Larry is a native Oklahoman. He attended the University of Oklahoma where in 1981 he received a B.B.A., majoring in Petroleum Land Management. Upon graduation Larry began his career with Texas Oil & Gas Corp(“TXO”) in their land management training program.
In 1985, Larry moved to Tulsa, Oklahoma to work for Charles Schusterman at Landmark Exploration Company, privately owned company by Mr. Schusterman. Larry later moved over to Samson Resources Company as a Senior Landman.
While at Samson Larry received his M.B.A. from Oklahoma City University in 1993, attending classes at night in Tulsa, Oklahoma.
In 1995, Larry moved to Oklahoma City to work for JMA Energy Company as a Senior Landman and later as their Land Manager working all of Oklahoma acquiring ground floor leases and working interest.
In 1999, Larry took a position at CHK Energy Corporation working in the Business Development group as direct report to Tom Ward, co-founder of CHK, charged with working Western Oklahoma and Texas Panhandle to build the company’s Anadarko Division ownership and acreage position in Western Oklahoma and Texas Panhandle. Larry became Land Manager for the Western Anadarko division building and supervising a land staff from two (2) employees to over forty-five (45) employees. When CHK entered the Barnett Shale basin with its entry acquisition Larry moved over to lead this newly formed Barnett Shale/East Texas/North Louisiana division and built a land staff to work this acquisition ramping up to 6+ rigs within the first eight(8) months of closing. Land staff grew to over twenty(20) employees within the first six(6) months. While ramping up activity in the Barnett Shale, CHK was moving into East Texas/Northern Louisiana in what is now known as the Haynesville basin area growing company leasehold footprint to over one million net acres in less than eighteen (18) months and running over twenty-five (25) rigs.
In mid-2006, Larry joined Tom Ward when he started SandRidge Energy on his executive team as Executive Vice-President of Land. Within the first sixty (60) days SandRidge acquired the all of the assets of National Energy Group (NEG) for over $1.2 Billion covering West Texas, South Texas, East Texas and Oklahoma assets. The land staff grew from less than five (5) employees to over fifty (30) employees in land within the first year and rig count grew to over fifty (50) rigs. Larry was part of the successful leadership team instrumental in SandRidge going public in November, 2017 in about 14-15 months from company’s inception.
In 2008 Larry started his own private land service/consulting company, ZaCale Resources Company, LLC, working for several private, public and private equity backed companies providing acquisition and divestiture services, land, land administration and division order services. Areas worked included the West Texas Permian, New Mexico, Colorado, Wyoming, North Dakota, Montana, Kansas, Oklahoma, Texas Panhandle, Arkansas, Louisiana, East Texas and Gulf Coast Texas.
In mid-2014, Larry moved back into the public company arena as Land Manager for Matador Resources Company working with a young staff of six(6) landmen working the Permian, Eagle Ford and Haynesville basin areas being a mentor, teacher and leader to the company landmen, land support staff and division order staff. Larry was involved in Matador’s acquisition of the HEYCO (Harvey Yates) assets in New Mexico of bringing these assets in-house to Matador’s land department and land data system.
In September, 2015 Larry took a position with BP America Production Company in the Lower 48 division as Land Director, Mid-Con Development Business Unit covering an area of Texas Panhandle north to North Dakota/Canada line, east to Ohio and southwest to Arkansas, Oklahoma and North Texas (Barnett Shale).
Since retiring from BP America in June 2022, Larry has been doing contract and consulting work in the Mid-Continent area and has started writing a couple of books he hopes to publish soon.
Larry is a member of AAPL serving on the Forms Committee and is an instructor for the CPL/RPL review courses and a member in local associations, Tulsa Association of Professional Landmen (TAPL) and Oklahoma City Association of Professional Landmen (OCAPL) and currently serving on OCAPL board and co-committee chairman for the Weekend Take Off event sponsored by OCAPL every fall.
Larry serves on the University of Oklahoma Energy Management Board of Advisors and loves to travel with his wife in their RV and watch their grandkids events they participate in.