Richard Degner, president and CEO, Global Geophysical Services

Oil Field Technology – Award Recipient
Richard Degner had achieved more than many people do in an entire lifetime when he took a chance on launching Global Geophysical Services. He had spent 17 years working at an industry leader in geophysics before leaving to form PGS Onshore, the land and transition zone division of Norwegian seismic contractor PGS.
He also earned his MBA from Rice University’s Jesse H. Jones Graduate School of Business. This wasn’t a man content to watch the world go by. He wanted to study it and shape it through his own entrepreneurial skill.
So with that passion in mind, Degner took his own personal savings and the mortgage on his family’s farm and began to lay the groundwork for Global Geophysical Services.
The company was based on Degner’s years of experience growing and managing companies in the seismic industry. He had a vision that this organization could provide a tremendous service to oil and gas companies with its state-of-the-art technology. There was a lot Degner already knew, but he was keenly focused on what he didn’t know and how that could make his business even better.
He wanted his people to give their all to the effort, so he put together comprehensive medical plans and promoted wellness and good health. He also made equity a part of the picture so that employees would truly have a stake in the company’s success.
Degner does not like office politics and is willing to use an idea no matter where it comes from in his organization. He always wants to find a way to do it better, and it’s kept his company on a strong growth trajectory.
How to reach: Global Geophysical Services, www.globalgeophysical.com