Autry C. Stephens
Autry C. Stephens is the president and CEO of Endeavor Energy Resources LP. He received both his BS and MS degrees in petroleum engineering from The University of Texas at Austin Hildebrand Department of Petroleum and Geosystems Engineering in 1961 and 1962, respectively.
Stephens, who grew up on a farm in DeLeon, Texas, has a deep appreciation for his education and believes it set the foundation for his success.
Following graduation, Stephens began his career with Humble Oil & Refining Company. After seven years, including a two-year leave of absence while serving in the Army, he joined the First National Bank of Midland as an appraisal engineer. In 1979, he became an independent consulting petroleum engineer. Stephens gradually moved from consulting to drilling and operating oil wells. He now operates numerous companies under the umbrella of Endeavor Energy Resources, which has more than 4,700 oil wells and is listed among the top 20 oil producers in Texas.
Big Dog Drilling, which is affiliated with Endeavor Energy Resources, was founded in 1996 and now owns 25 drilling rigs. In 2008, the employees of Big Dog Drilling turned into reality TV stars when TRU-TV asked them to be in a series called “Black Gold.” The show, which completed its fifth season in 2013, attempts to shine a light on the hardworking men and women in the oil fields. Stephens, who had a cameo role in the show, thought it was important to show the public the difficulty of extracting oil.
