D
enver – The Special District Group, a niche real‑estate finance firm focused on special‑district funding for public infrastructure, celebrates 45 years of sourcing early‑stage capital and five years of partnership with Piper Sandler.

    Founded in 1980 by Tom Bishop, the firm pioneered financial instruments that enable growing communities to finance infrastructure. After operating under several entities, it joined Piper Sandler’s public‑finance division in 2020, broadening its national footprint.

    “Joining Piper Sandler matched our vision and reinforced our commitment,” says Zach Bishop, group head and 20‑year veteran. “Since then we’ve expanded our team, markets and product suite dramatically.”

    Under Sam Sharp’s leadership, the group established a strong presence in Colorado’s metro‑district market and extended into Utah, Texas and other high‑growth states. It has raised more than $25 billion, creating widely used structures such as metropolitan districts, special improvement districts, public‑infrastructure districts and municipal‑utility‑district receivables.

    The firm also shapes policy: it helped launch Colorado’s Metro District Education Coalition in 2019, contributed to dozens of state bills, and supported Utah legislation that encourages responsible early‑stage capital. Bishop notes the urgent need for attainable housing across all markets and stresses the importance of legislative engagement to channel capital into growing communities.

    Today the team comprises 30 professionals in Denver, Salt Lake City and Houston. Through the Community Impact Committee, staff volunteer over 600 hours with 15 organizations, including HomeAid Colorado, HomeAid Utah and NeighborWorks America.

    Looking ahead, Bishop predicts continued growth: “The industry has surged in the past five years, and we expect it to keep expanding. We’re eager to innovate with clients, ease capital constraints and deliver more attainable housing nationwide.”