WLS is comprised of a 400+ workforce, scattered throughout the nation, with diverse experience, knowledge, and skillsets. Amidst the diversity, they share a common client-centric attitude, with a natural emphasis on responsiveness, professionalism, and attention to client specific needs. Having a large pool to draw from, we strategically allocate the right people, the appropriate resources, and the necessary experience to each and every project to deliver our best in class promise. Each team member is trained to implement cost effective strategies in relation to the parameters you set forth. Our team realizes that their success can only come from your success – you can rely on them to perform to the utmost potential for successful project completion.
Meet some of the people who work to bring Land, Energy, and People together on a daily basis for WLS:
Steve Zmek
PROJECT DIRECTOR: RENEWABLES
Accomplished Project Director and Landman, Steve joined WLS in January 2022. He has over 18 years of comprehensive experience in title, curative, due diligence, acquisitions, divestitures, mergers, ROW, and project management in the oil and gas and renewable sectors of the energy industry. Steve began his career at Chesapeake Energy Corporation (CHK), a publicly traded energy company headquartered in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, where he worked as a Business Development & Exploration landman for 16.5 years. He has a wealth of transaction and title experience having worked in nearly every major oil and gas basin across the country and being directly involved in over $13 Billion of acquisitions, divestitures, and merger transactions. In his early tenure at WLS, Steve has been responsible for establishing an environmental regulatory compliance service and identifying new business opportunities for our clients.
GRANT KLEIN
PROJECT DIRECTOR: RENEWABLES
Grant joined WLS in 2011. Since then, he has carried out a variety of land work, including large and small leasing projects in basins from Appalachia to Alaska, as well as ROW acquisition for several large FERC regulated pipeline projects. Grant is recognized for his strong work ethic, keen ability to produce results, and tenacity to see a job through. When not working, Grant enjoys photography, flannel shirts, and spending time with his three young daughters!
Brant Gossett
GIS MANAGER
Brant joined WLS in 2022 as the GIS manager. He graduated from Texas State University with a bachelor’s degree in Geographic Information Science. He has over 10 years’ experience in the oil and gas service industry, implementing GIS technologies. Brant began his career at Dawson Geophysical Company, as a GIS Analyst, and eventually moved his way up to Geomatics Manager, where he oversaw the GIS team and Survey Crews. He has a strong passion for GIS and enjoys finding new ways to show the value of a map. He is responsible for leading the GIS team, mentoring, and engaging anywhere GIS support is needed. Outside of work, Brant enjoys being outdoors and spending time with his wife and 3 kids!
marissa granger
PROJECT DIRECTOR: TITLE
Marissa started with WLS in 2013 and received her bachelor’s degree from Central Michigan University. Marissa’s expertise includes title, abstracting, curative, heirship, and due diligence nationwide. Now a Title Project Director, she is helping fuel the growth of Western’s Central Region presence. Marissa enjoys gardening and spending time with her son David, soon to be husband Mark, and her 4 stepsons.
josh gately
PROJECT MANAGER: LAND
Josh has been in the land business since 2010. Over the course of his career, Josh has performed extensive mineral and WI title throughout Kansas, Oklahoma and Texas. He has also managed and participated in multiple due diligence and leasing projects. Currently, Josh heads up Western Land’s OCC efforts, maintaining strong relationships with the OCC and various law firms in the area. To date, he has provided expert testimony on over 1300 cases at the Oklahoma Corporation Commission. Free time is enjoyed by spending time with his wife and three boys!
RENEE RASPEN
PROJECT MANAGER: TITLE
Renee joined WLS in 2014 and has over 15 years of experience examining title. Her continued growth within WLS has allowed her to serve as Title Examiner, Team Lead and Mentor on Oil and Gas, Right of Way, and Commercial Real Estate Projects. She is currently the Project Manager for Pennsylvania, New York, New Jersey, Maryland, and all New England for WLS Eastern Division of Commercial Real Estate. Outside of work Renee enjoys spending time with her family and friends, hiking, yoga and reading.
SARAH MENDEZ
PROJECT DIRECTOR: COMMERCIAL REAL ESTATE
Sarah started with WLS in 2011 and has gained diversified experience through various positions in GIS, Lease Processing, BPO and most recently as Manager of the Commitment Department. In March of 2024 she took on her current role as Project Director of CRE Operations. Sarah has a strong work ethic and strives for quality excellence in meeting our clients’ CRE title needs. Prior to joining our team, Sarah received a bachelor’s degree from Ohio University and lived and worked in Mexico for five years. Outside of work, Sarah loves spending time with her husband and two sons. When northern Michigan weather allows, she enjoys hiking, gardening, camping, and relaxing at the beach.
BRIAN mORRIS
PROJECT MANAGER: TITLE
Brian began his career in the land industry in 2011. Over the course of his career, Brian has worked the STACK, SCOOP, and Bakken plays, performing a myriad of tasks including mineral, WI & HBP title, leasing, curative, due diligence, and project management. Brian joined WLS in 2021, and currently serves as a Commercial Real Estate and Renewables Project Manager with experience in the Southeast and Western U.S. divisions. In his spare time, he enjoys traveling, hiking, cooking, and spending time with his family and friends.
ANDREW LAWRENCE
PROJECT MANAGER: LAND
Andrew has been with WLS since 2021. With over 15 years of industry experience across numerous oil and gas basins, he brings a wide knowledge base to be able to WLS. He has been a Certified Professional Landman designation since 2016. Outside of work, Andrew enjoys playing golf and spending time with his wife and 4 kids.
SEAN PAPES
PROJECT MANAGER: TITLE
Sean joined the WLS team in July 2014 after receiving a bachelor’s degree in Business Administration from Ferris State University and serving in the United States Navy. While working for WLS Sean has held a variety of positions in the Title and Abstracting department including Reviewer, Field Examiner, Project Coordinator and Project Manager. In this time Sean has expanded his experience working throughout the Appalachia region and Eastern United States, working in 70+ counties and 10+ states. Sean has performed extensive title work for Oil and Gas, Solar, Hydro, Commercial Real Estate, Coal, and Timber. Outside of work Sean is an avid sports fan, enjoys the outdoors, spending time with his dog, his friends, and his family!
CLAYTON COOK
PROJECT MANAGER: TITLE
Clayton joined WLS in 2022. Bringing over a decade of experience in all aspects of land, he is well versed in complex mineral title, commercial title, curative, and due diligence. He currently plays a role in WLS’s further development of the Commercial Real Estate space in the Western region of the United States. Mr. Cook graduated from the University of Nevada – Las Vegas with a Bachelor’s in Communication, he is a Registered Professional Landman with the AAPL and is a certified FAA UAS Part 107 remote pilot. In his spare time he enjoys spending time with his wife and two dogs, usually telling bad jokes and enjoying the outdoors.
LINDSEY REYNOLDS
PROJECT DIRECTOR: TITLE OPERATIONS
Lindsey joined the Western Team in August 2011. She specializes in administrative technology, enforces best practices and processes across our national title operations, and manages the Title Administration Team responsible for client communications and project coordination across the Commercial Real Estate Division. Lindsey has a very well-rounded understanding of the title, real estate, and energy industries, having worked in a wide range of capacities for over 17+ years: Title Examiner, Title Reviewer, Document Processor, Team Lead, Agency Manager. She earned her bachelor’s degree in Business Administration from Ferris State University in 2005, currently resides in Ludington, MI, and in her free time, enjoys spending time with her family, being outdoors, baking, crafting, and shopping.
jULIA BOSTOCK
PROJECT DIRECTOR: TITLE
Julia began her career with WLS in 2013 in the Appalachia region. In her tenure with WLS as a Title Examiner, Team Lead, and Project Manager, she has obtained extensive knowledge of the title industry and performed complex title work for oil, gas, and coal (Appalachian region), renewables including solar and wind, commercial, timber, and right of way. In 2020, she took the leap into WLS’s newly emerging Commercial Real Estate division as a Project Manager and oversaw the Eastern Region’s exponential growth over the succeeding years. She currently serves as the Project Director of the Eastern Region, leading a team of Project Managers and Title Examiners that performs a variety of title projects for WLS’s clients in the Renewable and Commercial spaces. She possesses a Bachelor of Arts degree in History from the University of Pittsburgh, a Master of Arts in Art History from Ohio University, and a Master of Library and Information Science from the University of Pittsburgh. In her free time, Julia enjoys spending time and traveling with her husband, cooking, reading, and biking.
KYLE KESLER
PROJECT MANAGER: TITLE
Kyle began his career at WLS in 2021 in the Commercial Real Estate division as a Title Examiner, quickly transitioning into a Project Coordinator role. He is now helping develop and manage Westerns Special Projects – Timber division. Kyle has 11+ years of experience in the land industry in Oklahoma and the surrounding states. He now manages timber acquisition projects across the continental U.S. In his personal life, Kyle is a husband and father to two sons. In his spare time, he enjoys cooking and snowboarding.
VICTORIA CALHOUN
PROJECT MANAGER: TITLE
Victoria joined Western Land Services in 2021. She has over 23 years of experience spanning nationwide abstract, curative examination, lease negotiation and surface acquisition. She began her career working in Dallas Texas directly with Underwriters to keep transactions within risk tolerances and later focused on determining exposure of various Underwriters for processed claims. She spent 12 years in the Oil Exploration and the Right of Way Field traveling the Nation and was found working in various areas of design, acquisition and finally construction stages of a project. She is an active member of the St. Louis IRWA Chapter. Victoria currently serves as Project Manager of the Central and Southeast Region in the Commercial Real Estate Division of WLS. She leads a team of who perform both surface and subsurface title projects for Renewable and Commercial Companies across 11 States. During her spare time, you can find Victoria reading a book, deep sea fishing, visiting her home State of Texas or relaxing with her husband and daughters.
BECCA TSAI
PROJECT MANAGER: TITLE
Becca Tsai joined the Western team in 2014, rising in the ranks from title reviewer to project manager in both the oil and gas and commercial real estate divisions. She was integral in the expansion of Western’s CRE team from its inception, growing the eastern division in PA, NY, and NJ during 2019-2022 and expanding into title management for solar developments and wind farms. She currently works out of our Canonsburg office, managing simultaneous oil and gas projects for multiple clients. Prior to joining Western, she worked as an attorney in Michigan practicing title insurance defense and estate planning and as a legal analyst for the Lansing Board of Water and Light.
Charles GIll
PROJECT MANAGER: RENEWABLES
Charles was exposed to the independent oil and gas business from his early childhood, through his family. After 15 years of productive sales work, he then spent more than seven years, in a sales support role, providing key components for heat exchanger and pressure vessel manufacturing, for use in oil refineries. He came to WLS in February, 2018 to work as an oil and gas staff landman. The following year, as focus shifted toward renewable energy, he did too, now making Charles one of the most field experienced land agents at WLS to date. His on site work has taken him from NJ and NY, to the Great Plains, and into the Mid-South working on solar and wind projects for our clients. He believes rapport and relationship building with our clients and landowners are keys to successful outcomes for all.
Besides his late Dad, he have been fortunate to have his brother, J. Wayne Gill (also at WLS – Sr. Project Mgr.) as a lifetime mentor and sales coach. Charles is a graduate of Ohio Northern University. Personal time is enjoyed w/ his wife and son, family and friends.
JESSE RYAN
PROJECT MANAGER: RENEWABLES
Jesse Ryan attended college at Southern Nazarene University in Oklahoma City and graduated with a Master’s Degree in Business. Over the past 25 years, he has worked in the Oil and Gas Industry, Real Estate, Abstracting, Law and recently in renewables. Jesse began his career in Oil and Gas working as a landman in the early 1990’s. Soon after, he received his real estate license working for Century 21. Subsequently, Jesse worked in the Litigation Department at the Oklahoma Attorney General’s office as a litigation support specialist for seven years. He then received his abstractor’s license and worked for First American Title as an abstractor. Jesse continued working in Oil and Gas until 2017. In 2017 he worked for the Cleveland County Clerk in various capacities from Project Manager, to Payroll and bookkeeping. In April 2022, Jesse joined Western Land Services as a Project Manager overseeing Solar and Battery storage projects.
MATT LEES
PROJECT MANAGER: TITLE
Matt joined Western Land Services in 2022 as a member of the Commercial Real Estate division working in the Western Region. He brings over 10 years of due diligence, curative and leasing experience across the energy and right of way sectors. Matt is a proud graduate of the University of Oklahoma where he received his bachelor’s degree in Journalism and Film. Outside of work he enjoys watching movies and spending time with his friends, family and dogs, Leonidas & Arya Bark.
DAVID TRZECIAK
PROJECT MANAGER: LAND
After graduating from Penn State University and the Duquesne University School of Law, David began his career as a leasing agent and title abstractor. A Pennsylvania native, David joined the WLS Canonsburg Office as a project manager in 2022. He brings over 13 years of wide-ranging experience in title, acquisition, curative, heirship, HBP, due diligence, and project management in the oil and gas sector of the energy industry. Prior to joining WLS, he worked for several regional and national law firms and land management brokerages. Over the years, David developed a reputation as versatile leader and project manager. He is known for his commitment to excellence, work ethic, dedication to his team and achieving client goals. Lastly, David’s extensive background in land and title work lead to substantive knowledge and experience in commercial real estate matters related to the telecommunications industry. He is a member of the American Association of Professional Landmen (AAPL) and the Michael Late Benedum Chapter (MLBC). In his spare time, as an avid outdoorsman, David enjoys hunting, hiking, camping, skiing, traveling, and spending time with friends and family.
JOHN VON STEIN
PROJECT MANAGER: LAND
John joined Western as a title examiner in October of 2021, bringing oil and gas title experience. Shortly after, he helped to develop the Title Examiner Development program to further Western’s expansion. John led multiple classes to train and develop new ranks of title examiners across the country. Before entering the industry, John graduated with degrees in history and communication studies. John enjoys spending time with his wife, Pittsburgh sports, museums, and occasionally smoking his own beef jerky.
STEVE PENLAND
PROJECT MANAGER: LAND
Steve joined the Western team in 2022, bringing 12 years of Oil and Gas leasing, title, heirship, due diligence, and curative experience to Western’s Oil and Gas Division. Steve currently manages oil and gas projects in Ohio. Steve strives to understand each clients’ unique needs and delivering accurate and timely results for clients. Outside of work, Steve enjoys spending time with his family, sports, the outdoors, and traveling.
Samantha Tefertiller
PROJECT MANAGER: COMMERCIAL REAL ESTATE
Samantha joined Western Land Services in July 2022 as a title examiner. She brings over 14 years of experience in title, curative, due diligence, and heirship across the Nation. She is now currently serving as a Project Manager in the Commercial Real Estate division in the Pacific Region. Outside of work, she enjoys being in the outdoors and spending time with my family and friends.
JILL MOORE
COMMITMENT SERVICES MANAGER
Jill started with WLS in 2021 as a member of the Commitment Department, quickly transitioning into a Project Coordinator role, and now serves as the Commitment Department Manager. She strives to create a positive work environment for her team, while providing the best possible product for her clients. Prior to joining the WLS team, Jill received a bachelor’s degree from the University of Michigan (GO BLUE!) and a master’s degree from Walden University. She spent twelve years teaching elementary and middle school throughout the country, due to her husband’s military service, with her favorite assignment being the three years spent in Hawaii. In her free time, she enjoys reading, attending yoga classes in the many beautiful parks around San Antonio, and spending time with her family and friends.
KAYLA HENRIE
PROJECT MANAGER: COMMERCIAL REAL ESTATE
Kayla has been with Western Land Services for almost 8 years and has a total of 16 and a half years in the industry. Most recently rejoining the WLS family in 2022, and quickly rose from a Project Coordinator, where she worked for a year and half, before becoming Project Manager. She started her career in the Oil and Gas side of the business in Kentucky in 2007, in Laurel County (The Birthplace of KFC, in which the whole county shut down for a week for the Fried Chicken Festival). She brings knowledge of not only Oil and Gas, but title insurance, real estate title commitments, as well as Commercial Real Estate. Having worked across the U.S., specifically in West Virginia, Pennsylvania, Kansas, Oklahoma, Massachusetts, New York, Connecticut, New Jersey, Indiana, Illinois, Kentucky, and Ohio. Originally from Warren, Ohio, she now calls Central Ohio Home, and enjoy spending her time when she’s not working reading, loving on her 16-year-old chihuahua named Taco, and spending as much as possible with family and friends. She aspires to be the most effective leader she can be and help grow the WLS family as much as possible.
KYLIE SCHOLZ
PROJECT MANAGER: COMMERCIAL REAL ESTATE
Kylie has been in the land industry since 2010 after acquiring her bachelor’s degree from West Virginia University. Upon joining the WLS team in 2021, she has held multiple positions including Title Examiner, Title Reviewer, Project Coordinator and Project Manager. Currently, Kylie works in the Commercial Real Estate Division where the team provides surface and subsurface title projects for both Commercial and Renewable Energy Companies. In her spare time, Kylie loves attending concerts, traveling, and spending quality time with her friends, family and puppy, Nugget.
TRE MCCOY
PROJECT MANAGER: CURATIVE
Tre’ joined WLS in 2018 as a member of the Title Division. He has over 15 years of experience in the land industry, working on projects in Oklahoma, Texas, Kansas, Arkansas, Pennsylvania and West Virginia. Since 2020, Tre’ has helped develop and oversee the Commercial Real Estate division’s ALTA Survey and Title Commitment quality control and review, working closely with Clients that range from solar/wind companies to gas stations and convenience stores. Outside of work, Tre’ enjoys music and spending time with his wife and son.
CHALO MENDEZ
BPO SERVICES MANAGER
Chalo Mendez has worked at WLS since August 2011, starting in GIS, in almost every role in the BPO department, and training many processors along the way. Chalo brings that background to the benefit of the team, and company, as he manages the BPO department and projects. Chalo has been able to use his wide experience and education to develop and implement strategic processes for his team and create efficiencies for his projects. In his downtime, Chalo enjoys time with his wife Sarah, and sons, Patrick and Abram; coaches soccer for his kids’ team; devotes time to community involvement; and spends quality time around the bonfire with family and friends.
Jim Hime
PROJECT MANAGER: LAND
Jim has twenty years’ experience as a field landman in Texas. He graduated from Texas A&M in 1981, with a degree in Agricultural Economics with an emphasis in rural land resource economics and real estate/oil & gas contracts. Initially he contracted as a field Landman with the firm of Manley & Wiggins for Exxon in South Texas and subsequently for various other exploration companies in South and East Texas during the days of vertical drilling programs and later, in the Haynesville, Eagle Ford, and Permian Basin Plays as horizontal drilling programs were established in those parts of the state. Jim also worked with Stewart Title as an Abstractor during the 1980s and obtained a Real Estate License in 1985, performing the duties of a Listing/selling agent for Consolidated Timber and Land Management that included negotiating timber-consulting contracts with landowners across East Texas in 1985 and 86. He has been actively employed as a consultant in the field with various oil and gas exploration companies and landman brokers since 2008. Jim is an active member of the AAPL and PBLA.
DAN STEWART
PROJECT MANAGER: TITLE / LAND
Dan joined WLS in April of 2021 as a Project Manager. Dan had previously been contracted to Western on various oil and gas title and abstracting projects throughout PA, OH, and WV. He went to undergrad at Penn State University and stayed for law school, graduating from Penn State University Dickinson School of Law in 2011 and is an active member of the Pennsylvania Bar Association. He has over 12 years of experience in the oil and gas industry running title, leasing, due diligence, curative, heirship, and project management. Dan currently manages oil and gas projects in Ohio. He is a member of the AAPL. When not working, Dan enjoys spending time with his wife and two kids and playing and watching sports- especially the Philadelphia based teams where he grew up.
MERONACA DAVIS
PROJECT MANAGER: COMMERCIAL REAL ESTATE
Meronaca Davis is a CRE Project Manager for Western Land Services, with a demonstrated history of working in the oil, gas, real estate, solar, and energy industry, focusing her talents primarily on Abstracting, Review, and Operations Management. She has worked on projects for various clients in Indiana, Ohio, Pennsylvania, West Virginia, and Texas. Meronaca has been an active member of the Women’s Energy Network Greater Pittsburgh Chapter (WENPGH) since 2017 and served as the Membership Communication Chair in 2019, Social Media & Communications Director in 2020-2021, and Communications and Marketing Director in 2022-23. She also served on the WEN Global board as the Digital Taskforce chair in 2022. Meronaca was awarded the WENPGH Woman of the Year Award in 2020. Additionally, she is an active member of the American Association of Professional Landmen (AAPL) with a Registered Professional Landman Certification and the Michael Late Benedum Chapter of the AAPL (MLBC). Outside of work and volunteering for WEN, she enjoys trips to her home state of Louisiana, walks with her puggle, Rorschach, reading, and spending time with her husband, Jesse, at their home in Canonsburg, Pa.
Sam jennings
PROJECT MANAGER: LAND
Sam Jennings is a Certified Professional Landman with over 15 years of experience in title abstracting and land management. He has been recognized by the Oklahoma Corporation Commission as an expert in petroleum land management. He has proposed and managed land objectives for dozens of wells in Oklahoma and has extensive title, leasehold acquisition, and regulatory experience. Before joining Western Land Services in 2023, he worked as a Landman at Journey Oil and Gas, as a Consulting Landman at Energen Resources Corporation and as Land Manager for Drovers’ Trail Land Company. He specializes in drill schedule land management and uncovering challenging acquisition targets to facilitate strategic operating positions. Sam graduated with a Bachelor of Science degree in Business Administration from the University of Central Oklahoma and is a Certified Professional Landman through the American Association of Professional Landmen. In his free time, he loves spending time with his wife and two boys, enjoys a game of chess, working on steel projects and cars.
STEPHEN ADAMS
PROJECT MANAGER: LAND
Stephen has enjoyed an extensive career as a Field, In-House, A&D, Legal and E&P Landman. His time with Chesapeake Energy is most significant for the volume and caliber of the work he performed and managed during that 14-year period. He continues his career managing Land and Environmental projects requiring his expertise and the resources only available from a national company such as Western. He favors the Mid-Continent, but has managed projects in various parts of the Mid and Southern US. For leisure, Stephen enjoys family time, golf and travel whenever possible.
LAUREN WHITAKER
PROJECT MANAGER: CURATIVE
Lauren joined the Western team in 2021, bringing 15 years of O&G land, title, due diligence, and A&D experience to Western’s Oil & Gas Division. She has since moved to the Renewables Curative team, where she has successfully transitioned her skills to numerous land curative projects for wind and solar development companies across the country. Lauren strives to understand each client’s unique needs, fostering effective communication while delivering accurate and timely results to our clients. Outside of work, Lauren enjoys traveling, outdoor activities and fun with family and friends.
AARON BARNES
PROJECT MANAGER: TITLE
Aaron Barnes came to join WLS in 2021. He grew up in an Oil & Gas family and then acquired 21 years of experience in pretty much every aspect of the business, with his last 2 years at WLS being spent in the Southeastern and now Western region of the Commercial Real Estate & Renewables divisions. He has experience in complex HBP title, leasing, curative, due diligence, regulatory commission work and project management in either Oil & Gas and/or CRE in over 20 different states. Aaron looks forward to any opportunity he gets to go snow skiing and his other hobbies include bikepacking and playing his guitar, saxophone and piano.
JAMIE GUTHRIE
PROJECT MANAGER: LAND
Jamie is a native of Oklahoma with 18 years of experience as an oil and gas landman possessing a diverse background that ranges from field land work to leading teams for E&P operations in various U.S. basins including the Anadarko Basin, Permian Basin, Arkoma Basin, Haynesville, Bakken, and Powder River Basin. He has led teams, coordinated in-house land staff, and facilitated land brokerage efforts in mineral and surface title research and reports, leasing, mineral acquisition, ROW and surface site acquisition, title due-diligence, curative, well permitting in multiple U.S. basins, acquisitions and divestiture, due diligence and regulatory work as an expert witness before the Oklahoma Corporation Commission (OCC) and the North Dakota Industrial Commission (NDIC) for permitting, spacing, and pooling. Jamie is a graduate of the University of Central Oklahoma, obtained his Certified Professional Landman certificate in 2014 and is a member of the AAPL and OCAPL.
tim dekorte
PROJECT MANAGER: RENEWABLES
Tim started with WLS in 2017 and received his Bachelor’s degree in Environmental Studies & Sustainability from Northern Michigan University. Since then, his work experience has included a variety of land work involving title, GIS, ROW acquisition, Oil & Gas land acquisition, spanning from Oklahoma to eastern Appalachia.
Tim has transitioned his passion for land work into the renewable energy sector where he has leased land for utility scale solar projects and battery storage. Outside of work, he enjoys spending time with friends and family, going skiing, and watching Red Wings hockey!
wayne gill
PROJECT MANAGER: RENEWABLES
Wayne started his interest with oil and gas back in the early 1970’s doing shallow well production in Southern Kentucky with his Father. After a long successful career in sales that interest never left. He started with WLS in January of 2012. As a result of the passion felt, Wayne has successfully procured thousands of leases for our clients. This has ranged from Oil & Gas land acquisition to securing right of way for pipelines. Including but not limited to gas, oil, water, and transmission lines. Many of these being projects that were either under the guidelines of FERC or working within the constraints of gas storage fields. As our Industry transitioned to adjust for renewable opportunities so did he. He has gained site control for solar, wind and battery storage within PJM ,MISO, SPP and ISIO-NE consisting of over 3.5 million MW in the past three years. Having Coached High School Athletics for over 25 years, watching his Grandchildren compete is extremely special. He Loves collector cars, hunting and family time.
Jake Mcneil
PROJECT DIRECTOR: COMMERCIAL REAL ESTATE
Jake joined Western Land Services in 2018, bringing with him a wealth of experience and knowledge in the energy industry. He earned his bachelor’s degree from Texas A&M University and brings with him more than a decade of experience. Jake has specialized in title research, curative processes, due diligence, lease negotiations, and project management across oil and gas and renewable energy sectors. His expertise spans across both traditional oil and gas sectors as well as the rapidly growing renewable energy sector. This diverse background equips Jake with a well-rounded understanding of the complexities and nuances within the energy industry. Currently, Jake holds a vital position in WLS’s Commercial Real Estate division, where he oversees commercial title services projects in the Western Central Region of the United States. His responsibilities include ensuring operational efficiency, upholding high-quality standards, and fostering strong client relationships. Outside of his professional pursuits, Jake’s personal interests reflect his Texan roots and love for sports and outdoor activities. He has a strong passion for Texas A&M football and enjoys spending leisure time on the golf course with friends and family, enjoying the great outdoors.
JAiME SCHRICK
PROJECT MANAGER: CURATIVE
A native Oklahoman and graduate of the University of Oklahoma, Jaime has over 10 years of experience in the oil and gas industry, and joined WLS in 2021. While Jaime started his career in Appalachia, he has since gained extensive knowledge in almost every major basin, with a focus on the Permian and Anadarko. He has managed numerous title, leasing, HBP, and curative projects, including due diligence for transactions valued between $4 million and $3.5 billion. His well-rounded understanding of the industry and breadth of experience allows him to determine the most efficient approach to projects and deliver timely, accurate results to his clients. Jaime is a Certified Professional Landman, as well as a member of the AAPL and OCAPL.
mat dailey
PROJECT MANAGER: LAND
Residing in NE Pennsylvania, Mat brings 11+ years of industry experience to the WLS team. An experienced project manager, he has spanned the country from Texas, to Wyoming, to Appalachia, leading acquisition, title, and due diligence projects, among others. Getting his start in Texas as a turboCAD mapper, Mat has developed into a versatile project manager, ready to tackle any project. He is an active member of AAPL. Mat enjoys the outdoors —hunting and fishing with his kids, coaching little league baseball, running, and golfing.