AUSTIN, Texas & NEW YORK-July 1, 2026– SAM (“SAM” or the “Company”), a leading independent provider of mission-critical geospatial and inspection services to the utility and critical infrastructure markets, and New Mountain Capital, LLC (“New Mountain”), a leading growth-oriented investment firm, today announced that funds managed by New Mountain have made a majority investment in the Company, acquiring the ownership interest of Peak Rock Capital, the majority investor in SAM since 2021.
Founded in 1994, SAM is one of the most trusted brands in geospatial services and the leading scaled, independent platform serving critical infrastructure markets including utilities, transportation, and energy. The Company provides an integrated, end-to-end suite of solutions spanning land-based and aerial surveying, subsurface utility engineering, asset inspection, and digital solutions. SAM is differentiated by its national scale, technical breadth and depth, proprietary technology, and long-tenured customer relationships. Headquartered in Austin, Texas, the Company employs over 1,800 professionals and is one of the largest nationwide employers of licensed surveyors.
SAM also announced the appointment of Dr. Hisham Mahmoud to the role of Chairman of the Board. Dr. Mahmoud is an industry leader and Senior Advisor at New Mountain, where he plays a key role in shaping and supporting the infrastructure services investment strategy. New Mountain has a long and successful track record investing in and scaling companies in the infrastructure services industry and, in partnership with leadership teams and Dr. Mahmoud, has built differentiated industry-leading organizations. With this investment and the added resources and operational experience of New Mountain and Dr. Mahmoud, SAM is well-positioned to expand its strategy and accelerate its growth via continued development and recruitment of best-in-class talent, broadened service offerings, geographic expansion, and strategic acquisitions, amid rising utility and infrastructure investment and secular growth in demand for mission-critical geospatial data and solutions.
“Partnering with New Mountain and Hisham is an exciting next chapter for our Company,” said Chris Solomon, Chief Executive Officer of SAM. “The New Mountain team shares our values and commitment to our clients and employees who have built our firm, and they bring the resources and expertise to help us shape and deliver on our ambitious strategic plans.”
Joe Walker and Lars Johansson, Managing Directors at New Mountain, said, “New Mountain has had a multi-year focus on geospatial services as part of our long-standing sector effort in infrastructure services and technology, and we are proud to partner with SAM. We look forward to supporting the Company, both organically and through strategic acquisitions, in this next phase of growth.”
Dr. Hisham Mahmoud, SAM Chairman of the Board, added, “As an industry leader with differentiated end-to-end technology-enabled solutions, SAM is well positioned to expand its strategy and market reach, and to continue to innovate to reshape and elevate the standard for the industry. I am honored and excited to partner with Chris and SAM’s leadership team during this exciting next phase of the company’s long and successful journey.”
Guggenheim Securities, LLC and Houlihan Lokey served as financial advisors and Kirkland & Ellis LLP served as legal counsel to SAM and Peak Rock Capital. EFCG Transaction Services, LLC and KippsDeSanto & Co. served as financial advisors and Ropes & Gray served as legal counsel to New Mountain.
About SAM
SAM is a leading independent provider of mission-critical geospatial and inspection services to the utility, transportation, and critical infrastructure industry, with roots dating back to 1994. The Company delivers an integrated suite of solutions across land and aerial surveying, subsurface utility engineering, construction and asset inspection, and digital data management, serving a diversified, blue-chip base of investor-owned utilities, transportation agencies, energy providers, and other infrastructure owners. Headquartered in Austin, Texas, SAM employs over 1,800 professionals. For more information, please visit www.SAM.biz.
About New Mountain Capital
New Mountain Capital is a New York-based investment firm that emphasizes business building and growth, rather than excessive risk, as it pursues long-term capital appreciation. The firm currently manages private equity, strategic equity, credit, and net lease real estate funds with approximately $60 billion in assets under management. New Mountain seeks out what it believes to be the highest quality growth leaders in carefully selected industry sectors and then works intensively with management to build the value of these companies. For more information, please visit https://www.newmountaincapital.com/.
