Round the Rotary with JP Warren

On this episode Tyler Varnado (Business Development Manager - Axio Cased Hole Services) stops by to give us his year end review. We discuss his career path and various roles that eventually lead him to where he is at today. We discussed how he is a very regimented individual, and when Covid hit he had to create a new regiment that would fit the times at hand. He discusses how during times like this it's important to pause and self-reflect to determine what your strengths are and how to capitalize on them when getting in front of customers. We discuss the tools in his toolbox of success and how it has changed over the past several months as well as the importance of unplugging from everything for personal mental health. Tyler believes that small changes can make a big impact, and we truly appreciated his positive perspective during these times.

On this episode we have our first oilfield/coffee connoisseur John "JD" Smith (Founder/CEO of Cuevas Coffee) in the studio where we have a chat over a cup or two of his very own coffee "Cuevas Coffee".  The first half of the podcast we dive into his background and how he got into the oilfield. We discuss how his work ethic and wanting to be one of the "bottom 5 in the room" helped him learn and grow his knowledge and understanding of the oilfield. We then go through various roles he did in the oilfield, which ended up leading him to an opportunity to purchase a coffee farm in Bolivia and begin building a coffee roasting company. He decided to pursue his passion, even when he didn't even understand or know the entire process of what that looks like. He dove in and is focused on building the brand, understanding and improving the roasting operations to providing the market with a delicious and high quality coffee. It was great hearing how his previous oilfield skills he learned have transferred over into his new role of roasting the perfect cup of coffee. Enjoyed it and loved hearing how he decided to follow his passion!

On this episode Andrew Coronado (US Account Manager - Derrick Corporation) joins us and we get kicked off on how he went from going to college to study music in hopes to be a rock star, to getting in the oilfield by a chance conversation with a neighbor one Sunday after church. We get into his career path and how he went from working in the field with a pressure washer and running parts to getting a role at Derrick Corporation and eventually moving into his current role during the middle of a pandemic. Really enjoyed his perspective as instead of viewing jumping into sales in the middle of low activity as a challenge, he is viewing it as an opportunity. He discusses how in a market that seems to focus solely on price, how he can be competitive even when their services/equipment are not low price. We then get into his car collection hobby and how the same hobby he shared with his dad, he can look forward to sharing the same hobbies with his son. Really enjoyed speaking with him and his optimism in a current pessimistic environment. 

On this episode Zane Foster (Director of Business Development - Enovate Upstream) joins us and we start off the episode with a story from when he hit the road on a personal road trip before he began his career and had a pretty interesting experience which sets the tone for this guest: treat people with kindness as you never know what someone is going through. We then get into his previous roles, and how he took a gamble and left a comfortable, well established company role to pursue a role to grow a startup software company during the middle of a pandemic and making the decision to take the new role on the day oil went to -$37/bbl. We discuss his tactics and strategy in sales during these times, which is it's not just relationships (they won't fix anything should things go wrong) it also hinges on performance. How technology is here to stay in the O&G community and much more. Really enjoyed sitting with Zane and hearing his unique, grounded and wholistic outlook. Great conversation!

Had Jasen Gast (President/CEO of Oilfield Service Professionals, Inc.) stop by the Round the Rotary studio. We didn't want to talk O&G (we've heard enough of it that week). Instead we talked about something near and dear to this mans heart: Fishing and helping Veterans. He thought why not combine his two passions and help organize the Texas Billfish Classic (https://www.texasbillfishclassic.com) which is an annual fishing tournament geared to Veterans and providing a fun and great tournament that also supports Freedom Alliance (helping veterans in various ways). We discussed how this tournament was created, the objective, who it benefits and much more. An amazing event and an even better cause!

On this episode Robert Butler and Ondrej Sestak (Founders - Redbone Resources) joins us to discuss their new venture: Redbone Resources. We start off with their background and what brought them into the oil and gas industry, one was an EagleFord background and the other with an Eastern Europe/California background and how they met to form Redbone Resources. We discuss the challenges and opportunities they face when forming a startup oil and gas company during the middle of a pandemic. They discuss how they are in it for the long haul and how networking, relationships, and having a good reputation is what they can control in this market which is their focus, and not to focus on the external factors that are out of their control.  They discuss their networking strategy as well as looking at other opportunities including international opportunities. Enjoyed this one and looking forward to see what Redbone Resources will evolve to! #startup #oilandgaspodcast #oilandgas

On this episode James "Hollywood" Metcalf III (SVP - Operations at Intrepid Directional Drilling) joins us to discuss his background and how he shifted his path when he changed his degree from Sports Broadcasting to Petroleum Engineering. We discuss the similarities of when he was looking for his first role during the "last downturn" and how he can relate to those looking for their roles in the current market. We discuss his previous roles at several operators, and when and why he made the switch to the "dark side" of oilfield services and what that experience was like for him. We then go off the trail and discuss what we miss about the old oilfield, what we're excited about in the new oilfield, his involvement in Big Brothers Big Sisters: Swing for Kids Sake golf tournament, the origins of his nickname and his most recent Business Development trip to South America and other things...

On this episode we have Martin Pitts (VP of Sales at Jack Pitts Consulting) come in, kick his feet up, and open up about how he got into the oilfield to how customer service/support is something he prides himself on with the thought of if he wouldn't be happy with the service then it's not good enough for his customers. Martin discusses how his sales strategy is different from his fathers as well as how it's changed in the last few months, and where he sees the biggest bang for his buck when it comes to getting in front of customers. From there we go into everything from custom boots, cowboying, bringing back the Tuesday Oilfield HH nights, his Paige Parker modeling days, to him working along side of Bill Murray and more. Martin gives us some detail on the API Team Roping event that he helps organize every year. Really enjoyed this one Martin, thanks for the banter! Till next time! #oilfield #sales #oilandgas

On this episode Jason Stewart (Technical Sales Manager  - Completions, Liner Hangers, Cementation and Reservoir Monitoring at Weatherford) joins us and gives his background and how he landed in the oilfield after various sales jobs in different industries. He goes into each of his roles taking him from Haynesville, North Dakota, Colorado, Midland to Houston. Jason explains how he utilized the resources that were available to him to position himself to get a manager role. Jason then discusses what he is looking for in his team, as well as how he strives to help his team succeed. He gives us the advice to focus on what you can control: effort and attitude, and not to get bogged down in the negativity surrounding you. We then discuss what our industry can improve on: being strong and positive advocates for the oil and gas industry. That is done by winning the hearts and minds, listening, communicating effectively and appealing to the emotional side of people. He leaves us with: just say yes and take a chance if faced with any career challenges.

On this episode Jonathan Rhoads (Partner - Lowry Rhoads Associates) joins us to give some great insight and advice for those looking for their next role in or out of the oilfield. Jonathan gives some real and practical advice for people wanting to stand out, explain your value when speaking to a recruiter, and most importantly: build and tell your story. He explains that everyone can have a good resume, so it's your personal story which will make you stand out. Jonathan also provides some industry trends in regards to jobs that he has been seeing lately. For those looking for their next role, or curious about speaking with a recruiter: this episode is for you. Tell your story!