Fortune Brands flies to Burbank as new Deerfield HQ nears completion

Fortune Brands flew from Chicago Executive Airport to Hollywood Burbank Airport on May 13, a 4-hour trip aboard its Embraer Legacy 500, N520FB. The company’s home base is Deerfield, Illinois, and its aircraft typically shuttles executives to recurring destinations including Austin, Houston, Washington, San Francisco, London, and Minneapolis.

The trip to Southern California comes the same week Fortune Brands reported first-quarter 2026 results, with interim CEO David Barry citing “inconsistent execution” and inflationary headwinds, per a May 7 company release. The company is also consolidating its U.S. regional offices into a single Deerfield headquarters, a move announced in early 2025 and designed to house 1,000 associates by 2027, as detailed in Fortune Brands’ own stories. Southern California remains home to the company’s digital-focused office in San Francisco and various sales and distribution sites.

Recent flights show the aircraft made a round trip to the Norfolk, Virginia area on May 12, and a trip to Cleveland on May 8, suggesting a pattern of visits to operational or manufacturing sites. The Burbank arrival may indicate executive meetings with West Coast partners or a review of the company’s digital and connected-products strategy, which includes brands like Yale and August smart locks.