Forty Under 40: Ryan Strawn, Appalachian Mineral Partners

Ryan Strawn, president of Appalachian Mineral Partners, is today’s featured Forty Under 40 honoree.

After graduating from the University of Texas at Austin, Strawn started an investment banking career on the Lehman Brother energy team. There, his interest in the investment banking space faded, but he fell in love with the energy business.

A stint at HM Capital Partners allowed him to see the inner workings of companies across the energy spectrum, and it prepared him to work at a midstream startup, Caiman Energy, which introduced him to the Appalachian region.

Strawn’s familiarity with Appalachia, combined with his partnership with Phillip Thomas, inspired him to strike out on his own, and he co-founded Appalachian Mineral Partners with Thomas in 2012.

Since then, Appalachian Mineral Partners has closed on multiple funds. Strawn is “pleased with our funds’ performance both on an absolute basis and relative to other energy investments despite an extremely challenging environment over the past eight years,” he said.

Exclusively focused on the Appalachian Basin, the firm is currently purchasing minerals from AMP IV LP, an $80 million mineral acquisition vehicle, according to its website.