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Richard Mercer | Assistant VP at Citi on Energy Crue


































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It was a blast catching up with my great buddy Richard Mercer (Assistant VP – Citi) at his home in Katy, on my way to San Antonio.Richard and I have known each other for years, and to finally sit behind the mic and catch up with him with all the changes in his life was great. We chatted about how he started off at Texas A&M University, then going into #drilling at Occidental for the majority of his career there. Then making a move to reservoir to better understand why decisions were being made the way they were. We discussed him pursuing his MBA at Rice University and pivoting his career into banking.Of course we spoke about his involvement at Spindletop Charities and how it’s personal as he received a scholarship from them in high school/college. The work they do around the Houston community is impactful, not just in the funds donated, but in the time and effort they volunteer for the community.


















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Recently I had the awesome opportunity to sit down with Nick Patterson (CEO) and Jon Murphy (Contract Sales) with Delmar Systems at Lakeside Country Club.

We sat around a table, opened a bottle of wine, and got behind the mic to record an episode of Energy Crüe Podcast.

We discussed the challenges turned to opportunities that Nick faced stepping into the leadership role of the company. The current status of the offshore market, both domestic and internationally. It was great hearing stories from Jon, who broke out at Noble Drilling working offshore in the 80s as well as how relationships and your make matters in our industry. Of course no offshore episode would be complete without sharing stories of our offshore days.

Really enjoyed talking with these two, and loved how Jon was able to take part in it as he was someone I aspired to be when I broke out in the industry.

Tim and I sit down on this episode and start talking long hair dudes in the oilfield. We discuss his background and how someone with a Math Degree got into the oilfield. We discuss the effort of kindness, shooting people straight, and honesty. Great conversation with Tim that certainly did not cover one topic but went on many tangents. Really dig Tim’s outlook and attitude when dealing with people, himself, and how he views the world.

Have you heard of the phrase “Bitcoin fixes this”?

Are you seeing bitcoin everywhere but are still unsure what the hell it is? How does it relate to energy? What is mining it even mean? Do you feel like you are behind the 8ball when it comes to bitcoin/cryptocurrency?

I sure did, which is why I sat down with David Little, where we had a conversation on bitcoins background, why he has so much faith in this cryptocurrency, the benefits of investing, and more. But the best part is, we don’t get technical! We have a casual, yet very informative conversation about Bitcoin.

Solid 2 hour conversation with Matt Martin. As we are in the oil industry, we decided to stick with the oil theme and sample some olive oil and old vine red Zinfandel at “We Olive” in the Heights.

We discussed everything from making the perfect brisket, the people who were impactful on his career, management styles and how they evolve, ribs, what a “good day” is, bbq sauce, how relationships matter inside and out of the office, and much more. Really great conversation with Matt and appreciate the oil and vino!

That’s the beginning of this Energy Crüe episode where I sat down with Derek Nixon (President/CEO - Varel Energy Solutions) and his dad Jim Nixon (President - Varel International Energy Services) at the Petroleum Club of Houston where we poured ourselves a scotch and started chatting.

We discussed Jim’s entrance into the Varel world, and how after purchasing the company he shared his lofty company goal where several people laughed and didn’t believe it could be done. Through a clear vision, a new focus on quality to reduce credits, and building a solid team he succeeded and achieved his vision multiple times over.

Derek is now leading the team at Varel where communication, celebrating victories, employee empowerment, and innovation is the recipe for their success. From driving a rebrand during the pandemic, to what’s next at Varel, it was all covered.

As usual, it’s a blast talking with Derek, and the fact we got the man where he learned his gift of gab from was the icing on the cake.

Cory joins me at the Petroleum Club of Houston where we catch up on his travels to Texas from Canada. We discuss his entreprenrial spirit and how that lead him from starting off folding boxes at a coring lab, to looking at a problem of coring samples in real time, downhole and how to get better data. So 8 years ago he began Integrity Insitu. We discussed the challenges, successes, learning opportunities, and the future of their product. Exciting times as when this product comes to market, he’s dreaming big and can even see the application to be utilized on Mars.

Ethan and I sit down to discuss the pursuit of happiness and how to achieve it! What I really dig about Ethan, is that during our podcast we got into how he is actively passionate about having a mindset of happiness as well as advocating that for others. Whether it’s working out, putting on some elevator jazz and unwinding when he gets home, or pursuing a passion outside the oilfield. One thing is clear though: you must actively and consciously disconnect from the noise that’s always around us. We discussed him hiking Mt Kilimanjaro, horror movies, how he differentiates his plugs when it seems there are so many companies offering the same product, and much much more.

Celeste joins me where we start our conversation on her body building training and everything that goes into it, as well as the challenges and discipline she has while preparing for a show. We then discuss what her world has been like for the past 6 months when she jumped into a BD role at Nabors. We discuss the most important tool in her kit when it comes to “closing a deal”. We get into how supportive spouses and inclusion can help build and strengthen relationships, as well as what challenges she faces being a woman selling rigs and how she overcomes them.

American Shale is a documentary that explores the future of farmers in America supported by Oil and Gas and follows EQT and Cain Farms journey. The film tells a compelling story of a group of American farmers who are changing the way they farm by adding automation. Sign up for the premiere here: https://www.digitalwildcatters.com/american-shale-a-new-hope/

It was a blast catching up with my great buddy Richard Mercer (Assistant VP - Citi) at his home in Katy, on my way to San Antonio.

Richard and I have known each other for years, and to finally sit behind the mic and catch up with him with all the changes in his life was great. We chatted about how he started off at Texas A&M University, then going into #drilling at Occidental for the majority of his career there. Then making a move to reservoir to better understand why decisions were being made the way they were. We discussed him pursuing his MBA at Rice University and pivoting his career into banking.

Of course we spoke about his involvement at Spindletop Charities and how it’s personal as he received a scholarship from them in high school/college. The work they do around the Houston community is impactful, not just in the funds donated, but in the time and effort they volunteer for the community.