Rodney Ray Lewis
Born1954
Laredo, Webb County, Texas, USA
NationalityAmerican
Alma materTexas A&M International University
Occupation(s)Oil and natural gas industrialist
Rancher
SpouseKimberly Annette Spicer Lewis (married c. 1978)
ChildrenFour children

Rodney Ray Lewis, known as Rod Lewis (born 1954), is founder, president, and chief executive officer of Lewis Energy, an oil and natural gas drilling company based in Texas, US.[1][2]

Biography

Lewis was born and raised on a ranch in Laredo in Webb County in South Texas. His father was a pilot in the United States Air Force.[3][4] He graduated from what is now Texas A&M International University in Laredo with a Bachelor of Arts in criminal justice.[1][2]

He started his career in the oil industry by working for Stampede Energy and for the R.L. Burns Corporation.[2] He purchased his first oil well for $13,000 in 1982 and launched Lewis Energy the next year.[1][2] In 1995, he borrowed $5 million from Enron Capital & Trade and repaid the loan in eight months.[4] Alongside drilling in South Texas, he has drilled in Mexico for Pemex, and in Colombia for Hupecol Caracara and Solana Resources.[3] In 2003, he sold much of his Texas pipelines to Dan Duncan, the CEO of Enterprise Products Partners.[4] He is the first American wildcatter to drill in Mexico since former President Lázaro Cárdenas made it illegal for anyone but the Mexican government to do so.[4] Forbes magazine called Lewis "the only gringo allowed to drill in Mexico."[5] He can collect as much as $350 million annually from Pemex for drilling on 80,000 acres near the border.[5] He does not own the oil or natural gas but is compensated for drilling the land.[4] Lewis owns at least 350,000 acres of the Eagle Ford Shale property. In 2010, British Petroleum began drilling on 80,000 acres of Eagle Ford Shale property that Lewis owns.[5]

As of March 2018, he is the 1,756th richest person in the world.[3] He is worth US$1.3 billion.[3] He collects World War II-era planes, and he owns 30, including Glacier Girl, which he bought for $10 million.[3][6][5] Since 2012 or 2013 he is the owner of M5, the largest single-masted yacht ever built.[7]

Lewis and his wife, the former Kimberly Annette Spicer (born c. 1958), have four adult children.[3] He also owns a ranch in Encinal north of Laredo.[6] Lewis is a survivor of esophageal cancer[3] but lost his salivary glands in treatment.[5]

In March 2013, Mrs. Lewis filed for divorce in the Bexar County Courthouse. There is no mention of a pre-nuptial agreement, and Texas is a community property state. At least thirteen lawsuits are involved in the Lewis' marital squabbles. Mrs. Lewis is asking that her husband pay her legal fees in the dispute.[5] Rod Lewis stated in an interview that he loved his wife and that he had no intention of divorcing her. Lewis and she later reconciled and continue to attend public events together.[8]

The Rod and Kim Lewis Foundation donates grants to charitable organizations.[5] Lewis provided the furnishing of the three-story Lewis Energy Academic Center, which opened in January 2012 on the campus of Laredo Community College.

In August 2014, Lewis was named recipient of the annual Angel of Hope Award for his work in providing Christmas gifts to needy children in Webb County. Angel of Hope was originated by the constable's office of Webb County Precinct 1.[9]

References

  1. 1 2 3 "Lewis Energy board biography". Archived from the original on 2013-01-28. Retrieved 2011-11-26.
  2. 1 2 3 4 "BusinessWeek profile". Archived from the original on 2016-04-05. Retrieved 2011-11-26.
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 "Forbes profile". Forbes. Archived from the original on 2018-11-16. Retrieved 2017-09-11.
  4. 1 2 3 4 5 Christopher Helman and Jesse Bogan, 'The Crossing', in Forbes magazine, 08.07.08 Archived 2015-09-24 at the Wayback Machine
  5. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Patrick Danner of San Antonio Express-News staff, "Lewis, wife marriage breakup", Laredo Morning Times, June 12, 2013, pp. 1, 10A
  6. 1 2 Christopher Helman and Jesse Bogan, 'A Wildcatter in Love with Warbirds', in Forbes magazine, 08.13.08 Archived 2018-03-07 at the Wayback Machine
  7. ↑ David A. Kaplan: Tycoons are dumping their superyachts Archived 2019-12-18 at the Wayback Machine fortune.com, 25 May 2012, retrieved 13 May 2020. – Only teaser can be seen free of charge.
  8. ↑ "Condoleeza Rice joins San Antonio leaders for legendary evening". CultureMap San Antonio. Archived from the original on 2018-11-04. Retrieved 2018-11-03.
  9. ↑ "Natural gas tycoon named Angel of Hope award recipient". The Laredo Morning Times. August 29, 2014. Retrieved September 3, 2014.
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