The Crude Truth Ep. 110 Marc L’Heureux and Madison Lenberg, the founders of Social Octane
Video Transcription edited for grammar. We disavow any errors unless they make us look better or smarter.
Rey Treviño [00:00:00] And the oil and gas industry. You’ve got to be social and sometimes you got to bring that high octane into it. We talk to experts in this field on this episode of The Crude Truth.
Narrator [00:00:11] In 1901 at Spindle Top Hill near Beaumont. The future of Texas changed dramatically as like a fountain of fortune. Thousands of barrels of oil burst from the earth towards the sky. Soon Detroit would be cranking out Model TS by the millions. And America was on the move thanks to the black gold being produced in Texas. Now, more than a century later, the vehicles are different, but nothing else has truly changed. Sure, there may be many other alternative energy sources like wind and solar and electric, but let’s be honest. America depends on oil and entrepreneurs. And if the USA is truly going to be independent, it has to know the crude truth.
Narrator [00:00:54] This episode is brought to you by LFS Chemistry. We are committed to being good stewards of the environment. We are providing the tools so you can be to. Nape Expo, Where deals happen. Air compressor solutions. When everything is on the line, Air Compressor Solutions is the dependable choice to keep commercial business powered up. Sandstone Group. Exec Crue. Elevate your network. Elevate Your Knowledge. Texas Star Alliance. Pecos Country Operating Fueling Our Future.
Rey Treviño [00:01:29] Well, hello again and thank you for always tuning in for another episode of The Crude Truth. As we wrap up 2024. We just can’t be more excited as we’re going into now 2025 with the way things have worked out from a political standpoint. But now we’re going to look at what’s really going to happen as we continue to grow our industry and especially from the networking side of things. And so today I’m just super excited to bring on some excellent guest. As always is my co-host, Kristy Kerns. Kristy. Hey. Hey. How are you?
Kristy Kerns [00:02:03] I’m going to say epic today. Not amazing.
Rey Treviño [00:02:09] It is an epic. We’ve been on, as you would call, an epic just one week journey, whatever you want to call it right now from all the traveling we’ve been doing for for work. And then the also with everything that has been going out in the oil field, it has just been an epic time right now. We’re very, very excited moving into 2025. But today, what I’m really excited about is bringing on some people that have been really networking and in the industry way longer than I have as far as the social part of things, because, you know, sometimes I’m like, Hey, I’m good on the social and I know I know you. But today, you know, we have just brought on some amazing people today that they not only are, you know, hands on, but also they’re just dynamite people. Our guests today are the founders of Social Octane. Mark and Maddison. How are you guys doing?
Marc L’Heureux [00:03:00] Good, good, good. Good to be here.
Madison Lenberg [00:03:03] Yes thank you so much. For having us.
Marc L’Heureux [00:03:04] Epic week.
Rey Treviño [00:03:05] Yeah, you guys, Yeah. You guys have been just all the travel as well. And thank you so much for coming to the Dallas studios.
Marc L’Heureux [00:03:13] Yeah. No, it’s beautiful. It was a rainy drive, but glad to be here.
Madison Lenberg [00:03:17] I came straight from Midland.
Kristy Kerns [00:03:19] Yes.
Rey Treviño [00:03:20] And it will be like this is a break in the travel, right? Yes, it is. How long is that drive from Houston to Midland?
Madison Lenberg [00:03:26] It was about five hours.
Marc L’Heureux [00:03:28] No, Houston, the Midland
Madison Lenberg [00:03:29] Sorry, Houston. Midland eight. Yeah,
Marc L’Heureux [00:03:31] You sleeping I’m driving. So I was like.
Rey Treviño [00:03:38] You know, my gosh.
Marc L’Heureux [00:03:41] This fire was rough. I actually had to pull over and she had to jump in and drive her bit.
Kristy Kerns [00:03:45] I can’t do that.
Marc L’Heureux [00:03:47] And I know. I’m done because I’m just like, whoa, okay. My eyes are going crazy. And I got it.
Kristy Kerns [00:03:50] I got it.
Madison Lenberg [00:03:51] Yeah, we’re definitely Road warriors. I think ever since the inception of social Octane, we were road warriors. We went to each basin and hosted different events. I mean, actually during 2020, we, I think we were the only people in the potential world that did what we did.
Rey Treviño [00:04:08] I think, yes, because all during 2020 y’all were still hosting events. All were pretty middle finger to everything that was going on and people were still going. That’s a word. They weren’t afraid.
Marc L’Heureux [00:04:20] We it was oil connect before social octane. And so we had a whole year planned out with events and we’ve launched our a marketing league and then Covid hit. So you’re like, Wow, nothing’s moving. So we figured it’d be done by the end of the summer. So let’s just keep some good positive energy going. And we basically sold everything and got a toy hauler and in a three 50 minutes and went and got it and.
Madison Lenberg [00:04:46] Got. Along that he said don’t get along. But that was the only stipulation. Do not get along.
Marc L’Heureux [00:04:50] She showed up all day, but we ended we ended up on we talked with a lot of our partners and said, Hey, would you give us your your yard to rent and we’ll be outside. And we. Basically traveled around the country and had band come out and had some drinks and just kind of say, Come on out, master Nomad Nomads, just get back to living. And that’s what we did for 2020 and that’s how we got it in Texas was through that because we went up to two to Midland. It was for the energy rally before the election and five, five, 600 people come out and we’re like, Man, this is crazy. We’re coming to Texas. So.
Rey Treviño [00:05:25] Well, let’s talk about social action because, yes, y’all are driving everywhere. Y’all do have this giant trailer. So your partner drivers of Pittsburgh and everywhere you all go, at least I got somebody doing it. Now, y’all are almost like y’all’s own road team. You know where the stars are this way. But then you got the crew coming. Yeah. Yeah, but yeah. Well, let’s talk about social octane.
Madison Lenberg [00:05:45] And social octane has been it’s been a great journey. So we’re based out of The Woodlands, Texas, and that is really good because it’s Houston’s an energy hub, but I think for media specifically, it’s been great to launch kind of a new movement, a different style. So we were a different style for the energy industry. We were, you know, catered to the younger generation and we were just bringing the media into it. Like you didn’t see some of the larger style associations and all of their get togethers that had been going on for years and years. It just didn’t have that like media outlook on it quite yet. 2020 obviously really shifted that and everyone had to shift into becoming more of a media. But we yeah, we brought that style. We ended up working with about 50 sponsors a year, which would be a lot of service companies, and then people like yourself would come out and enjoy our events and come out and network. And that really kind of led us into different basins. So Denver was a main hub for us as that’s where we lived prior, and that’s where I was in oil and gas Mark was that’s where I met Mark in oil and gas. And so Denver is definitely a big hub for us for events. We do things such as the Rockies home opener, which is to kick off the first baseball game of the season. It’s a big day there. And we also do golf tournaments at Arrowhead. We’ve done golf tournaments, quite a few golf tournaments which we can dive more into. And Midland, Oklahoma, we’ve gone to Pittsburgh last two years. Calgary’s a good hub as well. And Houston. So it’s been.
Marc L’Heureux [00:07:16] You know, the golf and the golf kind of started through Covid because it was outside. So we’re like, man, what’s, if anything, we don’t know what’s going to come next. It was kind of scary, right? So for the business model, we’re like, Hey, what’s this? Golf is working. Its outside. It’s something, you know, Delta 48 comes or something. You know, we, we, we’re outside. Because it. Fell off a. Cliff, right? We’re like yeah, yeah. So that’s, that’s how golf kind of started. But then it really took off. The golf games really took off on its own. And each basin just, you know, had a, had a good interest in it. So yeah it’s, it’s heavy on golf that we have.
Madison Lenberg [00:07:52] yeah we’ve done poker tournaments with even in Louisiana it was smaller style 40 people get together it’s more intimate really like that. We like to bring that back in to 2025. We’ve done cook offs. We are going to bring that back into 2025. Three Flags Cookoff.
Rey Treviño [00:08:08] Yeah, yeah, right. You’ll get to do those.
Madison Lenberg [00:08:10] Yeah,
Marc L’Heureux [00:08:11] So yeah, the North America, Canada versus us first Mexico.
Madison Lenberg [00:08:16] Yeah.
Marc L’Heureux [00:08:16] Best taco, best hotdog. And what was best? Poutine.
Madison Lenberg [00:08:20] Yeah. It really was. I got.
Marc L’Heureux [00:08:24] That’s what I
Madison Lenberg [00:08:25] Should have seen in brainstorming all these things I just got up and.
Marc L’Heureux [00:08:29] I ended. Up, we ended up standing up a full drilling rig, and the end of the catwalk was actually the runway we work where runway show, which was just incredible.
Madison Lenberg [00:08:39] It was actually my favorite moment that I think we put together. It was just so creative and very unique. And it was in Midland and it was in someone’s yard. And so all the authenticity was really there. The people, the community was invited. You didn’t have to be in oil and gas ones. You supported oil and gas. You could come out and participate. Had band members come in and.
Kristy Kerns [00:09:01] Yeah, we had a lot of fun.
Marc L’Heureux [00:09:02] We have, Yeah. I always say it was the sound and lights from the ground to the crowd. Yeah, it was, it was crazy.
Rey Treviño [00:09:08] I love
Madison Lenberg [00:09:09] The models were like back in the, the, the.
Marc L’Heureux [00:09:12] The dog house.
Madison Lenberg [00:09:12] In the dog house
Marc L’Heureux [00:09:13] Everybody got ready when they’re in the doghouse. Yeah. I’m out there.
Rey Treviño [00:09:16] Yeah.
Marc L’Heureux [00:09:18] Yeah. It was pretty wild. I mean, I just definitely one of our favorite events to do. But yet Midland so far is sometimes a challenge to do different things in different bases because we.
Madison Lenberg [00:09:30] Got to stay in that. Yeah, you know, you got to be connecting with people constantly. And so I think once when we started spreading our time a bit more thin across all the different basins, we just kind of go there as much. But that’s kind of why going into 2025, just building out the right teams in each area is a big, big thing for us. Yeah.
Rey Treviño [00:09:49] You know, when you’re talking about that, what have you all noticed here over the last couple of years in the market? Because you guys, I think you all do things a lot different. You know, you talk about the catwalk, you know, doing a model show. You’ll do a big gala at the end of every year, you know. What have you all noticed about your events, too, where these service companies, you know, what are you providing the service companies that are, you know, sponsoring all these events because they’re only getting bigger. So what are they
Marc L’Heureux [00:10:17] Our biggest goal Has always been to provide a really different experience so that when you’ve gone to a social octane event and you left there, you can connect with people after you hadn’t really seen them, but you’re like, you’re at the social octane event, right? And so having that experience, having the exposure, utilizing our network to get their name and their brand out there and then, yeah, just, just I think natural way, not so much, hey, here’s a name tag and that’s what you do. It’s like just put people in that environment and then it’s a more relaxed kind of environment and you just got to go do your job and start talking with people or get social. So yeah, I think that’s our biggest difference is just we’re we’re not so focused on, hey, we’re going to we’re it’s up to us to connect the buyer and sellers. Like how do we utilize our creativity to create the experience and then get the media kind of attention out there.
Madison Lenberg [00:11:07] So yeah, and I’d also say we give very unique opportunities to each of our sponsors on site, like the gala, very creatively done, right, a champagne room, a whiskey room, a cigar lounge, like a casino sponsorship. But then you also have your workwear runway. We’ve implemented a whole fight like boxing fight for this year. And so each year, I think with each of our events, you don’t change everything each year, but you definitely keep tweaking it. You keep getting something exciting going that really you can also help sponsor to promote our vendors, but at the same time it gets the end users out and working with you and that they’re excited. They’re calling people out going, Hey, I want to go to this.
Rey Treviño [00:11:51] Yeah,
Marc L’Heureux [00:11:51] How we always provide to since we’ve started just an opportunity for nonprofits where for profit but to have that you know that real estate for the nonprofit to to come and the more effort they put in and they’re the ones that kind of are raising the money we just we sit down with them say how how can we get creative on how you’re raising the money and how can we get your mission out there with our network? Right. So, yeah, we’ve worked with Red in next Gen from the beginning of this and then from all projects, so a lot like Red in the face to host their own events. But then after you know it’s it’s a lot of risk gets a lot of time and you might just break even. So they’ve actually kind of changed their model to be like, hey, let’s partner with some good events and then be the nonprofit recipient. So it’s really the ideas really come together, right? So it’s
Madison Lenberg [00:12:43] yeah, it’s been really cool to watch because, you know, you might have battled a little bit in the beginning, like, hey, we do work with about 17 nonprofits a year and across all the different states. And it’s been really amazing because we’ll work with associations in oil and gas, but we’ll also work with local nonprofits and we can and we try to max out about like three per event that way. You know, distribution wise, everyone gets a good piece of it. But yeah, bringing the real estate to these nonprofits and just working with them. So we’ll spend our time, you know, on a biweekly basis, Hey, how can we fundraise? How can we support your team? How can we all work together to make this a success for everyone? And we’ll get creative. But you’re ready. I’m actually just had one of their meetings and which is awareness against human sex trafficking, which is really big, huge in Houston and just across the board. So Midland is also a big hot spot. And it was really cool because I got to watch David Reed talk to a roomful of people that had their eyes wide open to the severity of the problem in Midland. And he mentioned the events. He mentioned that social acting. He’s like, You guys have really kind of game changed where we do this because like what he was saying previously, you’d have to front all the money and then you have volunteers and then tears get burnt out and sometimes you’re not going to make money, right? That’s not what you want for your nonprofits. So he’s like, if any of you have any good events that we can be a part of, we’d love to write on top of that.
Kristy Kerns [00:14:19] So then they don’t have to be in the oil and gas.
Madison Lenberg [00:14:21] no.
Kristy Kerns [00:14:22] Industry just once.
Madison Lenberg [00:14:22] Not at all.
Kristy Kerns [00:14:24] Good to know, okay
Marc L’Heureux [00:14:25] And for us to like we’re a social team and we’re very energy focused. Well, yes, that’s, you know, that’s my background. And I got into what, shoes? Yes. 2021.
Madison Lenberg [00:14:35] Yeah, I was. Baby
Marc L’Heureux [00:14:36] But but with social I think a reason we shifted too is just how do we open up and maybe start. It’s always been the bridge to connect the people to the product through basically the people. Right? So how do we bring. Good awareness to the oil and gas and then all the positives is done throughout the world instead of just focusing on negatives. And so that’s yeah, as we start expanding, it’s now how do we connect outside this industry and get to a point where people are saying, Hey, are you hiring? Mean they want to get into the industry. So that’s a that’s always been a huge part of our mission is how do we use our creativity and, you know, just connect the stuff that we’re always passionate about anyways. If it’s music, if it’s art, if it’s just whatever. Restaurants, foodies, you know, bring all that in and then you can really start connecting the people to the product through the products as well. So
Kristy Kerns [00:15:29] very powerful.
Rey Treviño [00:15:30] You know, you’ll talk about just nonprofits in your one of your biggest events. I guess I does support the nonprofits that’s coming up. But, you know, you would like to talk about that a little bit. Yeah. What the plan is. Yeah.
Kristy Kerns [00:15:41] Yeah, yeah.
Marc L’Heureux [00:15:42] You’re fighting, right? You’re you’re going.
Kristy Kerns [00:15:43] I was gonna say.
Marc L’Heureux [00:15:43] But right hand Trevino.
Rey Treviño [00:15:55] Yeah. Hey.
Rey Treviño [00:16:02] Yeah. Lets talk about this
Madison Lenberg [00:16:03] Mark actually wanted to box because he. He has a history, and I was like, absolutely not. You’re not hosting and boxing. I’m just.
Marc L’Heureux [00:16:10] Well, I just figure. So the next year, one of our other nonprofits and Brian Cookie excuse the fight in the mixed martial arts and I used to box when I was a kid, so I was like, well, man, this would might be a good spot to be a winner here to promote. So but I am, you know, about 40 fun anymore. So it’s.
Madison Lenberg [00:16:29] He’s 45
Marc L’Heureux [00:16:34] things are. Starting to hurt shoulders are getting creaky so I probably injure myself but yeah so the oil and gas be this our fourth fourth annual event in Houston at the store in the heights beautiful venue it’s I think it’s like number one venue now in Houston.
Madison Lenberg [00:16:52] We’ve looked at a lot of venues and yeah, there’s an ambiance there and an energy that is hard to match. Okay. Yeah. You know, you walk, you know, you even have to do anything to the place. Like, yeah, it’s just perfect.
Marc L’Heureux [00:17:04] Beautiful. The 1920s art deco just very high. And as soon as we walked in there, she wasn’t with us. But at the time we had one of our buddies that. I got a spot for you. Let’s go check it out. As soon as I walked in, I’m like, This is it now, this is like the Gatsby, like we that start like in 20 minutes. We had the whole event planned out. Whiskey Room is going to be here. You know, the champagne was literally mapped out in 20 minutes. I called her and she’s like, okay.
Madison Lenberg [00:17:32] I started planning. That before I even saw the venue. Okay.
Marc L’Heureux [00:17:34] So but yeah, every year we have an entertainment piece. So the past previous years we’ve done a kind of of safety where runway show, which has been really unique, kind of telling the story of the industry through, through our marketing. And it’s, yeah, it’s been very good this year. We were going to do it again in the had a good friend of ours, Justin Brignac. He’s like, Man, I’ve always wanted to do a golf industry kind of fight card. And so I was I was he wasn’t talking about for the Gatsby. But as you look at the 1920 era boxing laws that was that was the golden era, right? So a lot of the celebrities and so this was the fight. This is what you go to the fight night, right? So it’s got to be. Yeah. Vintage. It’s it’s for charity. It’s, you know, nonprofit fight night these guys for headgear. It’s only three one minute rounds. But we do have some pretty big names as far as, you know, UFC fighters and get in the ring and actually.
Madison Lenberg [00:18:31] Can you say their names? We’ve already released. Them.
Marc L’Heureux [00:18:33] Yeah. Justin one of them. He’s coming in. I mean, he’s not a he’s zero zero in his fighting career, but he’s 56 and on sales. Yeah. And then we have Tony Sims, which is a buddy of mine from from Denver. And so he’s boxed his whole life and he ended up in the UFC. I think he’s like 12 and four in the UFC and then tied. But if we screw this up but it to be recovered. That’s what I said beautiful. So he’s he’s he fought him and may as well and he works for K’Nex out of the northeast. Yeah. And then we have a couple more I guess they’re not confirmed yet. They need to get jump on this or get some fighting break.
Madison Lenberg [00:19:18] It’s pretty amazing once you kind of go through your network, the amount of people in oil and gas that actually have this in their background, it really does correlate oil and gas a little bit more of a it’s a blue collar, hard working. And I think that is exactly the mentality of fighting
Marc L’Heureux [00:19:37] So we have just the visual of the fight, a ring in the middle of the story, not the Gatsby all dressed up.
Kristy Kerns [00:19:44] Is it you’re going to dress up in themes and.
Madison Lenberg [00:19:46] yeah. Yeah. The first year I. I wanted it to be like a red carpet, Gatsby style. I mean, and I went and basically bought a dress from Australia that was so heavy. It was completely beaded.
Marc L’Heureux [00:20:02] Beads are fallen off everywhere.
Madison Lenberg [00:20:04] I had to wear like my sister’s Miss Colorado platform heels when she was running for that. And that’s the only way to drag. But it was great. And I was like, Well, if must dress that person here, that’s totally fine. This is how I want the level to be. And it blew me away. Like we thought maybe 50% of people would dress up. Everyone did. Everybody. And each year it’s compiled and just this very high end.
Marc L’Heureux [00:20:28] Over the top.
Kristy Kerns [00:20:29] It’s just a different ball game. Than the typical. Gala. And I said,.
Madison Lenberg [00:20:32] Yeah, yeah,
Marc L’Heureux [00:20:34] it’s fun. And it’s like, you know, it’s kind of an adult playground because you just upstairs, downstairs, we got a speakeasy downstairs that we do the whiskey room and the champagne room, and then we have a tequila tasting and cigar one on one down there. So that’s for the VIP section. And then once the third floor kicks off, you have a casino island, you got the Tequila lounge, the cigar patio.
Madison Lenberg [00:20:58] A girl and a champagne skirt.
Kristy Kerns [00:21:01] Yeah, I love that
Madison Lenberg [00:21:03] So we’re going to bring in, like, really cool Gatsby statue. Living Statue.
Rey Treviño [00:21:09] Yes.
Madison Lenberg [00:21:09] And then, yeah, lots. Lots of. Stilts. And then what I really like is how I worked with some sort of tequila. Right? So first year saguaro, and then my sort of Belle and Fleche as well. So I’m working on the one for this year. I really want it to be classes. So we’ll see.
Rey Treviño [00:21:27] Okay. Okay.
Kristy Kerns [00:21:29] What is this event taking place?
Madison Lenberg [00:21:31] December 13th. it’s on a Friday.
Kristy Kerns [00:21:33] Okay. Yeah. So coming up very soon?
Madison Lenberg [00:21:35] Yeah, yeah, yeah.
Rey Treviño [00:21:37] Okay. And you know what? What groups real sponsors are donating for? For this. One.
Madison Lenberg [00:21:43] This one’s the three main out of Houston event. So we have Red M, which is a fight against human sex trafficking. And then we also have NexGen, which is the blue collar trades. So they go into schools and talk to people who are about to graduate and they’re like, Hey, if college is not your thing, we have scholarships, we have mentorship programs, we have programs to get you, you know, suited up. Like, let’s get you into a welding trade, a mechanic trade. Oil and gas is obviously very big and the relationships are very strong in Houston. So they’ve been able to place and keep about 99% of all of their placements in the trades.
Rey Treviño [00:22:18] Wow.
Marc L’Heureux [00:22:19] Yeah. It’s a great, great organization. I mean, for myself, just, you know, I never went to college. I was, you know, high school was just not my thing. And I mean, but I knew I could work on it. And so I got into the oil and gas at 18 and that that trajectory of just getting to work, really not sitting idle was was a huge part of my career. So it’s just just getting moving, right? So that’s a big thing that they promote is just don’t sit idle and, you know, have a plan kind of coming out, but then have have some guidance through that. And, you know, just with money, with what you how you want to do, what you want to do, you want to invest. I wish I would have had that because I blew a lot of money coming, you know, making a lot of money. They went out, you know, pretty quickly, too. So but yeah, we as soon as we heard their story and what they were doing, I’m like, man, that is a it’s a very important it’s very important just for this country to have a strong trades movement and people, you know, feeling that they can make a career out of that like it don’t there’s there’s a lot of opportunity in the trades. I think more now than ever especially with, you know, I comment in my life and on a lot of these traditional, say, office jobs, the trades are going to be the one the last one that the it gets a whole lot, right?
Madison Lenberg [00:23:35] So yeah, so we have the work from a project as our third non profit at the oil and Gatsby this year and we are going to make some announcements on site on exactly where we’re going in 2025. But we do, we have a really fun direction with carbon credits. That is not everyone is really fully aware of carbon credits or they might know a little bit, but they haven’t dealt with too far into it. Right? It sounds like you are quite an expert in the making.
Rey Treviño [00:24:04] I know that no matter what carbon credits, as we kind of get, I feel like I’m switching gears here. All of this conversation, carbon credits are going to be crucial in the future no matter what. The big companies are already figuring out how to capture and how to trade and more importantly, how to sell. I know for me the hard part is going to be how to monetize it. What I mean by that is right now I think we have five separate places that we can basically hire somebody to come out to the oil field and go, This is what your carbon is worth, not wise. So I think something important that we’re going to that needs to be worked on is picking one of those five to be the standard, kind of like the way the bitcoins are. Things like are all the digital coins, like who’s going to be the standard. So that. When we go overseas where there’s like, this is who America is using to do the carpet.
Marc L’Heureux [00:24:54] You know, I think that’s a big it’s kind of where is that line in the the company we’re working with now is as carbon path. So the the first blockchain technology with carbon credits within verifier. Yes So as we were as we’re learning this, I see the man, there’s a really good bridge here maybe for from the oil and gas side to say the tech side. And if we can be a nonprofit, that is the exchange, right? So we can go to the end user that maybe they got to fix a bunch of wells where they have some that’s they can create carbon credits from. Well, maybe they they can bring glass. We’re the connector. So now as nonprofit, we can connect to say, an Amazon say, hey, we have all these projects here. You know what? Why it’s going to offset you, but also you’re going to put money into the Or from oil project and then we’re going to work with operators or or consultants and go fix wells, right? So our fixed projects that are a hindrance to the to the public safety. So that’s I’m excited for that Just to have that a nonprofit exchange. Yeah. And then it’s everybody’s winning on that one of that we’ll get going.
Rey Treviño [00:26:01] It’s big.
Madison Lenberg [00:26:03] Well now yeah we’ll have the person that will go out there that’ll go out there and actually tell you how many carbon credits you can get. As you said, the verifier and then post it on the blockchain and then we will market and promote that. Because what happens is, you know, you have all these smart people behind the scenes, but then they don’t know how to market and promote it.
Marc L’Heureux [00:26:23] Connect, yeah,
Madison Lenberg [00:26:24] For Marketplace, you need eyes, you need people to be interested. You need people to want to buy those. That’s where we really come into play. And social marketing has a network that will easily plug in with or from a project and start promoting it.
Rey Treviño [00:26:37] I love. Yeah, yeah, yeah. You know, the federal funding. In fact, my last time I talked to, I guess, reelected Commissioner Christie Craddick, we talked about the federal dollars that Texas gets for plugging orphan Wells, and that came from the IRA to the Inflation Reduction Act. Yeah, And how you know this, you know, the Biden administration is not really green. You know, you can get this money to plug the wells, but you can’t then monetize the carbon capture out of those wells that you plug with the federal dollars. Gotcha. And that’s something that, you know, that pathway right now is pretty wonky. Yeah. And then also just the other stipulations that the federal government has put on Texas to get that dollar. So we have to talk to the Indian tribes now before we give permission to it. It’s like, first of all, all respect to them. But in Texas, we don’t have that much. You know, we’re not drilling on Indian tribal land here.
Kristy Kerns [00:27:35] Yeah, Yeah. We have to find actually that Indian tribe just to come out. It was been very interesting to learn about this.
Rey Treviño [00:27:41] Yes. And so, you know, all these things are just hurdles more than they are to help, you know.
Marc L’Heureux [00:27:47] And there’s no yeah, it’s kind of scattered is not a clear but I think it’s people are starting to take interest and it’s in the early stages of it and I do see how it can really work well, especially for solar or for project if we do become that exchange. And so that but with that exchange, it’s like going to help to keep the wheel going, right? Yes.
Rey Treviño [00:28:08] Is like is we joke like, you know, you got Taylor Swift and people like that that are buying carbon credits all the time. Yeah. And you know, I’ll share with you this that it may be $30 a credit here, but in Europe it’s already 60 or 70. That’s. Yeah. And so that’s also something that that’s very important in the future because you know, the further green, the rest the, you know, Europe’s going to get, the more they’re going to basically pump that.
Marc L’Heureux [00:28:37] On for us to like with social teen having the network. And so now these events can turn into, hey just go buy a couple carbon credits, right? And so then that thing right away, it’s it’s it’s going into the pool. So they’re they’re actually being a part of the solution. Right.
Madison Lenberg [00:28:52] It’s getting people used to like that exchange. Yes we to them right Yeah it’s like telling someone if they’ve never traded on a cryptocurrency platform to go figure it out and they’re like, my God.
Marc L’Heureux [00:29:02] You’re so scared.
Madison Lenberg [00:29:05] But once we figure it out, it really is so easy.
Marc L’Heureux [00:29:07] So, you know.
Madison Lenberg [00:29:08] Same thing with the donations. Instead of donating dollars, you’re going to go on the platform, you’re going to go, Hey, go buy a couple carbon credits and carbon credits. And now we’re getting we’re getting people aware of how this all works and why and the story behind it.
Kristy Kerns [00:29:22] That’s what I think is lacking is the education. Yeah, the carbon credits and the bitcoin and the tree. Nobody know. Yeah. And who has time to sit there and dive into it because it’s very deep. Yeah.
Rey Treviño [00:29:33] Yeah.
Marc L’Heureux [00:29:35] I’m watching bloopers, you know, just. Yeah.
Kristy Kerns [00:29:38] That’s what I’m .
Marc L’Heureux [00:29:40] Like carbon one. That sounds boring.
Rey Treviño [00:29:43] Well I want to jump back to I like how you guys, you know, want to. Also talk about 2025. But I love the way you guys are trying to market to the younger generation and also to the trades. Those two things are huge, you know, for the college individuals that are in the oil and gas industry, those enrollment numbers are dropping every day. So we’re not getting those geologists, reservoir engineers into the into the market in oil and gas going back to the trades, the welders, the electricians. We don’t have them as well anymore and we’ve lost a ton of them. So those are jobs that aren’t going to be going away any time soon. And so I think with that nonprofit, what was it called again?
Marc L’Heureux [00:30:28] The next gen?
Rey Treviño [00:30:29] Next gen, I think that is so important to what you all are doing in.
Marc L’Heureux [00:30:34] It is and we’ve really leaned into them and just, you know, we’re 100% on board and going to back them because it is it’s hugely important here in America. I mean, we if we don’t have a strong trade, you don’t have a strong country. And and just kind of the same thing that the oil and gas has faced all the trades kind of face. It’s kind of a little boring. There’s not really anything exciting. So it’s like, how do we make trades cool again, right? Right. Are what Elon did with with electricity. He just made it cool and more just appealing to the next generation. So literally, that’s a social octane. I think our position is just to keep being creative and and, and cool, you know, and do still do the stuff that excites them and gets, you know, communicates on that their level and always be aware of that. Don’t think we know it all and just shift and pivot and yeah just follow follow their lead and connect on their level.
Kristy Kerns [00:31:30] Yeah. That’s what you have to tap into. Yeah. That excites them. Exactly the same formula. But how do I word it or how to maneuver it? Yeah, yeah, yeah.
Marc L’Heureux [00:31:40] Or get it, you know, get them the younger crowd involved and get them to talk and get them, you know, really educating each other. So.
Rey Treviño [00:31:49] And where do you all see 2025 going, you know, wrapping up the year here you all about the, you know finish the year big with the oil and Gatsby. Yeah and when is that again.
Madison Lenberg [00:31:59] That’s Friday December 13th.
Rey Treviño [00:32:00] Okay And what do you all see the road 2025 going.
Madison Lenberg [00:32:07] Be fine. I think it’s going to definitely be a shift on our end. We’d really like to pick a few strategic events that have always just been really great for us in each area, but then implement new ideas and more education. Really like to get deeper into that. Maybe keep Houston as more of a base for what we’re doing. We do some smaller style events. We really don’t promote them, but they’re very well received by everyone that participates. So I think just shifting a bit on each of those ends and then obviously the marketing side is going to be a big one for us. So really diving deeper into strategy for companies there, marketing to some more podcasts. And also the automation side is really big. We see that with the nonprofits, we see it with everyone we talk to. They really need automation of their sales, automation of their marketing leads, everything funneling into one avenue.
Rey Treviño [00:33:03] Okay.
Marc L’Heureux [00:33:03] Yeah. So I think a big one to you. I just keep the social. Social is always good too. Yeah, but then let’s plug in some stuff that we can lean around our partners and their technologies and the things that are rapidly changing right now with with everything from crypto to A.I. to blockchain and all that stuff. So it is I to me, the beginning of the next 100 years. Right now, as far as even in the oil and gas industry and how we how we talk to each other, how we network. And you know, it’s just rapidly changing. So.
Rey Treviño [00:33:37] yeah, yeah, I know. I liked what you said that the next hundred years I think well, you know, I always, you know, I’m not joking but it’s like we don’t want the gas is going to be around for the next hundred years. But the way it looks, I think if we do things right, we know it’s like we’re like without a doubt, knock on wood, you know. It’s going to. Be there. And we have to embrace the modern technologies only to continue to grow it.
Marc L’Heureux [00:33:57] Yeah, it’s always going to be there. It’s just it’ll be in a different form, but it’s all going to be in one ecosystem at all. So talk to you there. I mean, some areas have more natural gas and oil than other areas have more, you know, just different things, you know, geothermal. But they all got to kind of work together and be symbiotic together in the kind of ecosystem.
Kristy Kerns [00:34:19] For sure.
Rey Treviño [00:34:20] You know, guys, as we wrap up here, you know, I want to give you all just a minute to to, you know, one definitely look into the camera and tell tell about how they connect with you all. But also, you know, maybe mention the gas fee or something that you got going on and just, you know, dive into something real quick year round up. You know, Madison will just let you go first.
Madison Lenberg [00:34:38] Ladies first. You know, you can always get Ahold of me on LinkedIn. I think it’s a great tool. We we utilize that for a lot of our sales and our connections. And if you just shoot me a message, I’d love to tell you a bit more about the upcoming gala that we have, the participating nonprofits. If you’re interested in either of those three to connect you with them and going into 2025, just, you know, reach out and ask what our plans are and let’s see how we can fit you in.
Marc L’Heureux [00:35:08] Yeah, I guess same with me. Just we’re big on LinkedIn, so I’d say most of our our my communications on linkedin. I don’t even carry a car anymore because it’s just like, if you really want to get in touch, just reach out. I’m really responsive. But yeah, the finishing of this year, the oil and gas, I mean, it’s just been epic these last three, three years. And this year is looking just just even even grander, right? So I’m excited to roll that out and see everybody dressed up and, you know, for the for the gala. So it’s very important to us. We love the month profits we’re working with with that. And so everybody’s in attendance there and we help them raise raising money and in awareness for their for their mission. So yeah, just hit us up for that and I’d love to see everybody there.
Rey Treviño [00:35:58] Nice. Well, guys, I again, I cannot thank you enough for coming on. You guys are just, you know, as I always say, find some reason I always say your moving to do in the industry and people are getting to y’all’s events and truly doing the networking it needs to be done. And you I just want to say like those golf games, you know, those are really, really fun because you’ll bring different aspects of each whole. So y’all are, like you said, bringing the creativity to each of the events that make people want to continue to come back and be a part of it, especially with the nonprofits.
Marc L’Heureux [00:36:28] Yes.
Rey Treviño [00:36:29] And so thank you all so much, Kristy. Good job.
Kristy Kerns [00:36:33] Yeah, I mean, I think there needs to be epic for 2025. Yeah.
Marc L’Heureux [00:36:37] I got my epic pass. We’re going to go to Colorado.
Madison Lenberg [00:36:40] I accidentally got that epic pass. It renewed.
Madison Lenberg [00:36:45] I just got sent to me and I’m. Like, I don’t live there anymore. But that’s okay. I guess.
Kristy Kerns [00:36:47] I’ll go, Yeah, that was my word for this past year. I know. The thing is, is do epic shit.
Marc L’Heureux [00:36:53] Yeah, I know that.
Madison Lenberg [00:36:55] Hell yeah.
Madison Lenberg [00:36:57] Really? When we wrote What do we Write on the window of our office downtown Denver the year of 2020. It was like, best year yet. 2020. You got erase that.
Kristy Kerns [00:37:12] No
Rey Treviño [00:37:16] My. Well,
Madison Lenberg [00:37:17] thank. You so much.
Rey Treviño [00:37:17] Because of 2020, you know, y’all have just. Gosh.
Marc L’Heureux [00:37:21] Yeah. I mean, the silver lining of that is it pushed us to Texas. And man, we couldn’t be more happy to be in Texas. And even the top that office, just the people in Texas, everywhere you go from, you know, from Dallas to Houston to West Texas said like it’s just the people, the Texans, men are unbelievable over the earth. Yeah. And we’ve really found home here. Yeah, it’s been. It’s been amazing.
Madison Lenberg [00:37:43] I mean, I could do a whole different show just talking about pre 2020 and where we were just floating, just Yeah. And then I’ll just go.
Kristy Kerns [00:37:53] So I think so many people probably want to hear that story. So the word pivot to that.
Madison Lenberg [00:38:07] Some Italians and I’m like, I just feel like if I told you you could, you know, I need you to fly a plane like you figure out how to fly a plane. Thank you.
Marc L’Heureux [00:38:15] Yeah, I’m the dreamer. She’s the executer. So.
Kristy Kerns [00:38:19] that’s true. Yeah, that’s it. That’s it. Yeah. Do all right there.
Marc L’Heureux [00:38:22] But I’m probably more annoying or.
Madison Lenberg [00:38:24] For sure.
Kristy Kerns [00:38:26] She wouldn’t be here with that.
Madison Lenberg [00:38:27] So she’s acting.
Marc L’Heureux [00:38:31] And then David and you going down. So, so.
Kristy Kerns [00:38:35] Yeah, definitely. Let’s have you back just to talk about that. How you. Yeah, yeah, yeah.
Marc L’Heureux [00:38:40] It’s been a great journey. That’s a nice it’s nice to be kind of smaller and we can move and pivot, you know what I mean? So it’s. Yeah, it’s been good. It’s been good for the, for the entire journey of it’s. I don’t think if we could like, if we got trapped somewhere we’d be scary.
Kristy Kerns [00:38:58] Yeah.
Madison Lenberg [00:38:59] I always wanted someone. I mean, obviously Mark and I are together and.
Marc L’Heureux [00:39:05] As new But ladies. No, I know
Madison Lenberg [00:39:13] when we first. Started getting into business together, like, I would purposely, you know, make it look like we were not together because as new business owners and being in a relationship before we had that, I guess, credibility over time that we could survive.
Kristy Kerns [00:39:30] In a relationship. Yeah, that makes sense.
Madison Lenberg [00:39:32] Yeah. Yeah. You would almost like hide it in a sense for people obviously close to you now. And, you know, meetings would always be completely separate, but now we’re so far, right? Yeah, we’ve we’ve been through it all. We’ve lived decades. We feel like together and we can get through anything.
Kristy Kerns [00:39:47] I think that’s powerful too. It just shows that you don’t have to, you know, that couples can survive in business. Yeah, I and it was it.
Marc L’Heureux [00:39:55] Was stacked against us and I think that’s the living was the social. Our thing is trying to keep that masculinity and femininity that all you know it’s a good balance right? So yeah. And so hopefully that translates through kind of how we brand and what we’re doing.
Kristy Kerns [00:40:09] So that’s powerful. Yeah, I keep focusing on that. Now the epic for y’all.
Madison Lenberg [00:40:14] Thank you. Yeah.
Kristy Kerns [00:40:16] So. World. I mean, it’s really lacking.
Madison Lenberg [00:40:20] We’ve seen a lot of amazing power couples throughout our journey, and I feel like you get drawn to them. You know, if someone.
Kristy Kerns [00:40:27] Else can track that.
Madison Lenberg [00:40:28] Then yeah, yeah, you’ll just get drawn to each other. And you both have similar stories, but you can also help each other and it’s just a very good support system, I think.
Kristy Kerns [00:40:37] I love. That. Yeah,
Rey Treviño [00:40:38] That is cool.
Kristy Kerns [00:40:39] So we could go on and on.
Rey Treviño [00:40:40] We really could. I mean,
Kristy Kerns [00:40:43] like, you’re talking to my lovely, I say, let’s go. Yeah.
Madison Lenberg [00:40:50] Yeah. Don’t ask how many of these we have.
Kristy Kerns [00:40:54] I mean, I know.
Madison Lenberg [00:40:56] It’s too many.
Rey Treviño [00:40:59] My gosh, guys. Well, we got to end, right? And so I can’t thank you enough. And like Kristy said, definitely want to have your come back on. I mean, this this is great. I know. I’ve gotten to hang out with y’all once before at one of your events. We’ll have to do another one. It sounds like. Really?
Marc L’Heureux [00:41:16] We should do something here in Dallas. We never are in the Fort Worth, Dallas or never done an event in this area. A lot of people have always reached out to like, Hey, when are you gonna come up to Dallas? So maybe some smaller ones, you know, just a good crowd
Madison Lenberg [00:41:30] It’s been on our. List for so. Long.
Rey Treviño [00:41:33] That would be Yeah,.
Madison Lenberg [00:41:35] But. I’m thinking 2025. Okay.
Marc L’Heureux [00:41:39] Texas Live Cook-Off.
Kristy Kerns [00:41:41] Awesome.
Rey Treviño [00:41:42] That would be fun.
Marc L’Heureux [00:41:45] Many hoops.
Rey Treviño [00:41:50] Well. Mark Madison, thank you so much. Kristy, as always. Thank you. Thank you. And to all our listeners out there and viewers, we cannot thank you all enough. And we’ll see you all again on another episode of The Crude Truth.
Narrator [00:42:01] Again, the Crude Truth would like to think today’s sponsors LFS Chemistry, Nape Expo, Air Compressor Solutions, Sandstone Group, Exec Crue, Texas Star Alliance, Pecos Country Operating and Real News Communication Network.
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