Antin Infrastructure Partners a private equity firm focused energy and environment, digital, transport and social infrastructure sectors has acquired a majority stake in High Performance Helicopters for an undisclosed sum.
Founded in 2005 by Brad and Tracey Bauder and based in Redlands, California, HP Helicopters is focused on critical services to the utility infrastructure, construction and aerial firefighting. HP Helicopters’ fleet currently serves customers in 10 states in the Western US, catering to a broad range of clients, notably including state and federal government agencies, utilities, engineering, procurement and construction firms, and aerospace and defence companies. Following get conclusion of the deal Brad Bauder will retain a minority stake in the company.
HP Helicopters has seen strong growth in this fragmented and underserved market on the back of two major but unrelated trends: a growing need for emergency response to wildfires due to climate change, and rising demand for mission-critical heavy-lift services by helicopters to help modernise aging infrastructure and support electrification and grid expansion for AI.
Antin says that both of these trends investment strategy which centres on investment in companies with proven business models and technologies that require substantial capital and expertise to scale to become the next generation of infrastructure.
In a statement commenting on the buy Angelika Schöchlin and Stephan Feilhauer, respectively Managing Partner and NextGen Partner at Antin Infrastructure Partners, said: “We are delighted to be partnering with Brad to accelerate HP Helicopters’ growth. The company is a good fit for our NextGen strategy, which aims to build tomorrow’s infrastructure today. We see strong potential to take HP Helicopters to the next level by expanding the fleet, further increasing efficiencies, and continuing the transition to long-term exclusive use contracts with clients who want to ensure availability amid a structural supply shortage for heavy-duty helicopters.
Meanwhile ”Brad Bauder, CEO and co-founder of HP Helicopters, added: “We are excited to join forces with Antin. This partnership is about more than just capital; it also gives us access to resources and experience that will help accelerate the company’s growth. We see tremendous value in this partnership and are confident that this is the best way to safely scale and grow our specialty services company to help meet industry demand.”
Image: HP Helicopters
