At 35,000 feet, the most dangerous thing in a jet engine isn't fire... It's water.
Commercial airlines regularly cruise at altitudes where the air is minus 60 degrees Fahrenheit.
At those temperatures, you'd better hope the plane's jet fuel has no trace of water inside. The slightest impurity would transform into microscopic ice crystals.
Those shards of ice act like sand in a gearbox. They clog the engine's fuel lines and can even cause a total power failure.
So fuel must be pure and dry if it's going to keep these metal flying machines in the sky.
In 2019, a massive fuel terminal in Northwest Europe missed that mark...
The crisis began with a "multi-product pipeline." You can think of it as a high-speed highway that transports different liquids – like gasoline, diesel, and jet fuel – one after another. Usually, this system works perfectly for delivering fuel. But this time, the pipe's other liquids contaminated a shipment of jet fuel with solids and water.
The terminal managers faced a serious dilemma.
If the fuel reached the planes departing that morning, thousands of lives would be at risk. But neither did they want to shut down air travel until they could get a replacement batch.
They needed to purify all that fuel in record time.
Fortunately, they knew just who to call. It's not a Silicon Valley tech giant or a government task force. It's a quiet, specialized outfit operating out of Tulsa, Oklahoma.
Facet Filtration specializes in fluid purity. It builds industrial-grade systems designed to keep water and microscopic grit out of fuel. In aviation, this company provides the final line of defense between a fuel tank and a jet engine.
In the case of Europe's jet fuel, Facet provided filtration cartridges that eliminated impurities from the fuel. Plus, Facet's team supported the terminal's staff, which worked around the clock to install new filters and ensure the ones in place were working properly.
Thanks to Facet's work behind the scenes, everything proceeded as normal. Not a single flight was canceled, and not a single jet engine got clogged with ice.
Facet is the definition of a niche business. It solves a problem so small, so specific, and so technical that almost no one else does it.
Facet's total addressable market is only about $8 billion. That's tiny. In today's world, tech giants regularly spend many times that on annual capital expenditures.
But Facet is a huge player in this small industry. And because its work is so critical and highly regulated, it can raise prices without customers blinking an eye.
Here's the best part... About 70% of Facet's sales are recurring from services and replacement filters.
This is a beautiful business. It generates more than $100 million in annual sales and has a massive profit margin.
Facet is such a great business that it was bought by a larger industrial company for $820 million – a premium price for such a small player.
You see, Facet is the definition of what I call a "Niche Fortress" stock... These are the kinds of companies you want to own to make long-term gains.
That's why, back in March, I created the Niche Fortress Index.
It's a collection of 20 manufacturing companies that have all been around for a long time... and have leading positions in their respective industrial niches.
No one notices this group of companies, but they're vital to the economy. They're AI-proof. And investing in them can make you rich over time.
Like Facet, each of these businesses operates in an industrial market so small that corporate giants won't touch it.
These market leaders prove it's not just heavy hitters like Apple (AAPL) that will thrive. Without any major competition, these companies can raise prices and return cash to shareholders.
Here are the traits of a niche fortress stock...
- It operates in a relatively small industrial market: This is key... The small market size will keep the biggest companies away.
- It has a leading position in its niche: It's a big player in this small market.
- Its margins are healthy: Without a dozen competitors undercutting it on price, it can maintain and raise prices.
- Its balance sheets are weatherproof: It's not burning cash to grow – it's generating it, and likely carries little debt.
- It has a history of growing its dividends every year: It's likely a "Dividend Aristocrat" – a company that has increased its dividend for at least 25 years in a row – or is close to earning that title.
These companies aren't flashy. Your friends won't be impressed if you bring them up at a cocktail party. But if you want to make money over time, these are the businesses you want to own.
As you can see below, this group of stocks has absolutely smashed the market over the past 20 years...
In our Retirement Millionaire portfolio, we have five of these niche fortress stocks. All have gone up since we originally recommended them. We recently named all five of them Strong Buys.
If you want steady growth without the risk of having an AI stock blow up, you need to own these stocks.
Current Retirement Millionaire subscribers can read more about them here.
And if you aren't subscribed to Retirement Millionaire, click here to learn more about joining us.
What We're Reading...
- Something different: EBay (EBAY) rejects GameStop's (GME) $56 billion takeover bid, calling it "neither credible nor attractive."
Here's to our health, wealth, and a great retirement,
Dr. David Eifrig and the Health & Wealth Bulletin Research Team
May 13, 2026