The Roll-Up

October 2024

When the Feds Fall Short, Private Pilots Step Up

With Milton ready to rip, we'll get right to it. This month we're rolling-up Operation Airdrop, a nonprofit that acts when others falter (looking at you, FEMA) by delivering life-saving supplies to those stranded by natural disasters. Here’s what they’re about, what they’re doing post-Helene (and soon to be post-Milton), and how you can help:

Who They Are: Formed after Hurricane Harvey in 2017, Operation Airdrop recruits volunteer pilots with private planes and helicopters to deliver emergency supplies to hard-to-reach areas cut off by floods or wind damage. Co-founder Ryan Spellman noted the group doesn’t wait for FEMA's green light - they go where people need them, often guided by requests from families of those affected.

What They're Doing: Since Hurricane Helene hit the Carolinas, East Tennessee, and North Georgia, these sky-bound heroes have dropped over 350,000 pounds of supplies, completed more than 600 flight missions, delivered 650 Starlink units for internet in areas without service, and even rescued 456 stranded individuals. If FEMA is the tortoise, these guys are the hares - except they’re not napping along the way.

Heroic Pilots: The lifeblood of Operation Airdrop is their volunteer pilots. Among them is former NASCAR driver Greg Biffle, who traded race cars for a helicopter. While flying over the mountains of Western North Carolina, he spotted a glint in the sunlight - it was a mirror, a desperate signal from someone trapped for days without food, water, or cell service. This wasn’t just any rescue - it made the New York Post, proving good deeds still get headlines.

How You Can Help: Whether you want to donate, you're a pilot, or just want to spread the word, head to Operation Airdrop’s Helene Page to support their ongoing efforts.

Monica Wood Joins Team as VP of Finance

We are pleased to announce the addition of Monica Wood to the Caymus Equity team! Monica joined the firm in August as Vice President of Finance and will be responsible for overseeing fund administration, operations, financial and investor reporting, budgeting, SEC and FINRA reporting and compliance, risk management, and human resources.

Monica was previously with Truist Financial Corporation where she served as CFO, Treasurer and FINOP for Truist Investment Services, Inc. and Truist Advisory Services, Inc. Prior to Truist, Monica held a variety of reporting, audit, and accounting positions with SunTrust, Inc., BAY Corporation, and PwC.

We're excited to have Monica a part of the Caymus Equity team!

Monica Wood, Vice President - Finance

mwood@caymusequity.com

404-995-8533

Atlanta, GA

The Tariff Tango

“It is clearly in the short and long-term best economic interests of the American working people.” – Bill Clinton, January 10, 2000

China was allowed into the WTO in 2001 after an enormous lobbying effort by the Clinton administration on behalf of China’s application. President Clinton’s argument at the time centered around two major points – (i) American big business like agriculture, automotive, and telecom would have a huge new market to sell to, and (ii) tariffs and anti-dumping regulations on Chinese made goods would protect small American manufacturing businesses.

Nearly 25 years later, two outcomes are clear: (i) the U.S. consumer-driven economy’s hunger for lower-cost goods has produced extraordinarily efficient supply chains and remarkably low prices, and (ii) we’re just as clueless regarding the efficacy of tariffs as President Clinton was in 2000. Don’t believe me? Here’s a 65-inch UHD TV for $330. And can you (or anyone) prove that China has paid billions in Trump Tariffs, as claimed in the September debate?

Consumer loyalty to lowest price combined with essentially free trade with China has resulted in a third outcome lurking in the shadows: the squeeze of small American supply businesses. Don’t believe me? Ask a small business owner who pays the tariff on their imports. It’s not China. Consumers determine the price they’re willing to pay on the one end, and the cost of goods just went up due tariffs on the other.

The 25-year economic partnership has been fantastic in the short and long-term for the average American consumer. Has it been good for the American working people?

The Roll-Up

Caymus Equity