultant at McKinsey & Company, PhD in Chemical Engineering from Princeton
David Gelles - NY Times Reporter and Best Selling Author
Lawrence Schneider - Former Partner, Arnold & Porter, former President, Washington Council of Lawyers
Bill Marovitz - Chairman Marovitz Group, real estate developer, former Illinois State Senator
Trevor Norwitz - Of counsel, Wachtell Lipton Rosen & Katz, Lecturer, Columbia Law School and Oxford
George Hornig - Director, Edelman, Co-Founder, Wasserstein Perella
Kim Davis - Partner, Charlesbank Capital, former Partner, Kohlberg & Company
Michael Hoffman - Former Senior Managing Director and Head of M&A at Blackstone, former Partner at Riverstone Holdings, former Co-Head of M&A at Smith Barney
Jane Hoffman - Former Commissioner, New York City Consumer Affairs Department, Fellow, Harvard
John Friedman – Partner, Easton Venture Capital, Former Managing Director and Partner, E. M. Warburg, Pincus
Dr. Deborah Brosnan - Chair, Deborah Brosnan Associates, marine scientist and environmental risk specialist, Fellow, The Explorers Club
Marc Pollick - President, the Giving Back Fund, former President, Elie Wiesel Foundation
Judge William Irwin Belk - North Carolina Superior Court Judge, Chairman and CEO, Belk Department Stores
Margaret Chustecki, MD - Founder, Internal Medicine of New Haven, Physician, Yale Hospital System
Georgina Belk - CEO, British West Indies Trading Company, entrepreneur, historian, and descendant of Thomas Harriott
Hannfried Von Hindenburg - Former senior executive at Reuters and World Bank, great-great-grandson of Paul von Hindenburg, Chancellor of Germany
AIAC Chairman L. M. Levie participated as a panelist in two Renaissance Weekend seminars during which he described recent case studies in corporate and nonprofit organization turnaround situations. At a third session, he recited Ode to Hope, his new lyrics adapted from Ode to Joy from by Ludwig van Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony (1824), which he dedicated to Phil and Linda Lader. He hosted three luncheon, dinner and after-dinner discussion groups and was a member of the Renaissance Family Singers, which performed at the New Year’s Eve Gala.
Mr. Levie commented "Renaissance Weekend exemplifies the power of bringing together diverse perspectives in an atmosphere of mutual respect, curiosity and fellowship. In an era when civil discourse can seem increasingly rare, this gathering reminds us that thoughtful dialogue across traditional boundaries remains not only possible but essential to addressing the complex challenges facing our nation and world. It was gratifying to see old friends, meet new friends, and learn about the latest developments in science, technology, politics, business, media, philanthropy, and the performing and visual arts. It was an extraordinary experience.”
For more information, please see:
https://www.renaissanceweekend.org/
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Renaissance_Weekend
About the Renaissance Weekend
Renaissance Weekend is an invitation-only retreat that brings together a diverse group of influential and innovative minds from various fields, including business, science, academia, government, media, the arts, and philanthropy. Established in 1981 by Linda and Philip Lader, the event aims to foster thoughtful dialogue, interdisciplinary collaboration, and intellectual renewal.
Held several times a year, often in scenic or tranquil locations, Renaissance Weekend provides a unique setting for participants to engage in nonpartisan discussions and explore a broad spectrum of topics. These range from global policy and scientific breakthroughs to ethics, the arts, and personal development.
The event features a series of roundtable discussions, seminars, workshops, and informal conversations, encouraging active participation and the free exchange of ideas. Sessions are off the record to promote candid dialogue and mutual respect among participants.
Renaissance Weekend is celebrated for its emphasis on building relationships across disciplines and ideologies, fostering a spirit of curiosity, lifelong learning, and mutual respect. It attracts attendees from all walks of life, from political leaders to Nobel laureates and Pulitzer Prize winners to rising stars and accomplished athletes, artists, and professionals, all united by a shared commitment to exploring new ideas and perspectives.
About American Industrial Acquisition Corporation
American Industrial Acquisition Corporation (AIAC) is a diversified industrial group with manufacturing and distribution sites in 24 countries in North America, Europe, and Asia. AIAC has acquired and grown non-core subsidiaries and divisions of Boeing, Siemens, Lockheed Martin, Northrop Grumman, Raytheon, Johnson Controls, Merck, Pfizer, Astellas, Visteon, Carlyle, Ahlstrom, Tolko, Groupe Suez, Groupe Rexel, and many other leading multinational corporations.
AIAC companies serve companies and governmental entities worldwide in all major sectors, including aviation, space, defense, automotive, truck, rail, marine, petrochemical, solar, nuclear, food, confectionary, beverage, civil engineering and infrastructure, commercial construction, mining, dredging, disaster relief, education, medical devices, and pharmaceuticals. AIAC companies manufacture materials, components, assemblies, packaging, equipment, and finished products. In addition, AIAC companies are exclusive, authorized distributors of leading branded industrial and consumer products and serve as critical suppliers for major airports, schools, hospitals, performing art and sports centers, offices and hotels throughout Southeast Asia, Australia, and New Zealand. AIAC is a leading manufacturer of building, street, and highway signage in Europe, signage and illumination structures in North America, and a distributor of electrical products throughout France.
Of note, AIAC purchased Boeing Canada in 2005 and has produced over 10,000 unique components for every Boeing jet plane ever since, reliably serving Boeing from manufacturing facilities in North America. A leader in ultra-high precision jet engine component manufacturing, AIAC companies produce 2,200 fan blades and blisks for each jet engine produced by GE, Pratt & Whitney, Rolls Royce, and Honeywell. AIAC companies produce the critical automotive wire and cable for Tesla, GM, Ford, Chrysler- Fiat, Toyota, and Nissan. In connection with its kraft paper manufacturing interests in Canada and the US, AIAC controls and sustainably manages 22 million acres of Manitoba, Canada forestland, an area equivalent in size to the nation of Hungary.
AIAC companies actively support exploration into outer space, manufacturing critical components for launching and propelling spacecraft and satellites. AIAC customers in this sector include NASA, the European Space Agency, SpaceX, Blue Origin, and Boeing. AIAC companies also lead in the design and manufacture of undersea umbilical cables for worldwide oceanographic research.
Another AIAC affiliate, located in Germany, designs, manufactures and distributes high performance emergency portable power generators required during natural disasters, including extreme climate events worldwide. Clients include government agencies and the International Red Cross.
For further information, please see:
About AIAC Philanthropy
AIAC and the AIAC Foundation support a wide range of nonprofit, nonsectarian, bipartisan organizations which promote international conflict resolution, disaster relief, economic development, environmental sustainability, and exploration. The exploration-focused nonprofit organizations which they actively support include the Explorers Club, the National Geographic Society, the Royal Geographical Society, the American Museum of Natural History and the Hayden Planetarium, the Victoria & Albert Museum, the National Air and Space Museum, the National Space Society, and the United States Space Foundation.
In recent months, AIAC Companies have proudly served as a corporate sponsor of Hubert Sagniere’s historic circumnavigation of the earth in a single-engine plane (www.flightaroundtheglobe.com).
AIAC’s other beneficiaries include the Appeal of the Nobel Peace Laureates Foundation Inc., the Asia Society, the Atlantic Council, the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation - Gates Philanthropy Partners, the Bretton Woods Committee, the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, the Carter Center, the Council on Foreign Relations, the Economic Club of New York, the Foreign Policy Association, the Institut Française des Relations Internationales, the International Committee of the Red Cross, the International Crisis Group, the International Rescue Committee, the Japan Society, the JFK School of Government of Harvard University, the Peterson Institute for International Economics, the Richardson Center for Global Engagement, the Royal Institute of International Affairs (Chatham House), the Sierra Club, and the Trilateral Commission.
For further information, see:
https://www.aiac.com/our-values
Media Contact:
Isabel Carro-Toro, Vice President
American Industrial Acquisition Corporation
+34 689 295 827 (Spain)
+ 1 787 244 3175 (USA)
icarro-toro@aiac.com