Tom Stewart joined his father in the family oil and gas business. He got started as a roustabout, a place he says everyone who begins in the oil and gas industry should start: in the trenches. His family has built a legacy in the oil and gas industry from his grandfather to his father and five uncles and then Tom joined at 23 years old and moved up to run the family business, and then eventually became head of organizations like OOGA, the Ohio Oil & Gas Association, and took a vested interest in getting laws passed through Congress to further the oil and gas industry. Each guest that we have on the podcast references the dramatic use that technology plays in moving the oil and gas industry along at a rapid pace. Stewart is no different. Highlights from his interview:  >> He calls himself a "fracking baby" because he grew up as a toddler in the early fracking age in 1953, where wells in the Clinton formation were being discovered and reworked with incredible success, giving his family new opportunities in a new state, that still exist today. >> His father was the first person in Ohio to fracture a well that he believed to be a dry hole with only water and sand, which turned out to be a great well using this new technique. Up until that point, the industry had been using gelled crude oil to shoot back into the well to break it up and he didn't want to waste hundreds of barrels of that on a dry well. >> In 1977 in Hocking County in Ohio, men rushed to join the industry because of the tax advantages and the obvious success those already participating were having. But all of that competition meant it was harder to find acreage. A lot of them didn't know what they were doing which ended up causing a host of environmental issues that would come into play later in their careers. >> In the 1980s, Ohio had the highest drill rate in the nation with more than 5,000 wells drilled each year. It's also known for water production with crude and natural gas and managing produced waters became a real issue with so many wells being drilled. Citizens and government officials stepped in to enact House Bill 501, which was highly controversial at the time. The bill primarily focused on banning putting water into pits and mandated that all brine be managed by Class 2 wells. >> Working under his father, who he fondly labeled Old Guard and old-school, he said he took his role of introducing new technology and ways of drilling the wells seriously because it was something his father couldn't understand. His father would give him advice about what it took to really be in the oil business. He admired those that kept to themselves, worked hard, honored their commitment and made agreements on handshakes. He told him one thing that has carried him through his career in the industry for the past 45 years: "Ninety-five percent of being in the oil business is reputation. Only 5 percent is finding oil. If you've got your reputation, you'll succeed. If you don't, you will not." >> He eventually became involved in OOGA and was appointed to be a regional producer representative and became engaged in the advocacy process. In 1991 he was asked to run the legislative committee. The industry was in a difficult place in Ohio at this time, so it felt like a good opportunity to try something new. >> Nancy, known for her role as Director of the Department of Commerce under George Voinovich, ordered him over for drinks to talk about his future and outlined how I should apply for the executive vice president position at OOGA, and so he did. >> His goal with joining the industry was to be known as an aggressive policy advocate. It meant going into the Legislature on a regular basis and make clear that when it came to oil and gas and energy issues, that OOGA was the preeminent voice and that we knew the issues. Several policy issues that were passed that w