Round the Rotary with JP Warren

On this episode we get Aaron Smith (VP - Engineering at Headington Energy Partners) behind the mic in their office in McKinney, Texas. We chat about his first several years in the oilfield at a larger O&G company and how that led to valuable experience in various disciplines before joining his father and brother in his current role at Headington. We discussed their culture and how he builds his team not solely based on skillset for a required role, but a focus on finding self-motivated people with strong work ethic to take on new projects outside their comfort zone. We chat about what he's looking forward to with Headington as well as on a personal level. Great conversation with Aaron, and loved hearing how he's teamwork focused 

Very excited to release this episode with Kyle Wagner (Engineer / Author). We met up in his office in Fort Worth and recorded this remotely, where we discussed his oilfield career and how, after his wife’s life-threatening car accident, he decided to pivot companies and begin working at his family’s O&G company. We then discussed how he began to write children's books pertaining to the oilfield and agriculture communities, which the proceeds of the books go to various industry-specific charities and families in need. I truly enjoyed hearing his message and story about treating people with kindness and the new #kindnessduck project he’s promoting that is attempting to spread kindness one rubber ducky at a time. Just an unbelievable character with a great story and passion for his family, his community and everyone else out there. Definitely check out his books (link below) as they are a great addition to your children's library, or make great gifts (plus the purchase goes to some great causes). One thing is for sure: he is carving his own path as an industry advocate. 

On this episode Greg Doughtie (Market Development Manager) and Jorge Quiroz (Applications Engineer) with Cougar Drilling Solutions join us to chat about growing a company in the market we are in. Jorge starts us off with his experience growing up in Venezuela, then starting in the oilfield in the US that brought him to Bakersfield, Alaska, Midland then to Denver. He then made the jump from a large company to a smaller company at Cougar, then realizing a need where he can help out in sales & marketing he presented it and a role was created for him. Greg, who grew up in Houston decided to get into the oilfield to keep his apartment with his then girlfriend. After getting into sales, he realized that his opportunity to learn the most was sitting jobs and asking questions on location across South Texas and California. Flash forward he's been at Cougar for 7 years building the company and the team. We chatted about the shift in marketing that occurred since March 2020, and how they execute it during these times. Great chat with these two and looking forward to their success!

On this episode Laura Fidler (CEO - Century Natural Resources) joins us and we dive into her career and how growing up in Colorado and being outdoors led to her love of geology and rocks. We then go into her previous roles in her career as well as by a chance presentation she found herself offered the opportunity to build a team and create Century Natural Resources. We discuss how even she didn't feel ready, you must jump on opportunities if they present themselves to you. We then discuss role of being a woman in the oil and gas industry as well as issues and daily challenges some women face in our industry. Really enjoyed hearing her story, her candidness, and her perception and outlook on women in the oilfield and many other things. Thanks for your time, I truly enjoyed it!

On this episode Mark Patterson (Founder/Managing Partner - Sage Brothers Consulting) joins us as we dive into what sales was when he first broke out in the oilfield in the 80s. We chat about his pervious roles and how things have changed from the oilfield when he started at (4,500 rigs) to where we are at today. He saw a need for company's who need to transition leadership from the older generation to the newer generation, which is what led him to create and launch his own company in the middle of a pandemic. One thing Mark loves and discusses is that the Oil and Gas industry is not a steel industry, it is a people industry where relationships matter. From someone who loves the history of our industry he suggests some great books to dive into for a better understanding of our industry. Great conversation and great message about our industry: people and relationships are paramount! 

On this episode William Standifird (VP Sales and Marketing - AccessESP) joins us and we dive into his background and how he decided to take his first assignment in the O&G industry offshore as he was given the option of getting to location by truck or helicopter. We discuss each roll he had and the unique opportunities he had working at larger OFS company's versus smaller shops. He took on his current role in March of 2020, a role with the majority of his customers in international markets. We discussed the challenges in todays environment and how he has successfully navigated and effectively deliver solutions to his customers half way accross the world by utilizing all the tools in his toolbox. We then discussed the importance of an online presence, personal branding, what companies should be looking for in hiring new team members, what individuals can do to stand out, and much more. Really enjoyed our conversation on this episode!

On this episode Roye Strawn (Executive Sales - SitePro Inc) joins us and we dive into his upbringing in Austin and how being around that environment helped foster his entrepreneur  spirit. We discuss how he jumped into the oilfield after sharing a ride one weekend to a bachelor party and the rest is history. We discuss how he utilizes new and innovative ways to connect with customers, even when he's not in the same state or room and the success of his efforts. We discuss a new project he's working on, where he captures daily events and creates a "life of a salesman" videos to showcase his life in the oilpatch. Really great catching up with Roye and loved having him on!

On this episode Josh Gugenheim (Outside Sales Manager - Tex-Isle Supply, Inc) and Billy Sias (Business Development Manager - Tex-Isle Supply, Inc.) join us to chat about their background and how they got into the O&G industry. Both of them have been at Tex-Isle for over 7 years and have been strategic in the company's steady growth over the past decade. They share that with the expansion of their business, as well as the environment we operate in now: they are shifting gears in how they market and communicate to customers about their company, which falls into areas that are new and uncharted for them (podcasts, virtual site visits, etc.) Enjoyed having these two on the show and truly enjoyed their attitude and outlook!

On this episode Colten Bingham (Drilling Engineer/one way ticket purchaser) joins us and we decide to move away from O&G conversations and get into the reason why he was asked to come on the show: his insane traveling stories throughout South America all the way to heading to Tibet to try and climb Everest during the middle of winter. From Abu Dhabi sitting rigs, to purchasing a one way ticket to South America where he traveled throughout the country in his closest colleague: "Juan Sanchez"...a thrown together mini van, when brakes don't work you better open the doors to create some drag. We discuss how when in a bar in South America and someone brings in a portable tattoo machine, might as well get a tattoo! We then discuss his trip to Tibet in the middle of winter to visit Mount Everest and the experience there. He leaves us with a safety moment of how not to get stuck in a port-a-potty in the Middle East during the summer months. Amazing conversation, looking forward to having him on again to get into some more of his stories. This guy should write a book!

On this episode Drew Limbacher (VP - BD & Engineering at Vencer Energy) tells his story on how he grew up in the oilfield and how he knew it was an industry for him after an internship on a platform in intercoastal waters. He discusses how due to Covid his previous company was rolled up and he found himself in a situation where he began to utilize his network and connections to find his current role at Vencer Energy. He goes into detail of what Vencer Energy's goals and objectives are as well as what we can do as an industry when having the fossil fuels vs renewables conversation and how we can help raise the energy poverty level.