About Zapata

You might say that oil is in my blood. My father was a Geophysicist, and we moved around with a seismograph crew looking for oil since I was two years old. I went to 17 different public schools in 11 states before graduating from East Denver high school 1953. I graduated from the Colorado School of Mines – “the world’s foremost school of mineral engineering” with advanced degrees in Geology in 57 and Engineering in 1961.

After leaving college, I worked off and on in the oil and gas industry. In the oil industry my biggest corporate job was Mid-Continent Exploration Manager for Champlin Petroleum, at that time a division of the Union Pacific Railroad and the 24th largest oil company in the world. In the non-biggies I served as President of both Rexwood Oil and Gas and Bolero Energy Corporation at points during my career.

During the “off” parts, I worked in the brokerage industry. I worked E.F. Hutton and Boettcher and Company, where I was one of the top 10 brokers nationwide. They excused me in 1986, “I think they called it mandatory retirement”… nearly everyone in the oil business got furloughed in 1986. Amoco let go 7000 geologists alone. That’s what happens when the price of oil falls from $40 a barrel to $8!

Since then I’ve been keeping busy in the areas of fund management, teaching and mentoring others; helping others to learn what I’ve learned and know what I know. I also wrote a book, articles and several newsletters. I’m frequently asked to speak for radio, web and video broadcasts due to a track record of helping funds perform in stressful times of skyrocketing oil and energy costs and uncertain economics.

I do love teaching and talking about these developments. The Chinese have a saying “You’re blessed to live in interesting times.” and the present certainly qualifies as interesting. I bring to the financial world an extensive knowledge of the geology of oil and minerals and the global oil business, as well as the psychology and historical context of today’s economic climate presented in an honest, factual, easy-to-understand approach… basically…”NO BULL.”