William E. (Bill) Simmons
Manager
Mr. Simmons has over 35 years of executive level experience within the oil and gas industry. Over the years he has functioned as Managing Member of other oil companies, as an investor, operator, lease broker, primarily operating in the Gulf States Region and selected international markets.
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Mr. Simmons, together with geologist Hugh Horn and operating as U.S. Gas Systems, developed a Selma Chalk prospect in Baxterville Field (Lamar and Marion Counties, Mississippi) with Penn Virginia Oil and Gas Inc. To date over 200 successful Selma Chalk wells have been drilled on this prospect. More recently he is responsible for causing a major field extension to the southeast flank of the Little Cedar Creek Field, Conecuh County, Alabama.
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Mr. Simmons has also actively leased, drilled, and participated as an investor in
numerous oil and gas prospects. He also worked many years in his family’s oil field construction company (Simmons Construction Company, Columbia, Mississippi) building locations, laying pipeline, and making pipeline connections to tanks, pumps, and wells.
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As Manager of Intrepid Drilling, LLC, Mr. Simmons brings a wealth of business management skills, industry contacts and key relationships to the process of prospect acquisitions and ongoing development. A recent significant discovery is a western extension of the prolific Cut Off Field in Lafourche Parish, Louisiana, where the company commenced production of the Alvin J. Pierce No.1 well. The well was completed in the Textularia W9 sand at 13,268 feet and tested 3.3 million cubic feet of gas per day and 500 barrels of condensate per day, with two additional productive zones behind pipe.
Major H. Patterson
Drilling and Completion Engineer
Major H. Patterson is Intrepid’s Drilling and Completion Engineer. Mr. Patterson has over 50 years of experience in the oil field, beginning in 1963. Soon after leaving Mississippi State University without his Petroleum Engineering degree, Mr. Patterson began his career in the oil field as a mechanic and equipment operator for Simmons Construction. In 1965 Mr. Patterson was employed by Humble Oil and Refining Company and was soon promoted to First Mechanic and then Maintenance Supervisor.
Mr. Patterson has spanned a career that has included work as a roustabout, pumper, tool pusher, field superintendent, drilling and completion engineer, inventor, and investigator for Lloyds of London on offshore accidents in the Gulf of Mexico. Before finishing his 38 years with Humble Oil and Refining Company, which later became Exxon, Mr. Patterson won distinguished awards such as Engineer of the Year for the New Orleans District of Exxon in 1989, as well as the Outstanding Instructor Award in
1987. Mr. Patterson was one of the founders of Exxon’s Basic Drilling and Workover School, where he taught well head technology, safety, and completion technology. In 1991, Mr. Patterson won the President’s Award for Outstanding Safety Achievement in the Gulf of Mexico Offshore Drilling Operations.
From 1992 through 1998, Mr. Patterson was in charge of completions for Exxon for both onshore and barge rigs in all of South Louisiana. Mr. Patterson is credited along with Mr. Jess Melancon for developing the balanced by-passed squeeze job. This is a technique that prevents formation damage by not having to cement over existing perforations; thus preventing having to re-perforate when doing a squeeze job for the invasion of water coming from below existing perforations. He patented the Patterson ratchet wrench which is widely used by the U.S. Military on all their M1A1 Abrams tanks. Mr. Patterson and Mr. Mark Unland worked on a special project for Exxon dealing with emission problems on diesel engines that Exxon had running in California, and were responsible for co-developing, along with Caterpillar, the electronic fuel injection system that is used today on almost all diesel engines. Today, Mr. Patterson oversees all drilling and completions for Intrepid Drilling.
Aharon Berkovich
Joint Interest and Cost Manager
Aharon Berkovich, Joint Interest and Cost Manager for Intrepid Drilling, graduated with a Bachelor's Degree in Psychology, Sociology and Anthropology from the Tel Aviv University. Additionally, Aharon also possesses a Software Engineering Diploma from the Ashrot College, Jerusalem, and a Business Management Diploma from the College of Management Academic Studies in Haifa.
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Aharon's initial experience in the oil industry began as a Regional Manager in the Jerusalem District for Paz Oil Company, LLC in late 1993. Until 1999, he was in charge of gas stations, retail agents and oil storage facilities. He gained his first major experience with long and short term budgets, goals, expenses, cash flow and general financial activity. After leaving Paz in late 1999, Aharon sought experience in the High-Tech industry using his Software Engineering acumen in various positions. Aharon has learned large data management, computerizing workflows, processes, and large scale
cost accounting. In 2004, he worked as Asset Manager at Dorot Rishonim, LLC, a real-estate company, where he evaluated potential assets, developed existing assets and was in charge of the revenue stream generated. During that time, he also owned a successful private preschool business, managing mostly the strategic development and financial aspect of the business. In 2009 he moved to the United States and began working with Bill Simmons in the oil industry.
Max E. Maxwell, P.E.
Petroleum Engineer, MBA
Max E. Maxwell is a professional engineer registered in Texas, bringing 50 years of experience in oil and gas drilling, production, reservoir engineering, property valuation, energy lending, economic analysis, software development, and property transactions. Mr. Maxwell currently works with Intrepid Energy, focusing on the development of oil and gas, helium, and potash resources in the United States.
After earning a degree in petroleum engineering from Louisiana State University (LSU) in 1973, he joined Texaco, where he served as a field engineer at the Caillou Island oilfield. In 1974, he joined Freeport Oil Company, successfully recompleting more than 50 wells. By 1976, he had become the District Engineer for Samedan Oil Corporation. Mr. Maxwell joined LL&E in 1977 as an operations engineer for North Louisiana and Texas, where he successfully drilled over 70 wells in the Fort Worth Basin, Texas. In 1980, he became a Senior Engineer, overseeing the reservoir evaluation of the company’s assets in the Gulf of Mexico, North Sea, and international markets. In 1982, Mr. Maxwell served as the Chairman’s liaison to LL&E’s London office, overseeing operations in Europe, Africa, and the Middle East.
He co-founded and served as president of Online Resources, Inc. (ORE) from 1984 to 2002. He was responsible for engineering and developing the company’s oil and gas assets, managing corporate reserves, planning, and acquisitions. He created a proprietary Gulf Lease Analysis System (GLAS). He served as the technical leader in divesting over $500 million in assets for Texaco, Mobil, Exxon, Unocal, Sun, Amoco, and LL&E. Utilizing the GLAS system as its primary tool, ORE acquired interests in more than 50 producing properties in the Gulf of Mexico. From 1984 to 1987, he also conducted reserve and economic evaluations for various oil and gas companies, including Shell and LL&E. He spent three years as a consulting engineer for the Hibernia National Bank Energy Department. In 1991, he led a technical analysis of the Canadian Oxy portfolio, valued at $300 million, in Calgary, Canada.
Mr. Maxwell co-founded ORX Resources, Inc. in 2002. Serving as a manager and director, he oversaw corporate reserves, drilling, and production. After leaving ORX in 2006, Mr. Maxwell acquired Mid-America Resources Corporation. During this time, he also served as the CEO of a publicly listed company on the OTC.
Mr. Maxwell earned a degree in petroleum engineering from LSU in 1973 and graduated cum laude with a Master of Business Administration in 1985. His professional affiliations include the Society of Petroleum Evaluation Engineers and the Society of Petroleum Engineers. He has been married to his wife, Margaret, for 49 years, has two grown children and a grandson, and resides in New Orleans.
William E Simmons, IV
Logistics and Investor Relations
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Major (Promotable) W. E. Simmons is in the process of retiring from military service and joining the Intrepid Energy management team. His career began with an eight-year enlistment in the United States Marine Corps (U.S.M.C.), where he served on active duty and in the U.S.M.C. Reserves as a Scout Sniper. While in Graduate school, he transitioned from the Marines to the United States Army, attending Officer Candidate School at Fort Benning, GA. His career as an officer has been focused on counter-terrorism and special operations, with deployments to Iraq, Afghanistan, North Africa and the LeVant; as well as rotations through National Intelligence Agencies and the Pentagon.
MILITARY AWARDS
Joint Service Commendation Medal (oak leave cluster), Joint Service Achievement Medal (oak leave cluster), Meritorious Service Medal (oak leave cluster(, Army Commendation Medal, Army Achievement Medal, Marine Corps Good Conduct Medal, Select Marine Corps Reserve Medal, Army Reserve Component Achievement Medal, National Defense Service Medal, Iraq Campaign Medal, Afghanistan Campaign Medal, Global War on Terrorism Service Medal (oak leave cluster), NATO Medal, Armed Forces Service Ribbon, Army Overseas Service Ribbon.
MILITARY BADGES
German Armed Forces Proficiency Badge (Gold), U.S. Special Operations Command (Combat Service Badge) 89th Military Police Brigade (Combat Service Badge), DIA Service Badge, Joint Chiefs of Staff Service Badge.
Civilian Education:
U.S. State Department: Diplomatic Language Services, Alexandria, VA , United States
Completed the Persian Farsi course through the Office of the Director of National Intelligence's Critical Language Program.
Harvard University School of Law, Cambridge, MA , United States
Completed the “Program on Negotiation” through the Harvard University School of Law. This postgraduate Continuing Education course focused on: Arbitration, Mediation, Negotiation, and the Participatory Process of Conflict Resolution.
University of Massachusetts School of Law, North Dartmouth, MA , United States
Completed coursework in: Property Law I & II, Contracts I & II, Trusts, Wills & Estates, Elder Law, Taxation, Criminal Law I & II, Torts I & II, Constitutional Law I & II, Civil Procedure, Legal Research and Writing.
Millsaps College, Jackson, MS , United States
BA in English Literature and Political Science, played varsity football, and worked as a Staff Writer for the Governor of Mississippi.