Our History
Austin Phoenix Resources, LLC (APR) was formed in 2011 with the purpose of identifying and exploiting hydrocarbon reserves from mature fields reaching the end of their economic life. Through the use of a proprietary well analysis process, APR identifies wells with significant remaining recoverable reserves. The original completion and stimulation data, along with historical production and formation composition are evaluated. Successful candidate wells are re-completed and stimulated using the latest technology.
ROBERT BARBA
The principal consultant Robert Barba spent 10 years with Schlumberger as an openhole field engineer, sales engineer, and product development manager. While at Schlumberger he was the North American product champion for the FracHite and Quantifrac products that integrated wireline, testing, and pumping inputs to optimize hydraulic fracture treatments. He was also the product development manager for the QLA program that made the field log analysis “Cyberlook” program available to customers on personal computers. Since then he has spent 24 years consulting to over 200 companies on petrophysics and completion optimization. He served as a SPE Distinguished Lecturer on integrating petrophysics with the hydraulic fracture treatment optimization process. He has focused on the integration of petrophysics with completion designs in a variety of reservoirs in North America, conducting numerous field studies for operators evaluating the effective frac length in over 2000 wells and providing "best practices" recommendations based on the study results (SPE 90483). He has been responsible for the petrophysical analysis of 40 major fields worldwide as part of integrated reservoir characterization studies identifying remaining mobile hydrocarbons. He has authored 33 technical papers on the integration of petrophysics with completion designs, horizontal wells, and reservoir characterization projects. Recent major consulting projects have involved optimizing completion practices in horizontal organic shale wells for major operators in the Marcellus shale, Utica, Cline, Eagle Ford, Bakken, Wolfberry, and Wolfcamp. His latest paper showed a significant improvement in horizontal shale recovery factors can be obtained by ensuring the wellbore, proppant, and net pay are connected using “best practices” presented in the school. Bob has a BS from the US Naval Academy and MBA from the University of Florida. He is also a member of the SPE, SPWLA, and the AAPG.
RICHARD J. GANEM
After graduating high school in 1966, Richard Ganem volunteered for served in the United States Army (1967 -1970). Trained at the Army Intelligence School in Ft. Holabird, Md, then served as an Intelligence Specialist, both domestically and in the Republic of Viet Nam under assignment to G2, I Corps, Chu Lai. After military service He attended the University of Texas at Austin from 1970 to 1975, obtaining a Bachelor of Business Administration degree with an emphasis in Petroleum Land Management.
Since starting his professional career in 1975, Richard J. Ganem has spent 41 years engaged in the land and legal aspects of the energy arena within Amoco Production Company in Houston, Texas, and Adobe Resources Corporation, in Midland, Texas, and starting in 1992 as a consultant and independent Oil and Gas Operator. His expanded experiences include involvement in the major basins of the United States, from the Rockies to the Texas gulf coast, including offshore. In addition to energy companies, Mr. Ganem founded Environmental Site Assessors, LLC, an environmental company specializing in oil and gas field assessments in Texas and New Mexico. The company was sold in 2002. Mr. Ganem continues his involvement in the energy arena and real estate investments, as well as in expert witness testimony.
Mr. Ganem’s community involvement has varied over the last four decades from volunteer work with local schools and organizations in communities where he and his family have resided, including Planning and Zoning Board and Chairman of same for six years, as President of the University of Texas Ex-Students Association Midland, Texas. Conference speaker on environmental issues for the PBLA (local) and as an advisory committee member for AAPL (national) Environmental Committee. In 2008, as a member of Mid-Cities Church of Midland, Texas, he participated as a representative to the United Nations Council on Human Rights, Geneva, Switzerland. He currently maintains membership in local and national associations and holds advisory board positions on several start-ups. Mr. Ganem enjoys spending time with his three adult children, grandchildren and extended families and friends in the greater Austin-San Antonio areas and beyond. He enjoys traveling, hunting, fishing, wing and clay shooting and a rare game of golf.