Scott Kidwell
The Permian Basin leads the United States in the production of oil and natural gas. Our region leads the oil and natural gas sector in technological innovations and environmental improvements. It led the United States to a place of energy independence in the not too distant past and even though certain tides continue to work against growth in our industry today, our region will continue to lead efforts to improve energy production and reliability for those at home and abroad. The Permian Basin will continue to provide a better quality of life for billions of people around the globe by doing what we do best. It is an honor we each humbly accept.
Worldwide leadership in energy production is not something that any individual in the Permian Basin might seek on their own, but it is a privilege we gain by working with the geology and the people found in West Texas and Southeast New Mexico. We are blessed to have the resources we do, both those below and above ground, but it takes hard work and dedication to turn those resources into a benefit for our fellow man. As former U.S. President Woodrow Wilson once said, “You are here to enrich the world, and you impoverish yourself if you forget the errand.”
We in the Permian Basin do what we do and it enriches the world. It takes hard work to produce the natural resources available to us, but even though the burden can be heavy, I charge each of you not to forget the fruits those errands yield. While the toiling work in the field provides us with much, without those who have led us in the past, those who continue to lead us today, or those who will lead us in the future, that work might all be for naught.
In January, PBPA takes the opportunity to honor a leader from our industry and our region. We honor someone who, through their errands, has enriched the world around them. PBPA’s Top Hand Award is a rare honor that celebrates someone not just for their accomplishments in business, but their accomplishments in helping their brothers and sisters to a better life. This year, we are humbled to honor Autry Stephens of Endeavor Energy Resources, a man who has worked for over half a century in the oil and gas industry and who has improved the lives of thousands through his hard work and dedication. Through his efforts the Permian Basin, our states, our nation, and the world have truly been enriched.
Thank you to all those Top Hands, past, present and future, for the lives you enrich, and the world you improve.