In this episode of Big Swing Podcast, host Jeremy and Corey sits down with Sean Hervo, co-founder and CEO of PrePad, for a wide-ranging conversation on engineering, entrepreneurship, and the future of completions optimization in the oil and gas industry. A mechanical engineer by training with nearly twelve years at Shell spanning Canada, the Permian, and international assignments, Hervo brings a unique perspective shaped by deep technical expertise, commercial experience, and a passion for solving complex operational challenges. His journey from completions manager to founder of a fast-growing software company offers a compelling look at what it takes to identify industry pain points and build a solution that resonates with both independent operators and the world's largest energy producers.

The conversation explores the origins of PrePad, which grew out of Hervo's frustration with fragmented planning processes and manual spreadsheet workflows while leading completions teams at Shell. He shares the story behind building the integrated systems model internally, the leap of faith required to leave a secure corporate role, and the validation that came when Devon Energy not only became a customer but led PrePad's seed round. Hervo discusses the critical role of completions as a discipline that touches reservoir engineering, drilling, production, finance, and land, making it uniquely positioned to understand the full business picture. He also reflects on the balance of entrepreneurship and fatherhood, the importance of being present, and how having a young child sharpened his focus and efficiency.

Listen to the full conversation for an inside look at building a disruptive technology in the energy sector, the power of cross-border validation, and how PrePad is leveraging AI to enhance its physics-based simulation platform rather than replace it.

In this episode of Big Swing, Jeremy and Corey sit down with Eric Anderson, CEO of SynMax, for a conversation that goes from Colorado roots and commodity trading to AI, satellite imagery, maritime intelligence, and the reality of building a company that is hard to put in one box.

Eric shares how his background as a quant shaped SynMax’s core mission: turning massive amounts of data into real intelligence. The conversation explores why AI is not just another checkbox, how subject matter expertise still matters, and why the best technology companies do not walk into industries assuming they know more than the people doing the work.

The episode also digs into SynMax’s work across energy, trading, and government, including how its maritime intelligence platform helped support one of the largest drug seizures in Irish history. From there, the conversation turns to entrepreneurship, the underrated value of operations, and the role Bill Perkins played in Eric’s path from hedge fund tools to building a company with global reach.

It is a wide-ranging episode about risk, intelligence, startups, and what happens when the right data finally becomes actionable.

In Episode 10 of Big Swing, Jeremy Funk and Corey Scott sit down with longtime oil & gas leader Barry Henderson for a conversation on leadership, entrepreneurship, technology, and the future of the energy industry.

Barry reflects on more than 40 years in oil & gas, from growing up in a small farming town in Alberta to building consulting and software businesses focused on solving operational problems and improving industry workflows. The discussion explores management consulting, relationship-driven business, software adoption challenges, AI and automation, and why the industry still struggles with change despite the need for modernization.

The episode also dives into the future of energy technology, the frustrations vendors and operators face with legacy systems, and how companies like Energy Payables are working to simplify workflows, improve transparency, and create better collaboration across the industry.

If you enjoy conversations around business building, operational leadership, energy technology, and challenging the status quo, this is an episode you won’t want to miss.