Forty Under 40: Mathew Jarvis, Dark Horse Metals, Apex Capital Resources

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Mathew Jarvis is a U.S. Army veteran who started a nonprofit to help provide veterans with access to regenerative medical treatments, including stem cell therapy. “Our mission is to improve the quality of life for veterans who have sacrificed so much for our country by helping them regain their mobility, independence and overall well-being,” he says. “We strive to achieve our mission by raising funds to cover the cost of stem cell treatments and by promoting public awareness of the benefits of regenerative medicine for veterans.”

Which career milestone did you reach sooner than you had planned, and what helped you reach it earlier than expected?
“I wanted to become a VP within 10 years of starting in oil. I reached it at year five. I think what helped me was not being scared to take risks and taking on big projects to work hand-and-hand with my senior leaders at that time.”

What has been your most challenging project to date?
“I would say launching 22 new casing connections in a falling market in 2019 and then during COVID in 2020. I think the biggest reason for our success was grit. We just pushed hard day after day until we made it. I think it was a volume game; if 20 companies said no, then we called 150 more. Once we got a few strings in the ground, it kind of snowballed from there. We set up hundreds of meetings and got very aggressive.”

What qualities do you think are necessary to be a good leader in the oil and gas industry?
“For me, I think it’s about setting the standard by your actions and holding yourself and team accountable. You empower your team to lead and support them with what they need. But you must also hold yourself and your team to a standard. Make sure everyone understands the goal and remove any obstacles that you can. I like to remind myself that hard and impossible are not the same.”

How have you exercised leadership to help shape your company?
“I have developed a go-to-market strategy on over 22 new products and implemented an aligned strategy utilizing cascading KPIs and a balanced scorecard approach, resulting in variable cost reductions and increased margins. I put a team in place and empowered my leaders to drive change while making sure all departments were rowing the boat in the same direction. Resistance to change is one of the biggest obstacles in business, in my opinion. I brought the team together and made them all a part of the plan and worked with them on strategy development for each of their departments. This made all team members buy into the plan because they helped create it. It’s a powerful thing when everyone is working together to hit a common goal.”

What advice would you give other young professionals?
“Set a goal and push hard to hit. Hold yourself to a standard and work hard. Think hard before you set the goal because once you write it down, that’s it, no matter what.”

What are your long- and short-term career goals?
“Short-term goals—to grow Dark Horse Metals and create good jobs that will help our team members push forward in their careers. Long-term goal: Retire by the age of 40 and focus on my non-profit organization, Apex Warrior Foundation, and spend more time bow hunting.”

What keeps you motivated and passionate about working in the oil and gas industry?
“The life-changing opportunities this industry creates for so many entrepreneurs.”