sm energy company is an independent energy company focused on the exploration, exploitation, development, acquisition, and production of natural gas and crude oil in the united states. the company was founded in 1908, incorporated in 1915, and became a public company through an initial public offering in 1992. sm energy trades on the new york stock exchange under the symbol sm. the company operates in four core areas managed by four regional offices: the mid-continent, rocky mountains, permian basin, and gulf coast regions are operated out of our offices in tulsa, oklahoma; billings, montana; midland, texas; and houston, texas, respectively. each office is staffed with a full complement of geologists, geophysicists, engineers, and landmen who have extensive experience in the region or basin where they work. the denver, colorado, headquarters provides financial and administrative support for the regional operations. at sm energy, we also take seriously the manner in which we conduct our