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Jordan Soto, Hart Energy Staff: Celebration is the throughline of this evening with Hart Energy's 50th anniversary, as well as our Hall of Fame event. With us right now, we have Reg Manhas with Lapis Energy. Thank you so much for being here.
Reg Manhas: Oh, you're welcome. It's my pleasure. I'm just really excited to meet a lot of these folks that I've only read about before, to be honest with you. And so far everyone has been spectacularly friendly and very welcoming, so I'm just really happy to be here.
JS: So we have a full evening ahead of us. A lot of discussions happening, as you can see behind us. A lot of industry leaders here. Absolutely. Two questions for you. While you're in the midst of all of these movers and shakers, and you're yourself being one of them, what energy advice would you give to young people and Hart Energy readers?
RM: Well, first I have to say it's really humbling to be here and be part of this amazing evening. This is a stellar group of industry titans, and so to be even part of the conversation is really, really spectacular. My advice would be just have an eye on the horizon. This industry is constantly evolving. I myself have gone through a number of transformations in my career, from engineer to attorney to corporate affairs, to CEO. Gone from oil and gas to carbon sequestration, but every step of the way, it's been part of the transformation of the industry itself. So I would say just have an eye on the future in terms of where this industry is going. This industry has great technical people, great entrepreneurship, and I think that those qualities allow people to really expand their horizons and grow as the industry grows and transforms itself.
JS: It really is ever evolving. It is this industry. How do you see the industry playing out with this balance of fossil fuels and the transition as we talk about the evolution of the industry?
RM: Yeah, I mean, I think that the industry itself is going to remain a very essential part of the industrial complex in the entire world for many, many decades, perhaps generations to come. I think we have to be realistic around that in terms of fossil fuel demand and the growth of population and GDP growth and how industry and fossil fuels play a role in that. But I think the industry has to be cognizant of the transitions that are going on, be cognizant of public policy, public pressure and play a role. And again, Lapis Energy is a perfect example of oil and gas, industrial people transforming their careers and moving into the next phase of the energy transition. I think a lot of the energy companies you see in this room today, whether it's Exxon or whether it's Denbury, whether it's Chevron, are all taking leading roles in the transformation because of the technical skills, the balance sheets, the operational experience they have. So I think the industry is always going to remain an essential part of the world economy going forward, but it will evolve over time.
JS: This is Hart Energy Live's 50th anniversary and Hall of Fame celebration.
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