Meet our Founder
Larry C. Neely is the registered founder and president of Maverick Energy, Inc., as well as the president and secretary of L.C. Neely Drilling, Inc.
At age 64, Larry has 40 years of hands-on experience in the oil and gas industry. Beginning his career in 1979 with Midway Manufacturing (a subsidiary of Texas International) as a sales representative, Larry was responsible for the sales of drilling equipment for the waterwell industry, seismic, and oil and gas exploration within 11 states at the age of 22.
After a short, successful career selling drilling equipment, Larry decided to get back to his family roots. The Neely family has been in the drilling industry for more than 100 years, making him a 5th generation contractor. Each generation had started separate drilling businesses and Larry followed suit.
In 1980, Larry founded L.C. Neely Drilling, Inc. which provides contract drilling, completion, trucking, and lease operating services for the Illinois Basin. L.C. Neely Drilling has drilled more than 250 wells on a contractual basis.
In 1982, the business began to acquire oil and gas leases in the Illinois Basin. Having a group of investors successfully drilled and developed, this sparked Larry to found Maverick Energy, Inc. in 1984. Larry has been responsible for the drilling and completion, lease management, and operation of hundreds of wells in the Illinois Basin, currently managing more than 350 active wells.