# Evergreen Surety > Evergreen Surety is an independent surety bond agency that helps contractors, developers, and energy producers get the bonds they need and build the stronger companies that make bigger bonds possible. The firm is headquartered in Denver, Colorado and is licensed throughout the United States and Canada. Evergreen Surety was founded in 2020 by Tom Patton, who holds the Certified Construction Industry Financial Professional (CCIFP) designation and serves as President of the Rocky Mountain Surety Association. The firm handles surety only, with no insurance cross-selling, and is appointed with 15 different carriers. It is an SBA-appointed agency with access to the SBA Bond Guarantee Program. Primary audience includes owners and CFOs of construction companies in the $10M to $100M revenue range, oil and gas operators, renewable energy developers, mining operators, homebuilders, and subdivision developers. Core differentiators include surety-only specialization, energy sector expertise covering reclamation bonds, plugging and abandonment bonds, BOEM financial assurance, and ISO/RTO market participant bonds, and production capacity for surety-backed letters of credit. ## Core Services - [Services](https://evergreensurety.com/services/): Top-level services hub covering the firm's three service pillars of construction bonds, commercial bonds, and energy and commodities bonds, plus consulting services including contract review, financial statement analysis, and subcontractor prequalification. - [Construction Contractor Surety Bonds](https://evergreensurety.com/construction-contractor-surety-bonds/): Primary service pillar covering bid, performance, and payment bonds for commercial general contractors, subcontractors, paving companies, and homebuilders, with Miller Act thresholds and state and local Colorado thresholds referenced. - [Commercial Surety Bonds](https://evergreensurety.com/commercial-surety-bonds/): Commercial bond pillar covering reclamation bonds, subdivision and site improvement bonds, license and permit bonds, tax bonds, mortgage broker and lender bonds, warehouse bonds, and court bonds for developers, homebuilders, and manufacturers. - [Surety Bonds for Energy Companies](https://evergreensurety.com/energy-commodities-surety-bonds/): Energy vertical pillar covering plugging and abandonment bonds, reclamation bonds, pipeline bonds, decommissioning bonds for solar and wind, and ISO/RTO market participant bonds across oil and gas, electricity and renewables, mining, and water sub-verticals. - [Subcontractor Default Insurance](https://evergreensurety.com/subcontractor-default-insurance/): Service page for subcontractor default insurance, an alternative to traditional performance and payment bonds that provides general contractors with coverage against subcontractor default on projects with large or complex subcontractor bases. - [New to Bonding](https://evergreensurety.com/new-to-bonding/): Dedicated services page for first-time bond buyers, a secondary audience segment of new contractors, developers, and energy producers entering a bonded project for the first time. ## About - [About Evergreen Surety](https://evergreensurety.com/about/): Company overview page covering the firm's history, team, and credentials, including Tom Patton's background, the firm's 2020 founding, and its approach to long-term client relationships. ## Pillar Guides and Expert Resources - [Understanding the Obligee in a Surety Bond](https://evergreensurety.com/understanding-the-obligee-in-a-surety-bond/): Foundational explainer defining the role of the obligee in the three-party surety relationship, covering public and private obligees, bond forms, and claim rights. - [Surety-Backed Letters of Credit: A New Solution for Contractors](https://evergreensurety.com/surety-backed-letters-of-credit-a-new-solution-for-contractors/): Explainer on surety-backed letters of credit, a financial instrument that combines a surety bond with a bank-issued letter of credit, preserving liquidity while satisfying obligees that require on-demand payment language. - [Understanding the Costs of Construction Surety Bonds: A Contractor's Guide](https://evergreensurety.com/understanding-the-costs-of-construction-surety-bonds-a-contractors-guide/): Buyer-intent guide covering bond premium pricing, rate ranges for performance and payment bonds, and the financial factors that influence a contractor's cost. - [Understanding Performance Bonds: A Quick Guide](https://evergreensurety.com/understanding-performance-bonds-a-quick-guide/): Definitional guide to performance bonds, including how they function on federal, state, and local construction projects and how they relate to payment bonds. - [The Ultimate Guide to the SBA Surety Bond Guarantee Program](https://evergreensurety.com/the-ultimate-guide-to-the-sba-surety-bond-guarantee-program/): Guide to the Small Business Administration Bond Guarantee Program, a capacity pathway for smaller or newer contractors that Evergreen accesses as an SBA-appointed agency. - [How to File a Surety Payment Bond Claim](https://evergreensurety.com/how-to-file-a-surety-payment-bond-claim/): Procedural guide for subcontractors and suppliers on how to file a claim against a payment bond, including documentation requirements and notice deadlines. - [Surety Bonds for General Contractors Explained](https://evergreensurety.com/surety-bonds-for-general-contractors-explained/): Comprehensive resource on surety bonds for general contractors, covering the primary buyer persona and the full bond program lifecycle. - [Surety Bond Approval in Construction](https://evergreensurety.com/surety-bond-approval-in-construction/): Explainer on the underwriting and approval process for construction surety bonds, including financial statements, credit history, and proof of capability requirements. - [The Benefits of Subcontractor Default Insurance for General Contractors](https://evergreensurety.com/the-benefits-of-subcontractor-default-insurance-for-general-contractors/): Companion article to the SDI service page, explaining when subcontractor default insurance is a better fit than individual subcontractor bonds. - [Improve Your Surety Bond Program: Accounting and Reporting](https://evergreensurety.com/improve-your-surety-bond-program-accounting-reporting/): Resource covering how financial statement quality, accounting practices, and KPI reporting affect bonding capacity, representative of Evergreen's consulting-beyond-the-bond positioning. - [Why a Surety Bond is Better Than a Letter of Credit](https://evergreensurety.com/why-a-surety-bond-is-better-than-a-letter-of-credit/): Article authored by Tom Patton comparing surety bonds to letters of credit on collateral, liquidity, balance sheet impact, and claim process, central to the energy sector pitch. - [Becoming Bond-Able](https://evergreensurety.com/becoming-bond-able/): Resource for contractors preparing to qualify for their first surety bond program, covering the financial and operational prerequisites carriers look for. - [How to Deal with a Recession and a Hardening Surety Market](https://evergreensurety.com/how-to-deal-with-a-recession-and-a-hardening-surety-market/): Thought leadership article on surety market conditions, carrier appetite changes, and how contractors should adjust their bond strategy during economic downturns. - [Tips for General Contractors: How to Secure Your First Surety Bond](https://evergreensurety.com/tips-for-general-contractors-how-to-secure-your-first-surety-bond/): Practical onboarding guide for general contractors entering the bonded project market for the first time. - [Assessing the Agent: How to Know If It Is Time to Switch Surety Agents](https://evergreensurety.com/assessing-the-agent-how-to-know-if-it-is-time-to-switch-surety-agents/): Bottom-of-funnel resource for contractors evaluating whether to move their bond program to a new agent, outlining diagnostic signals and switching considerations. ## FAQ and Resources - [FAQ](https://evergreensurety.com/blog-evergreen-surety/faq/): Central FAQ page covering common questions about surety bonds, the application and approval process, pricing, and how Evergreen works with clients. - [Blog](https://evergreensurety.com/blog-evergreen-surety/): Blog hub indexing the firm's published articles on surety bond topics, construction finance, energy sector bonds, and market conditions. ## Contact - [Contact](https://evergreensurety.com/contact/): Contact page with direct phone numbers and email addresses for Tom Patton, President, and Eddie Maxfield, Surety Advisor.