Luis Rodriguez

CEO & Founder, Raisa Energy LLC, Denver
32 FortyUnder40 feat. Rodriguez, Luis

The ‘Raisa Way’: Rodriguez effectively combines his home values into the professional environment of Raisa. As he says, “I’m very proud of the establishment and nurturing of the ‘Raisa Way’ within our organization. From inception, the how we do what we do has been the single biggest source of our competitive advantage. 

“We started with a set of universal principles, integrity, purpose beyond oneself and continuous improvement, which have allowed us to form a common bond of trust. 

“I ascribe to the school of servant leadership, specifically the enablement and empowerment of individuals and teams,” he says. “[Raisa has] a culture of constructive heat, a culture of individuals with a sense of agency, a culture that thrives on its diversity, a culture that transforms mistakes into learning opportunities that drive our continuous improvement.” 

Career path: Rodriguez’s career began at ExxonMobil in Venezuela, as he was set to graduate from Simon Bolivar University. He joined Schlumberger Ltd. in 2005 as a fracture stimulation engineer, where he spent six years gaining exposure to North America’s unconventional plays and leading the company’s well services reliability transformation efforts. 

Rodriguez pursued an MBA at Stanford’s Graduate School of Business in 2011. With his degree in hand and an internship at Tudor, Pickering & Holt completed, he continued his entrepreneurial path by leading the business development efforts at Brigham Minerals LLC.

“Nearly 1 billion people don’t have access to electricity in this world and only one-fifth of the oil and gas workforce are women. Positively nudging these two simple facts in the right direction will keep me motivated until my own inner light goes out.”

Rodriguez intends to grow Raisa’s differentiated platform into the nonop partner of choice in North America. The company now works on an instant probabilistic reserve report powered by machine learning. 

“The magnitude and complexity of this project has touched every person in our organization, requiring improvements above and beyond the norm from every team member. [This] project aligns perfectly with our mission statement to accurately value risk in real time.” 

Long-term, he hopes Raisa becomes a springboard for different businesses to grow within and beyond energy. 

On industry: The geopolitical implications of energy, its power to improve standards of living and the global interconnectedness of its markets and people all motivate Rodriguez. 

“This is an exciting industry to work in, one in which even the smallest of nudges can have outsized positive implications for our world. 

“Nearly 1 billion people don’t have access to electricity in this world and only one-fifth of the oil and gas workforce are women,” he continues. “Positively nudging these two simple facts in the right direction will keep me motivated until my own inner light goes out.” 

Mentors: Rodriguez credits his family’s unwavering support and commitment to giving back as invaluable guides to his success. 

Rodriguez also points to Raisa investor Alex Cranberg and board partner Jimmy Crain as key figures in his professional life. Rodriguez recognizes how Crain’s personable approach to supporting Raisa paired with Cranberg’s unique perspective has aided in his development. 

Advice to young professionals: “Get to know your gut! I’ve been told feedback is a gift, although sometimes it feels like a gut punch,” he says, “By understanding the why of my gut, as often as possible, and as close to the action as possible, I find I learn from the why of my instincts just as much as I learn from the actual advice!"