Multi-millionaire businessman Tim Sheehy, the Republican establishment’s anointed candidate to challenge Senator Jon Tester (D-MT) in 2024, appears to have built most of his wealth through corporate environmental, social, and governance (ESG) schemes, government contracts, and investments with companies linked to the Chinese Communist Party. Sheehy is expected to face off against conservative Congressman Matt Rosendale (R-MT) in the state’s Republican Senate primary — where the former Navy Seal’s investments and ‘woke’ business practices will likely draw attention.
Born in Shoreview, Minnesota, Sheehy relocated to Montana in 2014 after the end of his service in the U.S. military. With investments from his wife and family, Sheehy founded Bridger Aerospace — initially intending to provide aerial tracking support to Montana ranchers. However, Sheehy quickly pivoted to using his fleet of aircraft — now at 22 planes — to combat wildfires.
Cashing In On Corporate ESG.
Bridger Aerospace pitches its business as part of the fight against climate change, playing up its alignment with corporate ESG policies to draw in investors and secure federal government contracts. A public offering prospectus claims the company is uniquely suited to capitalize on a “market without a significant number of public-ready, fundamentally-driven ESG businesses.” Additionally, the document states: “Bridger’s Mission is to fight wildfires that cause hundreds of billions of dollars of economic damage and emit hundreds of millions of metric tons of CO2 into the atmosphere annually.”
Since declaring his bid for the U.S. Senate, however, Sheehy has tried publicly portraying himself as a critic of ESG policies and has called President Joe Biden’s climate change agenda “disgraceful.” Early last year, Bridger Aerospace dropped references to climate change and ESG corporate governance from its website.
Bridger Aerospace officially went public in January 2023 with a valuation of $900 million.
Chinese Investments.
Aside from his involvement in the corporate ESG agenda, Sheehy — until recently — held investments in foreign companies with deep ties to the Chinese Communist Party (CCP). Throughout 2023, Sheehy sold off shares he held in the Chinese tech conglomerate Tencent. The technology company that owns WeChat has deep ties to the CCP’s intelligence and propaganda apparatuses.
Former President Donald Trump signed an executive order in 2020 banning WeChat in the U.S. over national security concerns. A federal court ruling later blocked the order from taking effect.
Sheehy has tried to quietly dump investments in other companies with ties to Huawei, Alibaba, and Baidu — all Chinese-based firms with ties to the CCP. The U.S. State Department considers Huawei and Tencent “Communist Chinese military companies.”
