Recognition
People
Richard Mastered Finance. Then Chose the Field.
Published: 03/19/2026
Featured:
Richard
- Regional Sales Manager
United States
Richard’s career didn’t follow a straight line — and that turned out to be the point. But his story didn’t start in operations.
More than a decade ago, after earning his degree in Business Management from California State University, Bakersfield, Richard joined Nalco Energy as a financial analyst. In those early years, he gained exposure to the strategic and commercial drivers of the business by supporting deepwater operations across the Gulf of Mexico, Latin America and West Africa. This experience sparked his curiosity for what happened beyond the spreadsheet.
So, he made an unexpected move and left a finance role he knew to do well, and signed up for an intensive offshore training program in the Gulf of Mexico. Two years rotating as a service technician. Physically demanding, technically complex, nothing like what he'd done before.
“I wanted to see how the operations worked in practice,” Richard says. “To be in front of customers. To understand the chemistry and the technical side of what we did."
There are only so many people who’d feel empowered to make that kind of move. Richard didn't just make it — he built a career on it.
Today he leads chemical technologies as Regional Sales Manager across the Permian Basin, overseeing six districts and more than 300 people. It's one of the most active energy regions in the world, and he's at the center of it.
"I sit right in the middle of our customers, our people and the company. The Permian is different from other basins in North America with such a high level of activity."
A strong advocate for field experience and internal development, Richard believes that his best school is at the wellhead.
“It’s hard to lead a business if you don’t understand what happens where the rubber meets the road. Those experiences shape how we make decisions, for our employees and for our customers."
As the energy landscape evolves, so do the demands on the people serving it. Integration — chemistry, equipment, data, and AI-driven insights working together — is where the next level of performance is unlocked: to maximize production cost and enhance recovery potential.
It's the kind of continuous learning Richard thrives on.
