Bear Castle Capital Unveils New Fire & Life Safety Platform, Response Fire Protection
Formation of Response Fire Protection: Bear Castle Capital has launched Response Fire Protection, a full-service fire and life safety organization in Central Texas, led by industry veterans Steve Shaffer and Justin Kuhlman, with a focus on customer-centric services.
Leadership Experience: CEO Steve Shaffer brings over 40 years of experience in the fire and life safety industry, having previously led successful companies like Endeavor Fire Protection and Impact Fire Services, while President Justin Kuhlman has two decades of experience in the Texas FLS sector.
Commitment to Employee Development: Both Shaffer and Kuhlman emphasize the importance of creating a positive work environment and employee development, aiming to make Response the best fire protection service provider and workplace in Texas.
Bear Castle's Role: Bear Castle Capital, founded in 2021, aims to empower industry entrepreneurs and is committed to building a leading FLS services provider in Texas, leveraging its deep industry relationships and access to growth capital.
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- Vertex Options Volume: Vertex Pharmaceuticals saw options trading volume of 7,355 contracts, equating to approximately 735,500 shares, which is about 49.8% of its average daily trading volume of 1.5 million shares over the past month, indicating heightened market interest in its future performance.
- High Strike Demand: Notably, the $500 strike call option expiring on February 20, 2026, has seen 1,797 contracts traded today, representing around 179,700 shares, suggesting that investors are increasingly optimistic about Vertex's stock price appreciation.
- APG Options Activity: In parallel, APi Group Corp recorded an options trading volume of 10,416 contracts, translating to approximately 1.0 million shares, which accounts for 49.6% of its average daily trading volume of 2.1 million shares over the past month, reflecting strong market interest in APG.
- Significant Strike Activity: Particularly, the $45 strike call option expiring on July 17, 2026, has seen a trading volume of 5,503 contracts today, representing about 550,300 shares, indicating a bullish sentiment among investors regarding APG's future performance.
- Stock Purchase Overview: On January 5, 2026, Mullin disclosed purchases of 10 stocks, each ranging from $15,000 to $50,000, indicating his ongoing interest in small and mid-cap stocks, with most having market capitalizations below $20 billion.
- Small-Cap Characteristics: Notably, two of these stocks have market caps under $5 billion, reinforcing Mullin's preference for smaller stocks, which could influence his decisions on the Armed Services Committee, particularly regarding future government contracts.
- Historical Trade Review: Prior to this, on December 29, 2025, Mullin bought six of the Magnificent Seven stocks, investing at least $50,000, highlighting his preference for tech stocks, with Microsoft Corp (MSFT) being the largest investment.
- Potential Conflict of Interest: Given Mullin's role on the Armed Services Committee, Benzinga will closely monitor his future stock trades, especially concerning potential conflicts arising from military actions in countries like Venezuela.
- Earnings Release Schedule: APi Group plans to release its financial results for the fiscal year 2025 before the market opens on February 25, 2026, which is expected to provide investors with critical financial data and business performance analysis to assess the company's future growth potential.
- Conference Call Timing: The company will hold a conference call at 8:30 AM ET on February 25, 2026, where CEO Russell A. Becker and CFO David Jackola will discuss the financial results, offering in-depth insights into the company's performance.
- Investor Conference Participation: APi's senior leadership will participate in the Citi 2026 Global Industrial Tech and Mobility Conference on February 17 and the Barclays 2026 Industrial Select Conference on February 18, showcasing the company's strategic direction and enhancing engagement with investors.
- Company Background Information: APi is a global market-leading business services provider specializing in fire and life safety, security, elevators, and specialty services, with over 500 locations worldwide, providing a stable revenue base that supports the company's financial stability.
- Acquisition Completed: APi Group announced the completion of its acquisition of CertaSite on February 2, 2026, which will enhance APi's capabilities in fire and life safety services in the Midwest, solidifying its leadership in non-discretionary, regulatory-driven recurring revenue opportunities.
- Financial Impact: CertaSite is expected to positively contribute to APi's “10/16/60+” shareholder value creation framework, driven by its inspection-first strategy, strong EBITDA margin profile, and asset-light business model, thereby enhancing overall profitability.
- Strategic Synergy: APi's CEO Russ Becker stated that the acquisition will accelerate CertaSite's people-first and inspection-first strategies, leveraging APi's strong balance sheet and robust M&A pipeline to drive future growth and synergies.
- Market Positioning: As a global leader in fire and life safety services with over 500 locations worldwide, APi's acquisition will further strengthen its market position and customer base, ensuring a steady revenue stream and the delivery of innovative solutions.
- Acquisition Completed: APi Group announced the completion of its acquisition of CertaSite on February 2, 2026, which will enhance APi's capabilities in fire and life safety services in the Midwest, solidifying its leadership in non-discretionary, regulatory-driven recurring revenue opportunities.
- Financial Impact: CertaSite is expected to positively impact APi's '10/16/60+' shareholder value creation framework, driven by its inspection-first strategy, strong EBITDA margin profile, and asset-light business model, thereby enhancing overall profitability.
- Strategic Synergy: APi's CEO Russ Becker stated that the acquisition will accelerate CertaSite's people-first and inspection-first strategies, leveraging APi's strong balance sheet and robust M&A pipeline to drive future growth and synergies.
- Market Leadership: As a global leader in fire and life safety services with over 500 locations and a substantial recurring revenue base, APi's acquisition will further strengthen its market position and competitive advantage in the industry.
- Account Performance: Greystone Capital Management reported a net return of +0.3% for separate accounts in Q4 2025, bringing the full-year net return to +2.8%, which lagged behind the S&P 500 and Russell 2000 returns of +2.7% and +2.2%, respectively.
- Investment Strategy Analysis: The firm highlighted that its concentrated and differentiated strategy leads to expected divergence from major indices, with tracking error viewed as a feature rather than a flaw, despite underperformance in 2025 due to poor stock selection and lack of AI-themed investments.
- APi Group Performance: APi Group (NYSE:APG) continued to demonstrate a steady, high-quality business in 2025, reporting Q3 revenues of $2.1 billion, a 14.2% increase from the previous year, with its stock gaining 64.69% over the past 52 weeks.
- View on AI Investments: While acknowledging APi Group's potential, Greystone Capital Management believes that certain AI stocks offer greater upside potential and lower downside risk, indicating a cautious approach towards future investment directions.








