Mark G. Harrington
Chairman of the Board and Chief Executive Officer
As one of Best Energy’s founding Board members, Mark played an important role in the formation and subsequent emergence of Best Energy Services. In October 2008, Mark was named Chairman of the Board and was subsequently appointed as Chief Executive Officer of the Company in December 2008. As CEO, Mark is cultivating a highly transparent, performance-driven culture within Best Energy and each of its operating business units.
Mark has built a successful 30-year career focused on the energy business; authored more than 20 publications; and has been featured on CNBC, Canada AM, Dow Jones News and Bloomberg. He has served as Chairman, President, CEO and COO of eight separate public and private energy companies and private equity groups.
After earning a BBA and MBA in Finance from the University of Texas, Mark began his career in 1977 as an energy analyst at the U.S. Trust Company and in 1978 joined Carl H. Pforzheimer & Co. in the same capacity. In 1980, he became a partner in the firm and, in 1982, was named President and COO of Chipco Energy, Pforzheimer’s in-house investment arm. In 1986, he formed Harrington and Company, where he created the Energy Vulture Funds to pursue distressed opportunities in energy and to incubate emerging energy companies. EVF-incubated companies included Calgary-based HCO Canada, Ltd., where Mark also served as a Founder, Chairman and CEO; and Houston-based HarCor Energy, Inc., a then NASDAQ NMS-listed company that he led as Chairman and CEO until its sale in late 1997. In 2003, he assumed the role of President and COO of AMEX-listed Dune Energy, Inc. to oversee the Company’s successful market launch, and then served as President and CEO of Quinduno Energy, Inc. beginning in 2004 through its sale to Petrosearch Energy Corporation. Mark also serves as Vice Chairman of the Board of Rock Energy Resources, Inc., a publicly-listed domestic oil and gas exploration and production company.
Jim Byrd, Jr.
Vice Chairman of the Board
Jim has served as an independent member of Best Energy’s Board of Directors since March 2008. In October 2008, he was named Vice Chairman of the Board at which time he assumed a much more active role in aiding senior management with the execution of key business growth strategies and with the enhancement of the Company’s corporate governance and shareholder communications practices.
A successful attorney and entrepreneur, Jim has spent his career focused on building businesses in a number of industries, ranging from start-ups to mature companies, both publicly traded and privately held. From 1987 through 1993, he was the founding and managing partner of Schoene, Byrd, Piercefield and Heinkel, an Orlando, Florida-based, full service commercial law firm specializing in corporate and securities, real estate and general business law. In 1993, Jim founded and served as CEO of Sobik’s Subs, Inc., a 32-unit franchise chain of sandwich shops that he took public through reverse merger and grew to 80 units within 30 months. In 1996, he served as CEO of Fortune Financial Systems, Inc. a company he founded, and subsequently took public, and grew annual sales from $50,000 to nearly $100 million in just one year.
In 1998, Jim formed Vanguard Capital, LLC, a private equity firm that he continues to manage today. Vanguard has acted as a consultant to several highly successful public merger deals, including World Commerce Online, Inc., a public stock that grew from a private placement of $0.50 per share to over $30 per share; and Parts.com, a publicly traded online auto parts provider that went from a private placement of $0.50 per share to over $50 per share in the span of 12 months. In 2004, he founded OE Source, LC, an auto parts importer and distributor, and as Managing Director, oversaw the growth of the Company from $3 million in sales in 2004 to over $15 million in sales in 2007. The Company went public by way of reverse merger in January 2008 under the name General Automotive Company. In addition, Jim is currently serving as the Chairman and CEO of Gen2Media Corporation (OTCBB: GTWO), a publicly traded digital media company.
Jim attended Florida State University where he earned a B.S. degree in Communications and subsequently earned a JD with High Honors from the FSU College of Law. He has been a member in good standing of the Florida Bar since 1986.
Tony Bruce
President, Chief Operating Officer and Director
Tony has served as a member of Best Energy Services’ Board since the Company’s formation in February 2008, which occurred in tandem with its acquisition of Best Well Services. Now the largest subsidiary of Best Energy, Best Well was founded by Tony in 1991 with only one workover rig. Under his leadership, the Company expanded its workover fleet to 25 rigs now operating within a 100 mile radius of Liberal, Kansas in the Hugoton Embayment, the Texas Panhandle field and the Anadarko Basin. After originally serving as Best Energy’s Vice President of Central Operations, Tony was named President of the Company in October 2008 and Chief Operating Officer in November 2008.
A near 30-year veteran of the U.S. oil patch, Tony’s family has actually been in the oil and gas industry dating back to the 1940’s. In 1980, Tony purchased his father’s interest in the family well servicing business and proceeded to serve as the Company’s CEO until its sale in 1989. Before forming Best Well Service, he joined National Oilwell, an oilfield products and services company that grew to become National Oilwell Varco, a NYSE-listed company.
Eugene Allen
General Manager, Best Well Services, Inc.
A second generation oilman with 4o-years hand-on experience in the oil and gas industry, Eugene currently serves as General Manager of Best Well Services, based in Liberal, Kansas. In this role, he oversees day-to-day operations, managing and coordinating all rigs, equipment and personnel. Before joining the Best Well Services team in 1994, he worked at Pool Well Service, Pride Petroleum and KMA Well Service.
Todd Beeman
General Manager, Bob Beeman Drilling
Todd is also a second generation oil field and entered the business in 1984 as a co-owner of Arizona Beeman Drilling. That Company focused its efforts on commercial and residential water wells, mining and minerals exploration, and monitoring test wells in contaminated areas. In 2001, Todd joined his family’s Company, Bob Beeman Drilling in Moab, Utah. Todd and BBD are members of the International Association of Drilling Contractors and the National Groundwater Association.
Joel Gold
Director
A founding member of Best Energy’s Board of Directors, Joel currently serves as Director of Investment Banking at Andrew Garrett, Inc., an investment banking firm headquartered in New York City. From January 1999 until December 1999, he was Executive Vice President of Solid Capital Markets, an investment banking firm also located in New York City. From September 1997 to January 1999, he was a Senior Managing Director of Interbank Capital Group, LLC, another leading NYC-based investment banking firm. From April 1996 to September 1997, Joel was Executive Vice President of LT Lawrence & Co., and from March 1995 to April 1996, he served as Managing Director of Fechtor Detwiler & Co., Inc. He was also a Managing Director of Furman Selz Incorporated from January 1992 until March 1995, as well as a Managing Director of Bear Stearns from April 1990 until January 1992. Prior to joining Bear Stearns, Joel spent 20 years with Drexel Burnham Lambert, Inc., which at its height was the fifth largest investment bank in the United States.
Joel also provides Board guidance and direction as a director and Audit and Compensation Committee member of Geneva Financial Corp., a publicly held specialty, consumer finance company; Emerging Vision, a retail eye care company; BlastGard International, a developer of blast mitigation materials; and Food Innovations, a specialty food company. Joel earned a BS degree in Accounting from Brooklyn College, an MBA from Columbia Graduate School of Business and a Juris Doctorate from NYU Law School. He is the President and Founder of Just One Life, a charitable organization that assists women with difficult childbirth conditions.
Larry Hargrave
Director
As co-incubator of Best Energy Services, Larry served as Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of the Company from February 2008 through October 2008, during which time he led the execution and integration of three acquisitions that now serve as the Company’s core business platform. Larry continues to serve as a member of the Board of Directors. Prior to forming Best Energy, he was President of American Rig Housing, Inc., and continues in that capacity today. In the course of Best Energy’s formation, certain assets were acquired from American Rig Housing.
A multi-degreed Petroleum Geologist with over 30 years experience as an operator, explorer and exploitation specialist in the U.S. oil and gas industry, Larry began his career with Exlog in 1973 and in 1975 joined then NYSE-listed Damson Oil Company, where he served as the Company’s Northern Regional Manager. In that capacity, Larry was responsible for over 130 employees, including drilling rig hands and office support personnel for the Company’s comprehensive drilling program.
In 1979, Larry and a fellow Damson employee formed Lomax Exploration, but left in 1985 to lead the exploration efforts of Lomax’s key investor group. In 1991, Larry served the E&P subsidiary of NYSE-listed Global Marine as Senior Geologist. He was personally responsible for the discovery and development of 14 significant domestic and international oil and gas fields. In 1991, he founded and served as President of NGL Industries, which installed and operated low-pressure natural gas gathering systems in South Texas. In 1992, he founded Arctic Gas Processors (AGP) in conjunction with the World Bank. AGP’s mission was to develop processing opportunities in the Soviet Union, Africa and Trinidad. The Company was sold to Singapore-based Agio Counter Trade in 1996.