Ashley Gilmore

Ashley Gilmore knew he wanted to run his own company after law school. With the help of friends David Dewey and Rob Anderson, Gilmore had the team he needed to disrupt the industry.

Which of your professional achievements are you most proud of?

“The first achievement is when David, Rob and I created Tracts, a title management platform that has the ability to save the industry over a billion dollars annually. Second, convincing my co-founder and very good friend, David Dewey, to partner with me on our first, second, third and now fourth venture. It is impossible to find the level of trust, patience and cohesion in a business partner that David and I have worked decades building as friends.” 

What is a career milestone you reached sooner than you had planned, and what helped you reach it earlier than expected? 

“I always feel like I’m chasing the next milestone, and each time we hit a milestone, it feels less significant than the one coming up. I guess the real answer is I’ll let you know when this happens to me.”

What qualities do you think are necessary for a good leader in the oil and gas industry?

“Perseverance and access to capital.”

How have you exercised leadership to help shape your department and/or company?

“Our team doesn’t quit. We pivot, and we adjust. One example of this was the creation of TitleNotes and forming a partnership with Enverus. TitleNotes solves a major problem for our customers and is a revenue generating lead source.”

What are your long- and short-term career goals? 

“We want to continue to grow our customer base and develop our platform. We are really excited about what we are releasing in the new year.” 

Who are your mentors? What is the most valuable advice they have given you?

“Jerry Gilmore taught me perseverance and guidance. Luke Weber has always told me when a good deal is a bad deal and provided priceless strategy advice. Rob Anderson gave me advice, feedback, connections and the ability to pivot. David Dewey had faith in our vision and the courage and perseverance to make it happen.”

What professional advice would you give other young professionals in the industry?

“Throw yourself beyond the point of no return. That will get you started and not allow you to give up easily. Find your David, Rob and Luke and lean on them for help whenever you can. Don’t be a boiling frog. If your idea ends up being too hard, but you have a good team, pivot to something easier (fail fast).”

What keeps you motivated and passionate about working in the oil and gas industry?

“The people that I get to work with on a daily basis. I can’t wait to see what we build next.”

What do you think young industry members as a group have to offer that is unique to them? 

“Time to fail and time to win. Sometimes lack of experience and fundamental misunderstandings of a problem can lead to innovation and new approaches that end up being better.”

What transformations do you think the industry must undertake for it to thrive in the future? 

“The oil and gas industry is going to continue to thrive even if nothing changes. That said, the winners in the space will be the relentless adopters of new but tested technology. Companies that try to build their own solutions will lose pace to companies that are able to adopt and adapt the latest technology. It isn’t enough for the CEO to say the company values innovation. Leaders in the organization have to be empowered to take risks and fail when it comes to adopting new technology. Rewarding controlled failures would be a really good start.”