Phill Perron never set out to be one of this year’s two 2025 Ralston Young Trenchless Achievement Award winners, let alone vice president of projects with The Crossing Group in Albany, New York. 

In fact, the Canadian-born Perron began his professional life as a supply chain operations officer in the Royal Canadian Air Force, after graduating with a Bachelor of Arts from the Royal Military College of Canada and then earning a master’s degree from the University of Hull in the United Kingdom.

The NASTT’s Ralston Young Trenchless Achievement Award applauds savvy members under 36 who demonstrated excellence early in their careers by making valuable contributions to the trenchless technology industry, achieving noteworthy professional success and actively participating in NASTT.

NOT YOUR TYPICAL BACKGROUND

“I’m not an engineer,” Perron freely admits. “I have a bachelor’s degree in English literature in Shakespeare and then a master’s in supply chain and logistics. So my background is not engineering, but I did do 10 years in the Royal Canadian Air Force and what I learned there was leadership and development of crews, and the development of my troops. So that’s been my focus for the past six years in the trenchless industry. I am here to foster the leadership skills and capabilities of the people who work for The Crossing Group. This is something I saw that I could meaningfully contribute to, given my experience with the RCAF.” 

As vice president of projects for The Crossing Group, Phill Perron is in charge of the company’s horizontal directional drilling team. 

“In my current role, I focus on light rigs — so the 220s and 100s — but my last year and a half have been spent on the Champlain Hudson Power Express project. This involves both maxi and light rigs,” he says. “It is an underground/underwater electrical cable project providing renewable power from the Canadian province of Quebec to New York City. It is one of the biggest trenchless and underground electrical transmission projects in the country, designed to provide 20-30% of New York City’s power. It’s pretty much a big extension cord all the way to Canada.”

According to the NASTT’s official announcement of the 2025 Ralston Young Trenchless Achievement Award winners, Perron initially joined Lockheed Martin when he left the RCAF. In this post, he worked on the $60 billion C-130J Hercules In-Service Support Contract between Lockheed and the Canadian government. 

In 2019, Perron made his move into trenchless technology at The Crossing Group. “There, he applied his military-honed skills to optimize operations for the company’s extensive fleet of over 60 trenchless spreads, significantly enhancing efficiency and agility,” the NASTT announcement states. 

INDUSTRY INVOLVEMENT

On the industry service side of the coin, Perron is a regular attendee at the NASTT No-Dig Show. He also helps young professionals in the trenchless industry to expand their networks and knowledge through NASTT education and regional chapter participation. Perron has also published content in NASTT’s Trenchless for Gas Infrastructure magazine and served as a reviewer and subject matter expert editor for NASTT’s HDD Good Practices Guidelines, Fifth Edition. 

In order to win the 2025 Ralston Award, Perron required the endorsement of his industry peers. Those necessary words of support came from people within the trenchless sector, and were enthusiastic in their tone.

“A distinguished Royal Canadian Air Force veteran, Phill has risen rapidly in the trenchless industry, becoming an executive at The Crossing Group by age 33,” says Thomas Swinney, The Crossing Group’s U.S. project coordinator. “He leads the largest trenchless scope of the Champlain Hudson Power Express project and is dedicated to advancing the craft side of trenchless, developing young professionals into skilled technicians. His leadership and commitment to safety, efficiency and industry growth have earned him respect across the field. His passion for education and mentorship makes him a true champion.”

“What sets Phill apart is not just his technical acumen but his visionary leadership,” adds Romeo Shiplee, director of geotechnical engineering with Campos EPC. “He commands the respect of everyone he works with, from the most seasoned professionals to the newest recruits. His leadership style, shaped by his experience as an officer in the Air Force, exemplified the importance of discipline, safety and mission-driven work. These qualities translate seamlessly into his role at The Crossing Group, where his approach to safety and performance sets a high standard for everyone around him.”

STILL LEARNING

Perron is grateful for these sincere words of support that helped him win this year’s Ralston Award. He is also appreciative of the mentorship he’s received from Alan Snider, one of The Crossing Group’s partners, and the rest of the firm’s senior management.

“They picked me up in Canada and helped me apply my supply chain and project management skills to the trenchless industry,” he says. “We’ve been able to use much of my military experience, plus what was learned from the coalition war efforts in Iraq and Afghanistan, to guide our operations and sustainment on the CHPE Project. This is helping us make progress in New York state, which is a tough place to drill. There’s lots of cobbles, rock and stone, and that shale can be pretty humbling to drill through. Still, we’re on schedule to finish our work in June 2025.”

As for his success in winning the Ralston Award? Perron attributes it to the quality and dedication of his fellow rig managers and technical staff who have supported him. “I show up and I don’t know anything about trenchless technology and directional drilling,” he says. “I have these guys putting the time into me to teach me. So my winning of the Ralston now is a 100% tribute to them.”