Strategic Advisors
Charles Kohlhaas, PhD
Dr. Kohlhaas is a strategic advisor to Whitehawk Energy. Dr. Kohlhaas is an experienced petroleum engineer with an extensive worldwide background in operations, management, engineering, and academia with major and independent companies. Dr. Kohlhaas worked for Mobil and Arco for 17 years in various capacities, was a Professor of Petroleum Engineering at the Colorado School of Mines for 20 years, and directed research consortia of up to 15 companies. Dr. Kohlhaas has consulted for many major and large independent oil and gas companies including Exxon, Baker Hughes, Evergreen Resources, Oxy, Tenneco, Schlumberger, Hamilton Brothers, Chevron, Conoco Phillips, Statoil (Norway), Pertamina (Indonesia), Montedison (Italy), and Total (France). He was a founder of Kelt Energy, a successful independent financed by European investors and taken public in London, Perenco. He has been an officer, director, and adviser for numerous small, troubled, and start-up independent companies with regard to re-structuring, turnarounds, and planned and implemented strategic acquisition programs. Dr. Kohlhaas has Petroleum Engineer and Ph.D. degrees from the Colorado School of Mines and a Certificate of financial management from the University of Denver. He has also been a commentator on the interaction of geopolitical events, foreign policy, and the oil and gas industry.
Christopher Jarvis, CFA, CMT
Mr. Jarvis is a Strategic Partner and Advisor to Whitehawk Energy. Mr. Jarvis is the Founder and President of Caprock Risk Management, LLC. Prior to starting CRM, Mr. Jarvis joined Advest in May 1999 as a Junior Sell Side Analyst covering software stocks. In December 1999, he moved into the Private Client Research area as a Research Associate covering international equities. In October 2000, he became a Senior Research Associate covering both domestic and international equities before becoming Associate Director in December 2001. In 2005, Mr. Jarvis was a publishing analyst covering Oil Field Service Stocks in the Energy sector and was rated #1 by Bloomberg for several of his stock recommendations in 2005. Lastly, Mr. Jarvis was a commodities analyst at Merrill Lynch (following the recent acquisition of Advest in November 2005) focusing on energy risk management for producers, distributors, and end-users of Natural Gas. Mr. Jarvis received his B.A. Degree in history and minored in political science with a certificate in international relations from the University of Massachusetts and his MBA degree in finance from the University of Connecticut. Mr. Jarvis has earned the right to use the Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) designation. He is a member of the CFA Institute as well as the Boston Security Analysts Society (BSAS). Lastly, Christopher has also earned the right to use the Chartered Market Technician (CMT) designation and is a member of Market Technicians Association (MTA).
Michael P. Bezdek
Mr. Bezdek is a strategic advisor to Whitehawk Energy and is the Founder and President of Wilshire Capital Group, affiliate of National Securities and Vfinance Investments, Inc where he serves as Senior Investment Banker –Energy. Mr. Bezdek has extensive experience in the Institutional Asset arena specifically the development, implementation and management of large International Corporate Pension and Profit Sharing Plan assets. While assisting both institutions and high net worth individuals, Mr. Bezdek was responsible for working directly with top-level corporate executives, bank presidents, comptrollers, CFOs, corporate executive committees, legal counsel and both domestic and foreign governmental officials. Prior to forming Wilshire Capital Group, Mr. Bezdek spent a decade managing hundreds of millions of dollars in private individual wealth and several multi-national corporate and institutional investment portfolios including Coca Cola Southwest, Sandin International Japan and Eurocopter (joint venture of Daimler Benz and the French Government) with the Royal Bank of Canada / Dain Rauscher Private Client Group and Institutional Consulting Division. His experience is extensive in institutional asset and wealth management. Capital markets and institutional consulting capabilities include Small and Micro Cap company capitalization, Reverse Mergers, Initial Public Offerings, Private Investment in Public Equity, Mergers and Acquisitions, Regulation D. Private Placements, Defined contribution [401k, 403b], Defined benefit [corporate pension], and profit sharing plan structure, fiduciary oversight, and investment management. Mr. Bezdek is well versed in ERISA, DOL, NASD, Reg. D and Sarbanes Oxley regulations, rules and requirements. Michael has NASD series 7,31,63,65, Group 1 Insurance Life, and Health. Membership positions include The Independent Petroleum Association of America and The Texas Alliance of Energy Producers. Michael graduated Magna Cum Laude with a BS in Finance from Southern California University. Further graduate studies include The University of Texas Petroleum Extension and American Petroleum Institute certifications.
Lawrence Clayton, CPA
Mr. Clayton is a strategic advisor to Whitehawk Energy and has over 25 years of experience in the oil and gas industry. Mr. Clayton led efforts in the restructuring of partnership capital for EOTT Energy Partners LP (NYSE: EOT) – MLP Energy Co. with annual revenues of $10 billion resulting in increased capital market coverage and valuation. Mr. Clayton served as lead negotiator restructuring of limited/general partnership relationship for EOTT. Prior to EOTT, Mr. Clayton actively participated in various acquisition and divestiture projects totaling in excess of $5 billion while at Aquila Energy Corp. with annual revenues of $16.7 billion. Mr. Clayton also previously negotiated and executed innovative, industry-leading bank credit lines for both Commerce Energy Group, annual revenues of $350 million and Sunrise Energy Services , annual revenues of $360 million. Mr. Clayton also served as Managing Financial Director during Initial U.S. Public Offering ASE:SES 1991. Mr. Clayton also served as the former Vice President of Finance for Transamerican Natural Gas Company. Transamerican, headquartered in Houston, Texas, has a $1.5 Billion Market Cap. and Mr. Clayton led the development and secured innovative financing alternatives and solutions for global opportunities. Mr. Clayton has extensive experience with the SEC including compliance, financial reporting, IPOs, and received his M.A. in Accounting from Rice University. Mr. Clayton is a CPA in the State of Texas.
Kurt Knewitz
Mr. Knewitz is one of the founding partners of Whitehawk and has worked in the oil and gas arena for 15 years in various senior level positions. Most recently he served as Executive Vice President of Henry Oil from 2003 to 2005. Henry Oil is a Dallas-based oil and gas exploration and production company focused on the development of natural gas properties in the Gulf Coast more specifically South and East Texas, Louisiana and Mississippi. The company specialized in utilizing cutting-edge 3-D seismic software and directional drilling technology for multi-lateral completions in wells 15-20k ft in depth. From 2000 – 2003, Mr. Knewitz was one of three founding partners and served as Sr. V.P. of Lateral Technologies. Lateral Technologies based in Midland, Texas developed a patented ultra-short radius lateral jet-drilling system for the oil and gas industry. Mr. Knewitz was responsible for the launch of an oilfield service company operating in TX, OK, LA, NM. Expanded into acquisition model whereby mature fields were purchased and technology was implemented to increase the underlying value of the lease assets. Mr. Knewitz effectively positioned the company for a successful acquisition in 2003. Prior to 2000, Mr. Knewitz worked as Vice President of Sales and Marketing for a publicly traded oil and gas company with more than 500k acres of producing properties as well as a small independent exploration and production company also headquartered in Dallas, TX. Mr. Knewitz graduated from Southern Methodist University (S.E.A.S.) School of Engineering and Applied Science with an Engineering degree.