American Oil and Gas Reporter - August 2018 - 39

spective for show planners and participants,
Fry says.
"Steve brings the producer viewpoint
when it comes to us looking at what
needs to be done," he says. "From drilling
to production, Steve has worked in all
phases of the oil and gas industry."

and Pioneer Natural Resources, but also
countless small operators," he elaborates.
"The independents drill 80 percent of
wells in the United States and right now
are working the vast majority of the rigs

to be literate at computers. The roughnecks
are still rough, but the industry is changing.
We are drilling horizontal wells with
7,000-foot laterals faster than we used to
drill 7,000-foot vertical wells in the old

Oil Field Journey
Castle says he got involved with PBIOS
more than 20 years ago and has served
on the show's Executive Board for the
past 15 years. "I am always amazed at
the dedication of the volunteers from all
across the industry who donate so much
of their time, energy and talents to the
PBIOS," he states. "They are the reason
the show has been so successful for so
many years."
A past chairman of the Texas Independent Producers & Royalty Owners
Association and past president of the
Permian Basin Petroleum Association,
Castle has devoted much of his professional life to the oil fields of West Texas
and Southeast New Mexico, he recalls.
Born in Tyler, Tx., his family moved to
Midland when he was in first grade. Castle
graduated from high school in nearby Fort
Stockton, and then attended Angelo State
University. After graduating with a bachelor's in accounting, Castle says his journey
in the oil field began with Mobil Oil Corp.'s
training program. Over the years, he worked
for the likes of Mobil, Tom Brown Inc.,
and Hanley Petroleum Inc. before launching
Cowboys Resources in 1998.
"I am 66 and do not operate wells
anymore, but I invest in a lot of projects,"
he offers. "I am basically a deal junky. I
love doing deals and I love the oil patch."
In addition to the contributions of
hardworking men and women, the success
of the Permian Basin reflects the dedication
and daring of an upstream industry that
has employed groundbreaking technology
to transform the basin, Castle says.
"Most of the activity in the Permian
Basin is being done by independents, including larger independents such as Occidental Oil & Gas, Concho Resources

STEPHEN CASTLE
2018 PBIOS President
President and Owner,
Cowboys Resources Corp.

here in the Permian Basin."
Technology, including horizontal
drilling, hydraulic fracturing and innovative
proppants and well treatment products,
are helping the upstream industry maximize the incredible potential of the Permian's stacked tight plays more efficiently
with each passing year, he says.
"A guy sits in a cubicle like an office
and operates a rig with a joystick like a
computer game," says Castle. "You have

Spraberry play."
With the use of advanced measurement-while-drilling tools, drillers are able
to extend laterals into the sweet spot of
the Wolfcamp, Bone Spring and other
horizons, and lateral lengths are getting
longer, he says.
"In horizontal wells we have invested
in with Concho Resources, the lateral
lengths have been from one to one-anda-half miles," Castle says. He notes that
AUGUST 2018 39

American Oil and Gas Reporter - August 2018

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