Antin Infrastructure Partners has acquired a majority stake in High Performance Helicopters (HP Helicopters), a Redlands, California-based firm specializing in heavy-lift aerial firefighting and infrastructure services. The deal, the eighth investment from Antin's €1.2 billion Next Gen Fund I, was announced with terms undisclosed. Brad Bauder, co-founder and CEO of HP Helicopters, will retain a minority holding following the transaction.
HP Helicopters, founded in 2005 by Brad and Tracey Bauder, provides critical services to utility infrastructure, construction, and aerial firefighting industries across 10 western US states. According to Antin, the company has grown due to rising demand for emergency wildfire response and heavy-lift services for aging infrastructure and grid expansion. The firm has also appointed Santiago Crespo as its new CFO, who brings over 25 years of experience scaling companies in the aircraft industry.
Goodwin Procter served as legal counsel and Cozen O'Connor as aviation regulatory counsel to Antin during the deal. Red Mountain Capital Advisors acted as financial adviser to the buyer, while Varner & Brandt and Jetlaw advised the sellers.
Source: PE Hub · Summarized by HeadlinesBriefing