TIP738: Heico: The Quiet Aerospace Compounder

We Study Billionaires - The Investor’s Podcast Network

Stig Brodersen

Education, Investing, Business

4.6 • 3.6K Ratings

🗓️ 18 July 2025

⏱️ 67 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

In this episode, Clay dives deep into the remarkable story of Heico — a quiet compounder that’s delivered over 22% annual returns for more than three decades. While aerospace may seem like a commoditized or slow-moving industry, Heico flips that assumption on its head. Clay breaks down how the Mendelson family transformed a struggling parts supplier into a $38 billion industry leader through exceptional capital allocation, a culture of ownership, and a nearly unbreakable moat built on regulatory mastery and being a partner that customers can trust. Whether you're an investor, entrepreneur, or business strategist, this episode offers timeless lessons on how to build and sustain a truly durable business. IN THIS EPISODE YOU’LL LEARN: 00:00 - Intro 01:27 - The story of how the Mendelsons took a tiny parts supplier and turned it into a $38B aerospace powerhouse. 06:47 - How Heico turned strict FAA regulations into its biggest competitive advantage. 10:10 - Why airlines prefer Heico parts over the OEM alternatives. 17:50 - What makes Heico’s acquisition playbook similar to Berkshire Hathaway. 27:58 - Why Heico’s products and services are extremely sticky and provide predictable, recurring revenue streams. 37:25 - Why economic downturns benefit Heico, creating a countercyclical business model. 47:19 - How Heico’s culture is unique and has created hundreds of millionaire factory workers. And so much more! Disclaimer: Slight discrepancies in the timestamps may occur due to podcast platform differences. BOOKS AND RESOURCES Join Clay and a select group of passionate value investors for a retreat in Big Sky, Montana. Learn more ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠here⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠. Join the exclusive ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠TIP Mastermind Community⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ to engage in meaningful stock investing discussions with Stig, Clay, Kyle, and the other community members. Interview with Eric Mendelson. 50x Podcast with Nick Howley. Book mentioned: Lessons from the Titans. Related Episode: TIP731: Owning Best-In-Class Businesses w/ Joseph Shaposhnik. Related Episode: TIP709: The Art of Long-Term Investing w/ Francois Rochon. Follow Clay on X and LinkedIn. Check out all the books mentioned and discussed in our podcast episodes ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠here⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠. Enjoy ad-free episodes when you subscribe to our ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Premium Feed⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠. NEW TO THE SHOW? Get smarter about valuing businesses in just a few minutes each week through our newsletter, ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠The Intrinsic Value Newsletter⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠. Check out our ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠We Study Billionaires Starter Packs⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠. Follow our official social media accounts: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠X (Twitter)⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ | ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠LinkedIn⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ | ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Instagram⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ | ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Facebook⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ | ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠TikTok⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠. Browse through all our episodes (complete with transcripts) ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠here⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠. Try our tool for picking stock winners and managing our portfolios: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠TIP Finance Tool⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠. Enjoy exclusive perks from our ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠favorite Apps and Services⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠. Learn how to better start, manage, and grow your business with the ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠best business podcasts⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠. SPONSORS Support our free podcast by supporting our ⁠sponsors⁠: SimpleMining⁠ ⁠Hardblock⁠ ⁠AnchorWatch⁠ ⁠Onramp⁠ ⁠Human Rights Foundation⁠ ⁠Unchained⁠ ⁠Intuit⁠ ⁠Vanta⁠ ⁠reMarkable⁠ ⁠Shopify⁠ HELP US OUT! Help us reach new listeners by leaving us a ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠rating and review⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ on ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Spotify⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠! It takes less than 30 seconds, and really helps our show grow, which allows us to bring on even better guests for you all! Thank you – we really appreciate it!⁠⁠⁠ Support our show by becoming a premium member! ⁠https://theinvestorspodcastnetwork.supportingcast.fm Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://theinvestorspodcastnetwork.supportingcast.fm

Transcript

Click on a timestamp to play from that location

0:00.0	You're listening to TIP.
0:03.1	Haiko is one of those companies that does not make the headlines often, but when you look under
0:08.0	the surface, you realize it's one of the greatest compounders over the past few decades.
0:13.3	Since the Mendelsohn family took control in 1990, shares have compounded at an astounding
0:18.6	22% per annum.
0:23.2	A $10,000 investment back then would be worth over $9 million today. At first glance, you might assume that a company supplying
0:28.8	aerospace replacement parts would be slow-growing or unexciting. But HICO's story flips that
0:34.8	narrative on its head. It's an excellent case study on one of the most strongest modes I've ever studied,
0:40.8	thoughtful capital allocation, and the power of long-term thinking.
0:45.0	In this episode, I'll break down how High Co built its competitive moat, how the Mendelsohn
0:49.8	family turned a struggling part supplier into a $38 billion aerospace leader and why legendary investors
0:55.9	like Warren Buffett and Francois Rochon have taken note. With that, let's dive right into
1:01.1	today's episode on HICO.
1:06.6	Since 2014 and through more than 180 million downloads, we've studied the financial markets and read the books that influence self-made billionaires the most.
1:16.8	We keep you informed and prepared for the unexpected.
1:20.0	Now for your host, Playfink.
1:32.3	Welcome to the Investors podcast. I'm your host, Clay Fink.
1:34.4	On today's episode, I'll be discussing the story of HICO.
1:38.1	HICO is a fascinating business that has delivered exceptional returns for shareholders.
1:43.1	And impressively, HICO continues to deliver outstanding operating performance, which has led to continued
1:49.4	market-beating returns. Three members of the Mendelssohn family hold executive roles at the company.
1:55.5	Lawrence or Larry is the executive chairman and former CEO, while Victor and Eric, who are brothers, are co-CEOs.
	...

Please login to see the full transcript.

Previous episode | Next episode

Disclaimer: The podcast and artwork embedded on this page are from Stig Brodersen, and are the property of its owner and not affiliated with or endorsed by Tapesearch.

Generated transcripts are the property of Stig Brodersen and are distributed freely under the Fair Use doctrine. Transcripts generated by Tapesearch are not guaranteed to be accurate.