Bristow Capitalizes on its Rich Heritage to Create a Single Brand

In the mid-2000s, Bristow had operations across the globe and was capitalizing on the rich heritages of Bristow Helicopters, Air Logistics and Production Management Services. Over the next few years during an unprecedented period of strong market conditions, the company began making several changes to support its vision of one global team setting the standard for excellence around the world.

Re-branded as Bristow Group in 2006

In 2005, under the direction of President and Chief Executive Officer William "Bill" Chiles, Bristow moved its corporate headquarters from Lafayette, Louisiana, to the heart of the energy industry of Houston, Texas, to best reach its customers, financial institutions and service businesses in support of its growth. In 2006, led by a team formed from a cross-section of employees, the company rebranded as Bristow Group, creating a single brand under which the entire company would operate. Bristow was identified as the brand name that had the greatest equity with customers and other stakeholders worldwide. Bristow introduced a new corporate logo, emblematic of a company in motion and changing for the better, new paint scheme for helicopters and new signage at shore base locations. The company also created its Core Values of safety, quality and excellence, integrity and teamwork, established a new Code of Business Integrity to guide employee business conduct and introduced common standards for safety and quality to measure and guide services offered to customers.

Implemented its industry leading Target Zero program

Near the end of the decade, the increasing demand for energy required more exploration production programs in deeper waters, farther from shore, and boosted demand for Bristow's offshore transportation services. In 2007, the company implemented Target Zero, its long-term approach to develop a culture of safety at all levels at the company. Bristow's industry-leading Target Zero program remains the underpinning of Bristow's successful safety culture today. Bristow was tested during the global recession at the end of the decade where the decreasing demand for oil and natural gas, and falling energy prices adversely affected Bristow and other companies throughout the energy industry. While the company was less vulnerable to downturns because of support of production activities rather than exploration and development, the company effectively managed its costs to maintain competitiveness. At the end of the decade, Bristow was operating in the North Sea, Nigeria, Australia, North America, Brazil, Egypt, India, Malaysia, Mexico, Russia, Trinidad and Turkmenistan, with a fleet of nearly 600 aircraft.

Present day

Bristow continues to be a leading provider of helicopter services to the worldwide offshore energy industry. In 2014, Jonathan Baliff succeeded Bill Chiles as president and chief executive officer and continues Bristow's strategic expansion across the globe and its unwavering commitment to safety and proactive partnership with customers. With recent acquisitions of premium regional air carriers, Eastern Airways in the UK and Airnorth in Australia, Bristow provides point-to-point scheduled and charter transportation services, combining fixed-wing with rotary-wing services to clients around the world. The company currently has major helicopter transportation operations in the North Sea, Nigeria and the U.S. Gulf of Mexico, and in most of the other major offshore oil and gas producing regions of the world, including Australia, Brazil, Canada, Russia and Trinidad.

Bristow's largest share of revenues relates to oil and gas production, providing stability and growth opportunities. There are approximately 1,700 helicopters servicing the global oil and gas industry, of which Bristow's fleet is approximately one-third.

In addition to providing helicopter transport services for energy companies and others, Bristow is a leader in search and rescue (SAR) services. The company operates private sector SAR services in Australia, Canada, Norway, Russia and Trinidad, and public sector SAR services for all of the UK on behalf of the Maritime and Coastguard Agency.

Bristow continues to own and operate Bristow Academy, which is the world's largest commercial helicopter training service provider. Bristow Academy is the only helicopter flight school approved to provide helicopter flight training to Commercial Pilot level both by the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration and the European Joint Aviation Authority.?