Round the Rotary with JP Warren

On this episode Brett Chell (President/CEO at Cold Bore Technologies) joins us from his living room in Calgary with his dogs Frankenstein and Dracula. Brett has an extremely interesting story how he went from majoring in Art while in college to working on rigs for 8 years after college. From there he understood if he wanted to start any company in his future, he would have to learn about the financial side of the business. So he hoped in a role where he would source capital (P.E.'s, banks, etc.), even if he felt it was over his head, he knew he wanted to learn that side of the business, only way to do that was jump in and figure it out. We discussed how his first business hit a wall when the 2015 downturn hit, but then he pivoted from drilling to completions where he is shifting the paradigm in how we frac in the past vs how we'll frac in the future (autonomous, efficient, safe, and real time). He is a creative, motivated, down-to-earth go getter who deems himself as "unemployable"...which may just be the key to his success. Thank you for taking the time Brett, and wish you and your team success!

On this episode Will Cauley (Region Service Delivery Technical Manager at Baker Hughes) joins us and we chat about his background and how he pursued a Mechanical Engineering degree at LSU and joined the oilfield working offshore in his first role. These days it's rare to see someone with such long tenure at a company, but Will has over 18 years at Baker Hughes and we discuss his various roles he has taken throughout his career. From working offshore, to being at the table during the Macondo incident, to relocating from Houma, to Houston, to Houma, to Denver and back to Houston. We discuss what the energy transition means to him, as well as what it means to emerging countries trying to raise their "energy poverty levels". I really enjoyed hearing his outlook on change being a natural part of life, and how to engage in those conversations that relate to energy transition.

On this episode Bryson Varner (Account Manager / Technical Sales - Cathedral Energy Services) joins us and we dive into his upbringing and various jobs had growing up, and seeing a buddies garage motivated him to get into the oil industry. We discussed his critter videos on LinkedIn and how they began as well as some hilarious stories on some outtakes for them. Bryson then discusses what success means to him and how to measure it (not measured monetary). He discusses why getting involved in people's lives who are less fortunate than him drives him as he wants to help others and make the world a better place. We discuss the true sport of noodling and the purity of the sport. After we shut off the mic, we decided to fire it back up as we discuss some hilarious bets with his buddy's at their hunting camp. I really enjoyed chatting with Bryson and hearing his positive attitude (even when life sometimes seem difficult), as well as his passion for helping others. What an all around great guy and conversationalist with an unbelievable outlook. Thanks for your time Bryson and look forward to chatting with you again!

On this episode TJ Dostal (President/Founder- Tejas Completion Services) sits down with us and discusses his background and what lead him into the oil and gas business. After various roles, the entrepreneur spirit began to take over. During the pandemic when many companies were hesitant and anxious about the future, TJ looked at it as an opportunity and began building a business plan. He viewed it as an opportunity to bet on himself and start a business. TJ shares with us several key ingredients to his success after launching his company in January 2021. We discuss how through his relationships and trust he has with his network, he was able to secure work as well as have an amazing support group, which include his customers. Really enjoyed hearing his story and look forward to his company's success! Thanks TJ for your time and best of luck!

On this episode we have Ken Miller (CEO/Founder - Erdos Miller) join us where we discuss how he went from a high school internship at Texas Instruments to betting on himself and making the jump to pursue something he was passionate about and hoping into the oilfield. Through the advice of one of his earliest mentors: There is no such thing as job security" he made the leap to start his own company. Ken has a wonderful view on building teams and instilling the corporate culture with the company's core values bleeding into every decision that is made. Really enjoyed hearing Ken's entrepreneurial attitude, outlook, and passion drive him to create an evolving successful culture as well as how he dives into all projects head first. Thank you Ken, truly enjoyed your time and we wish you and your team continued success!

On this episode David Reid (CTO/CMO - NOV & Founder redM Movement) joins us and gives us his unique pathway into the oil and gas industry from being an architect to challenging "the norm" O&G culture in his first role. We discuss how he builds and leads his teams, employment empowerment, what he looks for in people, and how he pursues new projects. We then dive into redM movement, which is a project he began 3 years ago with the goal of not just rescuing victims of human sex trafficking but a focus on restoration of the victims. We discuss the inception of the project, how people can contribute any amount of time or effort to the project, how it has grown and what we can do to help combat human trafficking...even if it's as simple as having a conversation about it. He describes how human trafficking is right under our noses, how what seems to be "normal" people can get recruited and trapped, and how human trafficking can impact even our own homes and families. For those interested to see how they can help take a look at their website (https://www.joinredm.com/).  Amazing conversation with someone behind a great and impactful cause. 

On this episode Chief Tauzin (VP - Sales at Ranger Energy Services) sits down with us and dives into his background and how he got into the oilfield, and how when he got into sales he was one of the youngest salespeople in Houston, as well as what he did to try and build relationships with a different demographic than his own. Building strong interpersonal relationships he attributes is a key to his success as well as active listening. From successfully implementing culture changes to acquired companies to building a successful team, Chief understands the value of "true relationships", and what that means to him. We discuss how industry events have changed, to how the oil and gas narrative needs to change, to a story on how much your name actually means in this industry. Thanks Chief for joining us and we wish you continued success!

On this episode Alex Goodwin (Director - Sales & Marketing at Vertice Oil Tools) stops by and we dive into his background and how he got into the oil and gas industry (with some motivation from his twin brother who is also in the industry). We discuss his first several positions and what he learned by just going to location, then his drive to learn everything going on downhole helped propel him throughout his early career. From traveling the world and dealing with International Contracts, to selling rigs which taught him negotiation skills, he decided to join Vertice before there was even a product to market. Through customer relationships and conversations he is able to gauge what's relevant and effective in the market today. Without his finger on the pulse Vertice would not be able to deliver a product to market that the end user wants, and this is done through his relationships. We discuss the differences he's seen between the 2014 and the 2020 bust. Great conversation with Alex and really appreciate him stopping by!

On Round the Rotary ONE YEAR ANNIVERSARY we chat about something near and dear to my heart: Bourbon, more specifically, Texas Bourbon.  Emma Kahn (Bourbon Crusader) and the entire Garrison Brothers team/family for hosting us today at their distillery. We learned a ton about the process, people, and the pride of Texas Bourbon. We were able to learn more about Texas bourbon as well as sample some (a bunch) of their brown waters. For those bourbon lovers out there, this episode is for you! Thank you Garrison Brothers, such a great story and libation. Truly enjoyed it (the bourbon and the white dog)! PLUS: small world, she grew up in Westport, Connecticut as I did! Looking forward to this episodes release! 

On this episode Riley Norris (Technical Sales - Patriot Drilling Services / Brand Ambassador for Socorro Tequila / Founder of Bolt&Barrel Oil) joins us and we dive into his background in oil and gas and his first visit to the rig. We then dive into something that I find extremely interesting: hopping on opportunities for a secondary source of income. What's fascinating about Riley's story is that the products he represents are something he found interesting, pursued, and created an opportunity. Aside from representing Patriot Drilling Services (Directional and MWD), he began to speak to Graphene, a  component with many applications and how he launched Bolt&Barrel Oil, a Graphene-infused lubricant which has been well received. An additional source of income, which ties into one of his hobbies is representing Socorro Tequila to Houston and the surrounding markets. Socorro preaches “Drink Tequila, Help Others” as the brand runs the “Case for a Case” program which donates bottled water to orphanages in Jalisco for every case of tequila exported from Mexico. He figured if he had the time, might as well stay busy! Great chatting with Riley and love his hustle!