Heli-One ready for jobs, work liftoff

FORT COLLINS – After almost 30 years of steady business and organic growth, Fort Collins-based Heli-Support Inc. has become part of the world’s largest independent helicopter support firm.

Heli-One of Delta, British Columbia, acquired Heli-Support in November after more than a year of courting. Fort Collins is now the only U.S. site for the company and plans include expanding local staff to handle existing clientele as well as a large new contract.

Wyoming-based Roberts Aircraft Co., founded in 1953, formed the Heli-Support subsidiary in 1981 with the goal of providing maintenance support for its sales and leasing operations. In its early days, Heli-Support boasted three employees and was working toward a number of Federal Aviation Administration certifications.

Today, the company employs 70, boasts a state-of-the-art engine test cell and, with the acquisition, is poised for growth. Kevin Shields, general manager of what is now called Heli-One Colorado, said that the site will immediately see a big jump in volume followed by jobs.

“They identified us and approached us at a trade show, casually at first,” Shields said. He added that at the time, the Roberts family, which still owned the company, was not specifically seeking a sale. But the companies had a letter of intent in place by May and, following a due diligence period, the sale closed on Nov. 3.

Global operation

Similar to Heli-Support, Heli-One was born out of necessity. The company is a subsidiary of CHC Helicopter Corp., which operates a fleet of helicopters and fixed-wing aircraft for transportation purposes. Heli-One was formed from CHC’s maintenance division and set up to conduct third-party work, explained company spokesman Andrew Huige.

In addition to the Fort Collins and Delta facilities, Heli-One operates in Stavanger, Norway; a composites shop in Gander, Newfoundland; handles parts distribution from Amsterdam; and an additional site in Adelaide, Australia.

The company also used to operate shops in Texas and Aberdeen, Scotland. The Texas site was picked up by Heli-One in the 2006 acquisition of Heli-Dyne Systems Inc. Huige said that the facility was closed about a year ago due to a “significantly decreased business volumes and a poor market outlook.”

Recently, Heli-One landed the contract to provide maintenance and service to Addison, Texas-based Omniflight, the second largest provider of air medical services in the nation. The largest, Air Methods, is based out of Denver. The Fort Collins facility began work on the Omniflight contract even before the acquisition closed.

“Fort Collins was acquired mainly to support a contract with Omniflight,” Huige said.

The contract, servicing the company’s 100 aircraft based in 18 states, will represent a large increase in activity for the Fort Collins site.

“It’s a big jump in volume,” Shields said, estimating that service volume could triple over the next few years. “Employment will certainly grow by one-third or one-half.”

Even with the air medical contract, much of the Fort Collins facility’s work will still be related to the oil and gas industry. Traditionally, Heli-Support’s main focus was on servicing helicopters used in energy exploration. As part of Heli-One, that tradition will continue. Parent company CHC counts on the industry for about 69 percent of its revenue, with customers that include BP, ExxonMobil, Chevon, Unocal and others.

Wait-and-see approach

Shields said that the facility will be able to support the volume of service needs for now. Any potential expansion would be on an as-needed basis, and the company will wait to see if it is necessary.

Also taking a wait-and-see approach to the acquisition will be another Fort Collins helicopter service center. Century Helicopters operates a facility near the former Downtown Airpark.

“In the past, we’ve had a very complementary relationship,´ said Century General Manager Mike Hansen. “Now, we’d probably consider them more of a competitor.”

Hansen explained that the companies previously had little overlap in the types of helicopters each serviced. He anticipates that the facility will expand its service offerings as part of Heli-One. Hansen said that the current economic conditions have led to a lot of consolidation in the market, to Century’s advantage, but which also leads to fewer players.

“Just like every other part of the world, this has been a tough economic time for the industry,” Shields agreed.

Being part of an international company can come with its perks. Heli-One Colorado will now have access to a global sales network for the first time ever, opening up the possibility of expanding its third party sales. It can also come with some growing pains, which the site is determined to work out.

“We were a small, family-owned business. Culturally, it’s a big change,” Shields said. “I think that Heli-Support had a good reputation in the industry, and we have to maintain that level of service.”

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