In this episode of the Essential Oils Podcast, Ryan Sullivan, VP of Engineering at Gray Rock Investment Partners, pulls back the curtain on what it really takes to invest in oil and gas. With more than 20 years in the field, Ryan explains why non-operated (“non-op”) investing has exploded in popularity—and why it’s far more complex than scrolling online listings for wells. Gray Rock evaluates hundreds—sometimes thousands—of opportunities to close just a handful, proving that successful investing is driven by relationships, data, and disciplined underwriting—not hype.

Ryan also breaks down how Gray Rock’s operated partnership model flips the traditional private equity script. Instead of building and flipping companies on a time clock, they fund specific drilling projects alongside experienced operator teams, aligning incentives around performance and long-term value. The result? Smarter capital deployment, shared risk, and better projects.

Looking ahead to 2026, Ryan shares why they don’t chase headlines about gas booms or price swings. Instead, they invest through the cycle—focused on returns that work today—while the industry continues to innovate with longer laterals, lower costs, and even U-turn well designs. If you’ve ever wondered what it really takes to “buy an oil well,” this conversation is a must-listen.

In this episode, I sit down with Philip Douget—who has spent half his career on the service side at Halliburton and the other half inside private and public Exploraton and Production companies—to break down what actually works (and what absolutely doesn’t) in oilfield business development. Philip shares blunt insights from both sides of the table: how to be persistant, why most outreach fails before it starts, and simple fixes that make BD communication far more effective. From cold emails that go nowhere to text messages with no context, he talks through the real reasons reps get ignored and how to avoid sounding like a “crazy ex-girlfriend” while still staying top-of-mind.

We also dive deep into modern networking challenges—balancing family life with happy hours, why dinners are awkward sales environments, and why conferences often deliver hype instead of value. Then things get tactical: what meaningful swag actually looks like (hint: custom Lego frac pumps beat cheap koozies every time), how customer education can be more powerful than a sales pitch, and why the best BD reps excel at reading the room and teaching rather than selling. The episode closes with a big idea: the future of BD might include “one-click” digital quoting—ordering frac or flowback as easily as a pizza order. This is a must-listen for anyone in oilfield BD or anyone selling to operators who wants to understand what truly moves the needle.

In this episode of Essential Oils, Darryl sits down with Robert Sieker, CEO of SB Energy Services, for a deep dive into one of the most misunderstood — and most influential — topics in modern shale operations: sand measurement. Robert pulls back the curtain on what operators actually struggle with in the field, why sand management technology keeps getting more complex (and more expensive), and where the biggest service companies are over-engineering solutions that don’t match the economics of today’s market.

The conversation ranges from autonomous sand systems, load-cell accuracy, multi-phase flow meter limitations, closed-loop emissions initiatives, and real-world flowback challenges, all the way to the infamous “filter sock and fish scale” method still quietly used on far too many wells. Packed with field stories, practical engineering insight, and candid industry perspective, this is the closest you can get to being in the truck with a seasoned flowback expert.

If you've ever wondered why sand measurement is so hard, what solutions actually work, and how operators can truly optimize sand management without wasting millions — this episode is for you.

Are all sand separators created equal?

Today we're gonna be talking about sand separators with Rober Sieker. Robert is currently the CEO of SB Energy Services specializing in production testing consulting and equipment rentals. I've known Robert for about 10 years now and we were shooting the shit one day talking about the different way sand is managed and measured in Permian and I thought I should start recording the conversations I have like this with folks from different parts of the oil field. I end up hearing really good information and stories that I think other people might want to hear. So this is my first crack at it. Hope you like it.