Rodney Lewis
Encyclopedia
Rodney Lewis is founder, President, and Chief Executive Officer
of Lewis Energy, an oil and natural gas drilling company.
in Laredo, Texas
. He graduated from Texas A&M International University
in Laredo, Texas
with a Bachelor of Arts in criminal justice
.
He started his career in the oil industry by working for Stampede Energy and for the R.L. Burns Corporation. He bought his first oil well
for $13,000 in 1982, and started Lewis Energy in 1983. In 1995, he received $5 million from Enron Capital & Trade, and paid it back in eight months. Alongside drilling in South Texas
, he has drilled in Mexico
for Pemex
, and in Colombia
for Hupecol Caracara and Solana Resources. In 2003, he sold much of his Texas pipeline
s to Dan Duncan
, the CEO of Enterprise Products Partners. He is the first American wildcatter
to drill in Mexico since former President Lázaro Cárdenas
made it illegal for anyone but the Mexican government to do so. However, he doesn't own the oil or natural gas, and only receives payment from the government for drilling it.
As of September 2011, he is the 512th richest person in the world, and the 130th richest in the United States. He is worth US$2.8 billion. He collects World War II
-era plane
s, and he owns 30, including Glacier Girl
, which he bought for $10 million. He is a recent esophageal cancer
survivor. He is married with four children, and he lives in San Antonio, Texas
. He also owns a ranch in Encinal, Texas
.
Chief executive officer
A chief executive officer , managing director , Executive Director for non-profit organizations, or chief executive is the highest-ranking corporate officer or administrator in charge of total management of an organization...
of Lewis Energy, an oil and natural gas drilling company.
Biography
Rodney Lewis was born in 1954 and grew up on a ranchRanch
A ranch is an area of landscape, including various structures, given primarily to the practice of ranching, the practice of raising grazing livestock such as cattle or sheep for meat or wool. The word most often applies to livestock-raising operations in the western United States and Canada, though...
in Laredo, Texas
Laredo, Texas
Laredo is the county seat of Webb County, Texas, United States, located on the north bank of the Rio Grande in South Texas, across from Nuevo Laredo, Tamaulipas, Mexico. According to the 2010 census, the city population was 236,091 making it the 3rd largest on the United States-Mexican border,...
. He graduated from Texas A&M International University
Texas A&M International University
Texas A&M International University, often referred to as TAMIU, is a public, co-educational, state-supported university located in Laredo, Texas...
in Laredo, Texas
Laredo, Texas
Laredo is the county seat of Webb County, Texas, United States, located on the north bank of the Rio Grande in South Texas, across from Nuevo Laredo, Tamaulipas, Mexico. According to the 2010 census, the city population was 236,091 making it the 3rd largest on the United States-Mexican border,...
with a Bachelor of Arts in criminal justice
Criminal justice
Criminal Justice is the system of practices and institutions of governments directed at upholding social control, deterring and mitigating crime, or sanctioning those who violate laws with criminal penalties and rehabilitation efforts...
.
He started his career in the oil industry by working for Stampede Energy and for the R.L. Burns Corporation. He bought his first oil well
Oil well
An oil well is a general term for any boring through the earth's surface that is designed to find and acquire petroleum oil hydrocarbons. Usually some natural gas is produced along with the oil. A well that is designed to produce mainly or only gas may be termed a gas well.-History:The earliest...
for $13,000 in 1982, and started Lewis Energy in 1983. In 1995, he received $5 million from Enron Capital & Trade, and paid it back in eight months. Alongside drilling in South Texas
South Texas
South Texas is a region of the U.S. state of Texas that lies roughly south of and including San Antonio. The southern and western boundary is the Rio Grande River, and to the east it is the Gulf of Mexico. The population of this region is about 3.7 million. The southern portion of this region is...
, he has drilled in Mexico
Mexico
The United Mexican States , commonly known as Mexico , is a federal constitutional republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of...
for Pemex
Pemex
Petróleos Mexicanos or Pemex is a Mexican state-owned petroleum company. As of 2010, with a total asset worth of $415.75 billion, it is the second non-publicly listed largest company in the world by total market value, and Latin America's second largest enterprise by annual revenue as of 2009...
, and in Colombia
Colombia
Colombia, officially the Republic of Colombia , is a unitary constitutional republic comprising thirty-two departments. The country is located in northwestern South America, bordered to the east by Venezuela and Brazil; to the south by Ecuador and Peru; to the north by the Caribbean Sea; to the...
for Hupecol Caracara and Solana Resources. In 2003, he sold much of his Texas pipeline
Pipeline
-Science and industry:* Pipeline transport, a conduit made from pipes connected end-to-end for long-distance fluid transport* Plastic Pressure Pipe Systems, for fluid handling* Milking pipeline, used on a dairy farm to transport fluid milk...
s to Dan Duncan
Dan Duncan
Dan L Duncan was an American born in Center, Texas. He was the co-founder, chairman and majority shareholder of Enterprise Products.- Philanthropy :...
, the CEO of Enterprise Products Partners. He is the first American wildcatter
Wildcatter
A wildcatter is an American term for a person who drills wildcat wells, which are oil wells drilled in areas not known to be oil fields. A wildcatter notable for his success was Texan oil tycoon Glenn McCarthy....
to drill in Mexico since former President Lázaro Cárdenas
Lázaro Cárdenas
Lázaro Cárdenas del Río was President of Mexico from 1934 to 1940.-Early life:Lázaro Cárdenas was born on May 21, 1895 in a lower-middle class family in the village of Jiquilpan, Michoacán. He supported his family from age 16 after the death of his father...
made it illegal for anyone but the Mexican government to do so. However, he doesn't own the oil or natural gas, and only receives payment from the government for drilling it.
As of September 2011, he is the 512th richest person in the world, and the 130th richest in the United States. He is worth US$2.8 billion. He collects World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
-era plane
Plane
-Physical objects:* Aeroplane or airplane, a fixed-wing aircraft* Plane , a woodworking tool to smooth surfaces* Platanus, a genus of trees with the common name "plane"* Acer pseudoplatanus, a tree species sometimes called "plane"...
s, and he owns 30, including Glacier Girl
Glacier Girl
Glacier Girl is a Lockheed P-38F-1-LO Lightning World War II fighter plane, 41-7630, c/n 222-5757, that was restored to flying condition after being buried beneath the ice of the remote Greenland Ice Sheet for over 50 years.- History :...
, which he bought for $10 million. He is a recent esophageal cancer
Esophageal cancer
Esophageal cancer is malignancy of the esophagus. There are various subtypes, primarily squamous cell cancer and adenocarcinoma . Squamous cell cancer arises from the cells that line the upper part of the esophagus...
survivor. He is married with four children, and he lives in San Antonio, Texas
San Antonio, Texas
San Antonio is the seventh-largest city in the United States of America and the second-largest city within the state of Texas, with a population of 1.33 million. Located in the American Southwest and the south–central part of Texas, the city serves as the seat of Bexar County. In 2011,...
. He also owns a ranch in Encinal, Texas
Encinal, Texas
Encinal is a city in La Salle County, Texas, United States. The population was 629 at the 2000 census. Interstate 35 Business runs through the community. There are few businesses in Encinal; most have closed along the main street....
.