Within a year of opening, Kirkland & Ellis LLP’s Dallas office  established a reputation as one of the region’s leading full-service law  firms with a strong focus on the oil and gas industry. Its position of  prestige took masterful planning, smart recruiting strategies and some  behind-the-scenes magic from founding partners such as Kevin Crews.

When Sidley Austin LLP opened its Houston office in 2012, Tim Chandler  was among the first associates to walk through the doors. He was  brimming with hope about the firm’s future and determined to make it a  great place to work while delivering top-notch service to some of the  oil and gas industry’s biggest players.

Stephen Callender describes himself as a risk taker, but he got more  adventure than he bargained for when he joined the energy industry. He  transitioned to oil and gas investment banking in October 2014, when  crude was priced about $90 per barrel. Just four months later, its value  plunged to $50.

Don’t let his age fool you—Dustin Cabrera has accumulated a career’s  worth of accomplishments in less than a decade and shows no signs of  slowing. The ambitious energy banker became one of the youngest vice  presidents at Roth Capital Partners when he was 26, and today he helps  lead its energy investment banking department.

When it comes to conquering challenges, industry executive Aaron  Blomquist is not afraid to make missteps. In fact, it is just the  opposite—Blomquist feels that defeats help make him a better person. “I  have failed a ton,” he says. “I feel like I improve more when I  acknowledge failure and learn from it. I think it is all about failing  and coming back from failing.”

When Anthony Bilotto joined Covenant Testing Technologies LLC, he didn’t  know the first thing about the oil and gas industry. He was  transitioning into the corporate world from the military, where he spent  12 years flying various aircraft for the U.S. Air Force and Texas Air  National Guard.

Whether he’s conquering a triathlon or helping build a merchant bank,  Nicholas Bilodeau can be counted on for his tenacity and perseverance.  He joined Intrepid Partners LLC—the advisory arm of energy-focused  merchant bank Intrepid Financial Partners LLC—during its formative  years, and he helped facilitate its growth into one of the industry’s  leading advisors.

Chris Bentley is a former military man who turned a $10,000 personal  investment into a multi-million-dollar mineral rights firm. Less than  three years after launching Bellatorum Resources, Bentley now oversees  nearly $30 million in assets and leads a team of 16 employees. And by  the way, he accomplished it all while working toward an MBA at Rice  University, launching a charity that benefits veterans and co-founding a  nonprofit athletics school for children.

When David Bateman was a student at Texas Tech University, he and a  classmate would often fantasize about how they might someday change the  world. Their conversations weren’t just pipe dreams. Bateman and that  friend, Aaron Phillips, formed one of the fastest-growing technology  companies in the energy space.

John Argo, Vice President of Business Development, Continental Resources Inc., Oklahoma City. Mediocrity isn’t an option for John  Argo, an innovative and ambitious executive who helped Continental  Resources Inc. reduce its debt by more than $1 billion and form an  unprecedented strategic minerals relationship with leading Canadian  royalty corporation Franco-Nevada Corp.

He attributes such lofty accomplishments to determination, drive and the power of teamwork.