Steve Cranford

Land & Banking

Steve began working in the oil fields as a roustabout and roughneck as a young man in Wichita Falls. After graduating from the University of Texas at Austin in 1980 with a B.A.A. in Petroleum Land Management, he began negotiating oil and gas leases, pooled units, and operating agreements for drilling projects at GoldKing Production in Texas, Louisiana, Arkansas, Florida and Oklahoma. He became Vice President of Black Stone Oil Co. in 1984, supervising field operations, negotiating oil and gas leases, and managed all facets of drilling and completion operations. Enron snapped him up in 1988 to manage their Houston Division projects in Texas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama and Florida—reporting directly to Mark Papa. Steve was responsible for exploration, budget analysis and forecasting, property acquisitions and divestitures, and drafting contracts. JPMorgan Chase Bank hired Steve in 1993 to head up their Private Bank Oil & Gas Group where he supervised their oil & gas operations in New York, Houston, Dallas, and San Antonio. Responsible for acquisition & divestiture of oil and gas assets worldwide, Steve also implemented new management, accounting, and software systems and procedures. Steve joined R. King & Co. in 2017, deepening the company’s management and development expertise for clients of all sizes.