Hello everyone, my name is Mike Forgione and I’m a Senior Engineer in the Public Relations Dept. with Range Resources. I am also a member of The Challenge Program, Inc. Business Advisory Board. I’ve worked for 28 years in the oil & gas business right here in New York and Pennsylvania.

I got my degree in Geology and have held a number of different career positions in the business. I’ve been a Geologist, Landman, Drilling, Completion and Production Engineer, and even a Well Tender.

The only way I’ve been able to survive this long in the oil & gas business, is to never have said “it’s not my job.” In this business I’ve been laid off twice, had a company go out of business and lost my job after 13 yrs. with the company. I’ve had to go out on my own as an independent contractor a couple of times. Range Resources is the fifth company I’ve been with in 28 years and I’m going on 10 years with Range this year.

I joined the Public Relations Dept. at Range 3 years ago. I found my niche in life. They allowed me to go out and teach people about my business! I loved the opportunity to do this and especially the opportunity to go into schools. I always wanted to be a teacher and Range is affording me this opportunity big time!

In the past two years I have presented “in the classroom style” to over 30,000 students in Elementary to High School in three dozen schools in fourteen different counties in PA from Susquehanna Co. to Lycoming to Erie to Washington and Greene Counties to name a few. My presentation includes an Energy message, from how oil is part our everyday life to natural gas drilling and the processes involved in the new Marcellus Shale play to alternative energies and where we are with those to jobs and careers available now in the oil and gas business both college degree and blue collar jobs.

Let me share a success story with you. One young man who I helped get a job right out of high school at 18 yrs. of age became a Supervisor with a flow back company within 6 months of being hired.

I asked him how he became a supervisor at such a young age, and he said it was due to his work ethic. He showed up for work on time, did good work while he was there, and was able to pass a drug test and had a clean driving record. He made $60,000 his first year on the job at 19 yrs. old! He was putting in some hours for that money, like 60 to 80+ a week, but like he told me, it was keeping him out of trouble!

The company gave him a 401k retirement plan and health and medical insurance. After two years with that same company he made $80,000 per year. After another year, he was offered a job by a local Exploration & Production company, like Range Resources. He was a completion supervisor, this meant he had to supervise the same company he was working for and it also meant he was a “company man.”

This meant he had only to supervise, he didn’t have to get dirty any more and was given a company truck. That was only after putting in a total of 3 years in the business! Now, I’m not saying not to go to college, if you go to college you will have more of a normal life, work 8-10 hr. days, most weekends off. You’ll make decent money for the hours you work.

If you would like to have me come to your school and give a presentation as I mentioned above on Energy and the Marcellus and or a Job and Career Day function, please have your teachers and or administrators contact me at:

mforgione@rangeresources.com

Thank you, Mike Forgione.