Shawn Binion, Glenwood Springs Survey Team Leader, has worked on countless projects throughout his career. But one thing he’s especially proud of isn’t a single project—it’s helping build SGM’s long-term partnership with Holy Cross Energy.
“What I’m most proud of is that the project led to a deeper, trusted relationship,” said Binion. “Holy Cross continued expanding the work they entrusted to SGM because they knew we would be responsive, solve problems, and deliver on our commitments. That trust has ultimately grown into one of SGM’s strongest client relationships.”
Shawn Binion,
Glenwood Springs
Survey Team Leader
Holy Cross Energy is a not-for-profit rural electric cooperative providing service to more than 45,000 members in Western Colorado. Over the years, SGM has supported Holy Cross with surveying, legal descriptions, easement acquisition support, GIS integration, field engineering, and utility infrastructure projects
One project that demonstrates the value of that partnership is Holy Cross’s legacy easement mapping initiative. Holy Cross had thousands of historic easement documents that existed primarily as paper records or disconnected digital files. SGM worked with the Holy Cross team to digitize those records, survey and verify easement locations, and integrate the information into their GIS system.
The result was a centralized resource where field staff, engineers, and managers could quickly access easement information rather than spending significant time searching through files. Holy Cross estimated that the effort would return many times its cost through efficiencies gained across the organization.
Nearly every infrastructure project starts with survey, and while surveyors often work behind the scenes, their work has a tangible impact on the communities SGM serves. For Shawn, projects like those completed with Holy Cross demonstrate the broader value of the profession.
“We help utilities like Holy Cross Energy improve reliability for their members, help municipalities build and maintain infrastructure, and help property owners understand and protect their land rights,” said Binion. “While surveyors often work behind the scenes, the projects we support directly affect how people live, work, and interact with their communities.”
