How Darron Anderson led Express Energy Services out of bankruptcy with a focus on a grander future

Darron Anderson, CEO,  Express Energy LLP
Darron Anderson, CEO,
Express Energy LLP

Energy Services
FINALIST
Darron Anderson
CEO
Express Energy, LLP

In late 2009, as Express Energy LLP was contemplating emerging from bankruptcy proceedings, Darron Anderson and his executives sat down to craft a five-year strategy for the firm.
With survival of the firm not a certainty, Anderson, CEO, had the foresight to move his leadership team beyond the then-present challenges and get them focused on a grander future. He recognized that the company needed a cultural shift to affect a dramatic and needed change.
A key driver of Express Energy’s renewed success has been the impact of Express University. The University is the company’s training facility, and is one of the biggest enablers of the firm’s strategy. In the planning stages for several years, the University opened in May 2012.
In an oilfield services business where success and failure is tied to the outcomes of the workforce, it is critical to attract, develop and retain top-performing client-servicing crews. New employees at Express attend classes for 10 days from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. to gain exposure to what they will face in the field.
Employees sleep in dormitories similar to what they will encounter in the field and never leave campus — in order to create a real-world experience for the recruits. Not just a training exercise, the recruits are exposed to Express senior leadership who will visit the campus to lead a workshop session or discuss a different aspect of the firm’s guiding principles.
The University serves as a filtering tool to weed out those not up to the demands of the job physically or otherwise. It immerses new employees in the company’s culture, core values and leading business practices. The ultimate goal of the University is to get the graduates to “Bleed Express Blue.”
The University has not only helped to improve Express’s safety record, but has delivered huge returns with new recruits, existing employees and customers.
How to reach: Express Energy LLP, www.eeslp.com