Bridger merges with Jack Creek

The news was confirmed on 24 January, following its approval at a special meeting of Jack Creek shareholders the same day. The combined companies are now operating as Bridger Aerospace Group Holding, trading on the Nasdaq Global Market under the ticker symbols ‘BAER’ and ‘BAERW’.

Jeffrey Kelter, Jack Creek Executive Chairman, has been appointed as Chairman of Bridger’s Board of Directors. The merger marks Bridger’s launch as a public company and is expected to build on its  strong financial performance to accelerate expansion.

“The closing of the transaction and our listing on Nasdaq is an important milestone and an incredibly proud moment for the entire Bridger team,” commented Tim Sheehy, Bridger founder and CEO. “We are excited to enter this new chapter as a publicly traded company, uniquely positioned to expand throughout North America and continue our mission to save lives.”

Kelter added: “We are excited to finalize our business combination and continue our partnership with the Bridger management team. As a public company, Bridger is well-positioned financially to further expand its industry-leading fleet and explore proprietary strategic investments to complete its growth plans for 2023, and create significant and sustained value for all stakeholders as it works to meet critical environmental and community needs.”

In addition to operating a wide range of aerial firefighting aircraft – which includes a fleet of six CL-415EAF ‘Super Scoopers’, as well as Daher Kodiaks, Pilatus PC-12s, a DeHavilland Twin Otter, and Twin Commanders – Bridger also offers FireTRAC, a digital platform for wildfire tracking.

Darren Wilkins, Bridger Chief Operating Officer, spoke about how aerial firefighters are responding to the growing threat of more frequent wildland fires, in AirMed&Rescue’s March 2022 issue.