Finding oil and gas motivates Matt Weinreich, team lead for geology and geophysics for Talisman Energy USA Inc.'s Marcellus delivery unit. A native of Cleveland, Ohio, Wein - reich delayed college for several years to earn money to pay his way. He worked on the boat docks in the city's Flats area and as a mortgage broker. He worked full-time even after entering the University of Akron; fortunately, he scored the perfect job—night manager at a hotel that didn't get much business.

He majored in geology at Akron and excelled. Entering the master's program, he wrapped up the bulk of his course work and thesis by the end of his first year and captured the university's Wilkes Energy Fellowship, a year-long paid internship funded by a local Appalachian operator. These were happy years: With a teaching assistant position his first year and the fellowship his second, for the first time he could partake in student life and activities.

At Wilkes Energy, Scott Wilkes, president, introduced Weinreich to exploration and operations fundamentals. Like all independents, Wilkes had to find investors, drill wells and turn a profit. “He tracked everything, down to the weekly price of steel, to make sure he could make the economics work,” says Weinreich of his former boss..

After graduation, Weinreich joined Chesapeake Energy Corp., which had bought out Columbia Natural Resources in late 2005 for nearly $3 billion. In 2009 he was transferred from the Charleston, West Virginia, office to Oklahoma City, to work in the new ventures group. Eventually he helped put together Chesapeake's vast Utica-Point Pleasant play.

In late 2011, he joined Talisman Energy USA Inc. as petrophysicist and moved back to Pittsburgh. A year later he was promoted to team lead for the Marcellus delivery unit, managing its dry-gas assets through this time of low prices. In its third-quarter call, Talisman said it had reduced annual base decline in the Marcellus from 28% to less than 24% through a “relentless focus on wellbore and facility optimization. Our Marcellus team continues to find innovative ways to sustain production with minimal capital investment.”

The company has completed 20 wells so far this year from an inventory of 70 drilled wells and expects to exit 2013 with average fourth-quarter production of about 475 million cubic feet per day.

In a recent interview, Weinreich, who just ran his first marathon, discussed his career path.

Investor What attracted you to Chesapeake?

Weinreich I was in an office for an interview and there was a formation image well log from a horizontal dolomite well on the desk. It was 9,000 feet deep with a 3,000-foot horizontal. It was the most technical piece of data I'd seen. I worked the Big Sandy Field in eastern Kentucky logging wells and watching rigs, as all new geologists do. But the driver for me was exploration. I decided to do my job 40 hours a week or whatever it took, and spend the rest of my nights and weekends doing exploration. Chesapeake had a huge database of logs and seismic data, and natural gas was at an all-time high.

Investor What came next?

Weinreich I spent two years earning my stripes, so to speak, showing management I could find oil and gas. After Big Sandy I worked the Trenton-Black River play in New York state. We were drilling horizontals as the Marcellus kicked off. After being transferred to Oklahoma City, I was part of an internal internship working with different groups to develop as an unconventional exploration geologist.

The whole time I was somewhat focused on the Utica—it had been part of my thesis, and the play has seemed to follow me throughout my career. When gas prices fell, in 2009, I began concentrating on Utica-Point Pleasant liquids.

Investor The Marcellus was in full swing when you joined Talisman in 2009.

Weinreich We had eight rigs running and plans to go to 12. Today we have one rig running.

My first position, petrophysicist, was a different role for me. It involved creating a development plan within an existing acreage position. After natural gas prices fell and the company did some restructuring, I was offered the team lead position, managing the geology and geophysics staff and focusing on our business goals. We're looking at ways to maintain positive cash flow. It's all about minimizing costs while not leaving reserves behind in the reservoir.

The Marcellus play is exiting the exploration phase of the development cycle. Our geologic analysis of the reservoir can now be directly tied to extended production data. The technical staff is focused on reviewing multiple variables such as drilling designs, completion technique, geologic target zone, and the role of natural faults and fractures. The results of these analyses are used to drill the best wells possible while never compromising safety and cost efficiency.

Investor What are your career goals?

Weinreich My two-year goal is to enhance my skill set in economics and reservoir engineering. Eventually, I'd like to be making decisions that affect exploration. I want to know enough about the business and various functions so that when that next Utica or Marcellus comes around, I'm managing a piece on the forefront of the next big play.

—Susan Klann

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