The conversation covers the company’s evolution from a small overhaul shop to a dominant rental operation, the near-impossible timing of its largest acquisition closing on February 29, 2020—just days before the Russia-Saudi price war and COVID-19 sent oil prices negative—and how positioning compression as an essential production utility enabled survival when capital markets froze. Rhett also discusses the critical role of backend technology and operational infrastructure, the value of elite field personnel in acquisitions, and the persistent supply chain constraints that make rapid fleet expansion nearly impossible. The discussion turns to the broader market tailwinds reshaping the industry, including the explosive power demand from AI data centers, which solidifies compression as a vital artery in the energy ecosystem.

Listen to the full conversation for an inside look at building a scaled compression business, the art of strategic acquisitions, and why this often-overlooked sector is finally getting the attention it deserves.

The discussion opens with a look at the industry’s long-standing challenge of managing declining production through "pump by priority." Trevor shares how Maverick leveraged their investment in telemetry and data to move beyond reactive alerts, while Michael emphasizes the importance of respecting the experience of field workers. The core breakthrough was building a system that equips operators with actionable information, rather than telling them how to do their job. This culminated in a daily 6 a.m. “hit list” that gives field personnel the clarity they need to work safely and efficiently.

Listen to the full conversation to hear how WorkSync is bridging the gap between corporate strategy and field execution, and why its founders believe that empowering the front line is the key to unlocking significant value in oil and gas operations.

The conversation explores Fuelled's origins and its evolution from a relationship-driven brokerage to a tech-enabled marketplace with a powerful moat built on doing the unsexy work. Mark explains how the company catalogs equipment for free, takes on logistics and storage, and even builds roads when necessary to remove friction for clients. He discusses the network effects that make Fuelled sticky, the role of AI in accelerating pricing and cataloging, and the company's expansion into adjacent industries like data centers and mining, where supply chain constraints and accelerated project timelines create urgent demand for available equipment. The discussion also touches on the broader trends shaping energy markets, including the AI race as an energy race, Canada's shifting economic landscape, and why both Alberta and Texas are positioned for a strong decade ahead.

Listen to the full conversation for an inside look at building a marketplace in a traditionally offline industry, the power of focusing on customer friction, and how Fuelled is unlocking billions of dollars in dormant equipment value.

The conversation explores the origins of PrePad, which grew out of Hervo's frustration with fragmented planning processes and manual spreadsheet workflows while leading completions teams at Shell. He shares the story behind building the integrated systems model internally, the leap of faith required to leave a secure corporate role, and the validation that came when Devon Energy not only became a customer but led PrePad's seed round. Hervo discusses the critical role of completions as a discipline that touches reservoir engineering, drilling, production, finance, and land, making it uniquely positioned to understand the full business picture. He also reflects on the balance of entrepreneurship and fatherhood, the importance of being present, and how having a young child sharpened his focus and efficiency.

Listen to the full conversation for an inside look at building a disruptive technology in the energy sector, the power of cross-border validation, and how PrePad is leveraging AI to enhance its physics-based simulation platform rather than replace it.

Eric shares how his background as a quant shaped SynMax’s core mission: turning massive amounts of data into real intelligence. The conversation explores why AI is not just another checkbox, how subject matter expertise still matters, and why the best technology companies do not walk into industries assuming they know more than the people doing the work.

The episode also digs into SynMax’s work across energy, trading, and government, including how its maritime intelligence platform helped support one of the largest drug seizures in Irish history. From there, the conversation turns to entrepreneurship, the underrated value of operations, and the role Bill Perkins played in Eric’s path from hedge fund tools to building a company with global reach.

It is a wide-ranging episode about risk, intelligence, startups, and what happens when the right data finally becomes actionable.

Barry reflects on more than 40 years in oil & gas, from growing up in a small farming town in Alberta to building consulting and software businesses focused on solving operational problems and improving industry workflows. The discussion explores management consulting, relationship-driven business, software adoption challenges, AI and automation, and why the industry still struggles with change despite the need for modernization.

The episode also dives into the future of energy technology, the frustrations vendors and operators face with legacy systems, and how companies like Energy Payables are working to simplify workflows, improve transparency, and create better collaboration across the industry.

If you enjoy conversations around business building, operational leadership, energy technology, and challenging the status quo, this is an episode you won’t want to miss.

Emilio shares how one conversation about Bolivia, natural gas, and geopolitics sparked his path into the energy industry, eventually leading him from London to Mexico, Kuwait, Ghana, South Africa, Paris, and beyond. With no traditional oil and gas background, Emilio built his way into the room through consistency, curiosity, and a willingness to take risks, starting with weekly LinkedIn newsletters and eventually landing in-person podcast conversations with major energy executives around the world.

The conversation covers personal branding, networking, energy storytelling, the value of taking small consistent steps, and why podcasts are not just marketing, they are relationship-building tools. Emilio also shares his mission to connect today’s energy leaders with the next generation of decision-makers, while helping the industry tell a more human, honest, and global story.

From “life is risk” to flying across the world for one conversation, this episode is all about betting on yourself, building credibility before anyone gives you permission, and taking big swings before the evidence is obvious.

Bill shares the unfiltered highs and lows of his career, from building and exiting multiple successful businesses to losing everything and rebuilding from scratch. At one point, he went from “bankrupt at Chili’s to $121M exits,” a journey that shaped his perspective on resilience, risk, leadership, and founder psychology. The conversation dives into the power of relationships, the “Accenture Mafia,” Texas A&M networking culture, startup growth strategy, fundraising, and how founders can accelerate growth through the right partnerships and market access.

The group also explores the future of AI and why Bill believes most people still underestimate how disruptive this next wave of technology will become. Along the way, they discuss sales, scaling from $1M to $10M+, founder burnout, betting on yourself, and the hard lessons nobody talks about when building companies.

If you’re a founder, operator, investor, or someone trying to navigate growth in a rapidly changing market, this episode is packed with real-world lessons, sharp insights, and stories you won’t forget.

Hari reflects on his journey from India to Canada, Louisiana, Boston, Los Angeles, and New York, starting in engineering at Schlumberger, moving through MIT Sloan, and eventually helping scale Seven Lakes during its high-growth years. Along the way, he shares lessons on work ethic, customer focus, thriving in uncertainty, and how those experiences shaped his view of product, operations, and leadership.

The conversation also dives into Hari’s latest venture, Turing Pilgrim, and his belief that the biggest AI opportunities are not in surface-level productivity tools, but in mission-critical operations where trust, adoption, and measurable business impact matter most. They close with thoughts on the future of AI, field operations, and a bold prediction on where technology is headed next.

It is a wide-ranging conversation on growth, resilience, and what it means to keep taking big swings as your career evolves.

Kevin shares his path from growing up in Southern California to building his life and career in Tulsa, along with the entrepreneurial ups and downs that shaped him along the way. From there, the conversation shifts into XALTER's mission: using VR and immersive technology to improve frontline performance in the energy industry through operational, maintenance, and safety training.

They dig into the real-world challenges facing oil and gas today, including the great crew change, tribal knowledge walking out the door, the limits of classroom training, and the need to prepare a new generation of workers faster, safer, and more effectively. Kevin explains why VR is not a replacement for hands-on learning, but a powerful new layer that can model behavior, accelerate readiness, and help reduce avoidable mistakes in high-risk environments.

The episode also explores the relationship between VR and AI, why Kevin sees head-mounted displays as the next major human-machine interface, and how companies that embrace this kind of technology may have a real advantage in both safety and recruiting.

This one is a founder story, a technology conversation, and a look at how energy companies may need to rethink training for the next era.

Ben shares his path from Fort Worth to OU’s petroleum land management program, how he got his start in the Barnett, and why he took the leap into entrepreneurship early. The conversation explores the evolution from MineralWare to Energy Domain, what it takes to compete against much larger players, and why listening closely to customers is often the biggest advantage a startup can have.

They also get into balancing family and business, leading with culture, hiring the right people, and how AI is changing the way modern energy technology products are built and delivered.

This episode is a mix of founder perspective, practical business insight, and an honest look at what it takes to build something meaningful while staying grounded in what matters most.

Whit shares his path from upstate New York to Princeton, from winning a Junior Olympic gold medal in rowing to working at IBM Watson and Landing AI, where he helped lead machine learning and product teams alongside some of the most respected names in the space. From there, the conversation turns to why he chose oil and gas, what he saw coming in AI before most people did, and why Infersoft is betting on a different future for decision-making in the field.

The episode explores how AI is reshaping knowledge work, what separates hype from real utility, and why smaller, faster-moving companies may be better positioned than legacy players to win in this next wave. Along the way, they also get into education, social skills, competitive mindset, and the role curiosity plays in staying relevant as technology moves faster than ever.

This episode blends founder grit, technical insight, and a bigger conversation about where work, learning, and oil and gas innovation are headed next.

Jake shares his journey from the Marine Corps to oil and gas software, to media and community building, and now to launching Corley Energy, a company focused on solving one of today’s biggest challenges: speed to power for AI infrastructure. The discussion dives into bias toward action, learning through failure, staying relentlessly curious, and why some of the hardest paths are often the most rewarding.

They explore the intersection of energy, AI, and data centers, what it takes to build something capital-intensive from the ground up, and how conviction, adaptability, and long-term vision shape true “big swings.” Along the way, they also reflect on networking, community, Idaho living, and why personal growth often comes from stepping into the uncomfortable.

This episode blends startup grit, strategic thinking, and real-world perspective on what it means to bet on yourself when the stakes are high.

From there, the conversation shifts into the evolving reality of B2B marketing: buyers doing most of their research before they ever talk to sales, the move from keyword searching to question-based discovery, and why go-to-market success now depends on real alignment between sales and marketing, plus strong collaboration with product and customer success.

Tim shares frameworks and examples for creating content that earns trust, avoids being overly pitchy, and supports the full buyer journey, including what happens after a deal stalls. They also talk about taking smart, “controlled” swings in marketing, and close with Super Bowl predictions and prop talk.

They talk candidly about their podcasting journeys, career risk-taking, ownership mindset, and the personal and professional decisions that led them to where they are today, along with plenty of side conversations on sports and the personalities that shape how they approach business and life.

This episode sets the tone for what’s ahead, a mix of real experience, honest dialogue, and conversations that don’t fit neatly into one category.