American Infrastructure Partners (AIP) is a specialized infrastructure investment firm dedicated to addressing critical infrastructure deficits across the United States through public-private partnerships. Founded in 2018 and headquartered in San Mateo (Foster City), California, AIP focuses on four key sectors where America’s infrastructure needs are most acute: education, logistics and postal services, transportation (specifically bridges), and rural broadband connectivity. The firm manages approximately $3.1 billion in assets under management and operates through a unique platform-based approach, creating specialized subsidiaries that concentrate expertise within specific infrastructure categories.
Unlike many global infrastructure investors that pursue large-scale assets across multiple continents, American Infrastructure Partners has carved out a distinctive niche by focusing exclusively on domestic infrastructure challenges that directly impact local communities. The firm’s investment philosophy emphasizes collaboration with municipalities, cities, and communities to provide immediate access to essential services through real assets deployed at the local level. Through its specialized platforms—United Bridge Partners, American Postal Infrastructure, School Infrastructure Partners, and Local2U—AIP addresses infrastructure gaps where traditional public funding has proven insufficient.
What Does American Infrastructure Partners Do?
American Infrastructure Partners operates through four specialized platform companies, each dedicated to solving specific infrastructure challenges in the United States. This focused, platform-based approach allows the firm to develop deep expertise within each sector and deliver tailored solutions that address the unique needs of communities facing infrastructure deficits.
Through United Bridge Partners (UBP), AIP addresses America’s bridge infrastructure crisis by designing, building, owning, and operating replacement toll bridges across the country. With approximately 40 professionals dedicated to bridge development, UBP has successfully completed or put into service seven bridges, making it one of the only “bridge-only” investment funds in the United States. Notable projects include the South Norfolk Jordan Bridge in Chesapeake, Virginia, which was completed for $143 million—significantly below the state’s projected $200 million replacement cost—and the Houbolt Road Extension in Illinois, which provides critical freight access while reducing annual CO2 emissions by over 240 metric tons. The firm operates bridges in multiple states including West Virginia, Illinois, Indiana, Virginia, and Michigan.
American Postal Infrastructure, established in 2019, owns and operates over 790 post office facilities across 47 states and Puerto Rico, working in partnership with the United States Postal Service. This platform provides capital solutions for postal facilities that require modernization and revitalization, addressing the urgent infrastructure needs identified in reports showing that the postal facility network requires significant investment. Through School Infrastructure Partners—a collaborative venture with education-focused investors—AIP provides schools with investment capital to fundamentally enhance school facilities, addressing the estimated $270 billion in deferred maintenance needs facing American public schools. The platform offers facility upgrades, expansions, and ongoing maintenance services to educational institutions struggling with aging infrastructure.
The firm’s newest initiative, Local2U, focuses on bridging the digital divide by providing wireless internet service provider (WISP) infrastructure to rural communities across America. This platform addresses the connectivity gap that prevents many rural areas from accessing essential services, education, and economic opportunities. The comprehensive approach reflects AIP’s mission to be more than passive infrastructure investors—the firm positions itself as an active problem-solver that listens to communities’ infrastructure needs and develops targeted solutions.
When Was American Infrastructure Partners Founded?
American Infrastructure Partners was officially founded in 2018 by Bob Hellman, though its roots extend back to 2006 when Hellman co-founded the firm’s predecessor company, American Infrastructure Funds (AIM). The establishment of AIP represented an evolution and formalization of the infrastructure investment platform that had been developed over more than a decade of focusing on critical U.S. infrastructure deficits at the local community level.
American Infrastructure Funds, the predecessor entity, was created in 2006 specifically to address and fill the critical deficit in United States infrastructure funding for local communities. Under AIM, the team developed expertise in essential infrastructure sectors and established the foundational investment strategies that would later be refined and expanded under the American Infrastructure Partners brand. Most notably, AIM created the New American Bridges Fund, L.P., a 2017 vintage fund that raised approximately $1 billion in commitments to provide fully-private solutions for designing, rebuilding, owning, and operating toll bridges across the United States.
The 2018 founding of American Infrastructure Partners represented a strategic evolution that allowed for expansion into additional infrastructure categories beyond bridges, including the launch of American Postal Infrastructure and School Infrastructure Partners. This transition enabled the firm to apply its community-focused, problem-solving approach to a broader range of critical infrastructure needs. The timing proved significant as federal infrastructure reports consistently highlighted widespread deterioration across multiple asset categories, with the American Society of Civil Engineers documenting that nine infrastructure sectors remained in the D grade range despite federal investments.
Who Owns American Infrastructure Partners?
American Infrastructure Partners operates as a privately held investment firm founded and owned by Bob Hellman and the firm’s management team. As a private equity-style infrastructure investor, AIP maintains a partnership structure where ownership is concentrated among the founding partners and key investment professionals who have significant equity stakes in the business. This ownership model aligns the interests of the firm’s leadership with both the communities they serve and the institutional investors who provide capital to AIP’s investment funds.
The firm’s predecessor company, American Infrastructure Funds (AIM), was co-founded by Bob Hellman in 2006, and the ownership transitioned to the new American Infrastructure Partners entity when it was established in 2018. While specific details about equity distribution among partners are not publicly disclosed, the structure follows a typical private equity fund model where the general partner (the management company owned by the founders and team) manages investment funds capitalized by limited partner investors.
It’s important to note that American Infrastructure Partners is distinct from another similarly named entity, American Infrastructure Partners LLC (based in different locations), which is a family-owned investment firm founded by George and Sarah McMahon that focuses on infrastructure equipment and services. The Bob Hellman-led American Infrastructure Partners based in California focuses on direct infrastructure asset ownership and operation in education, logistics, transportation, and broadband sectors.
Who Is The CEO of American Infrastructure Partners?
Bob Hellman is CEO of American Infrastructure Partners, a role he has held since founding the firm in 2018. Hellman brings over 35 years of private equity investment experience to his leadership of AIP, with deep expertise in infrastructure development and public-private partnerships. Prior to founding American Infrastructure Partners, Hellman co-founded the firm’s predecessor company, American Infrastructure Funds (AIM), in 2006, where he pioneered the concept of a dedicated bridge replacement fund and developed the firm’s community-focused investment approach.
Throughout his career spanning more than three decades, Hellman has served as CEO, board member, and board advisor to more than 40 middle-market companies across diverse industries including building materials, forest products, energy production and distribution, and infrastructure sectors. His experience includes originating workforce housing developments, marina projects, transportation infrastructure initiatives, and smart city programs. This broad operational background informs AIP’s hands-on approach to infrastructure investment, where the firm works directly with management teams and community stakeholders to implement solutions.
Under Hellman’s leadership, American Infrastructure Partners has established itself as a unique player in the U.S. infrastructure investment landscape by focusing exclusively on domestic community-level infrastructure needs. He has been a vocal advocate for expanded use of public-private partnerships to address America’s infrastructure crisis, contributing op-eds to publications like The Wall Street Journal arguing that private investment can bring accountability, efficiency, and accelerated project delivery to critical infrastructure improvements. Hellman has emphasized that AIP’s mission extends beyond financial returns to making a genuine difference in communities by providing immediate access to essential services through strategically deployed infrastructure investments.
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