Our Story

Built by the Industry, 

for the Industry.

Steel Shire wasn’t born in Silicon Valley. It was built by two people who worked in the field, saw a gap the industry had accepted as normal, and refused to leave it that way.

Chuck Leppert and Jackson Nies were both working inside a large energy company when they started asking a question nobody wanted to answer: why are we managing right-of-way, GIS, and construction with tools that were never built for this work?

In 2011, they left their corporate jobs and went to build these solutions themselves.

Steel Shire Design, LLC was officially founded that year, not as a technology company that happened to serve infrastructure, but as a company that understood infrastructure first and built technology around it. Every solution, every feature, every workflow was shaped by clients who used it in the field and told us what wasn’t working.

For over a decade, Steel Shire grew entirely through word of mouth. No advertising. No trade show booths. Just clients who got real results and told other people. That’s how a company that started with a single contract became the trusted technology partner for some of the largest energy and infrastructure operators in the country.

Chuck Leppert

Steel Shire Design, CEO & Co-Founder

“We didn’t build software and go looking for a problem. We had the problem, lived it, and then built the solution.”

Meet Chuck & Jackson

Steel Shire Design exists because two people weren’t willing to accept the status quo. Here’s who they are.

Chuck is the face of Steel Shire and the reason clients stay. He spent his career integrating GIS and IT technologies inside a major energy company before co-founding Steel Shire in 2011. He knows the people, the politics, and the workflows of every major account and he shows up in person because he believes that’s how real partnerships are built.

Beyond client relationships, Chuck keeps the platform running. He owns server operations, upgrade management, and the technical backbone that keeps clients up and running. His philosophy is simple: the technology should serve the work, not the other way around.

Chuck Leppert

CEO & Co-Founder

Jackson is the technical architect behind everything Steel Shire builds. He brought a full career of software development experience to the company when he co-founded it in 2011, and he’s been building and rebuilding ever since.

As CTO, Jackson leads the development team, manages product roadmaps, and serves as the person who translates vision into something that actually works. When clients describe a problem, Jackson hears the solution. He’s also the reason the name Steel Shire exists — Steel for the pipe, Shire for the land, Design because listening and creating is how they’ve always worked.

Jackson Nies

CTO & Co-Founder

Why we exist

We’re a customer service company that happens to use technology. We’ve grown through relationships, not campaigns. Clients come back, and they bring other clients with them. That’s only possible when the software actually fits the work — and when the people behind it are reachable, accountable, and genuinely invested in your outcomes.

We listen first

Every solution starts with understanding your workflow, not our product catalog.

We build around real work

Our platform was shaped by clients in the field, not by product managers in a conference room.

We stay

We don’t hand off and disappear. Our team is your team, and that’s how it’s always been.

What we built

One ecosystem. 

Every phase of your project.

Over 15 years of listening to clients, we built a suite of tools that covers the full lifecycle of linear infrastructure projects — from right-of-way acquisition through construction, compliance, and reporting.

Small team. Deep expertise.
Real ownership.

Every person at Steel Shire carries real responsibility. When you work with us, you work with the people who built it.

Jake is the engine behind Steel Shire’s GIS automation layer. He builds Python integrations, automates analysis workflows, and publishes geoprocessing services that turn raw data into real project intelligence.

Jake Seboly

GIS Developer

Sara keeps the internal side of Steel Shire running — onboarding, payroll, benefits, and the organizational detail that lets everyone else focus on the work. She’s the reason things don’t fall through the cracks.

Sara Leppert

HR Coordinator

Tracy knows Skyray better than almost anyone. She configures the platform for clients, runs complex reports, manages accounts, and keeps the day-to-day running smoothly. Her blend of technical depth and client instincts is rare.

Tracy Isbell

Database Developer & Account Manager

Brock leads Steel Shire’s full rebrand and market debut — the first time in company history we’ve gone public with our story. From go-to-market strategy to trade shows to the platform you’re reading this on, Brock owns it.

Brock Hamilton

Growth Marketing Manager

Kyle knows the systems behind the systems. As a Database Support Specialist, he keeps reports and databases running clean, accurate, and dependable, bringing a builder's eye to everything he touches.

Kyle Hall

Database Support Specialist

Cameron brings a detail-driven approach to geospatial work. As a GIS Tech, he collects and processes spatial data in the field and office, supporting infrastructure mapping projects where accuracy and organization matter most.

Cameron Brady

GIS Technician

Alexander brings a leadership-driven approach to full stack development. He focuses on cloud architecture, distributed and scalable applications, and building engineering practices rooted in transparency and collaboration.

Alexander Mishulkou

Senior Full Stack Developer

Dzmitry brings years of deep full stack development expertise to the team. He works across the stack with a focus on system architecture, design patterns, and building scalable, enterprise-grade applications for clients.

Dzmitry Bulyhin

Senior Full Stack Developer

Derin spent his summer diving deep into GIS and infrastructure mapping. He supported spatial data management for pipeline projects, published web map services for clients and field teams, and managed land parcel data and permissions.

Derin Garner

GIS Technician Intern

Maria brings a sharp creative eye to everything the team puts out. As Creative Operations Designer, she shapes social posts, marketing materials, and helped design the visual work behind the team's rebrand.

Maria Fernanda Paredes Parra

Creative Operations Designer