Cimarex Energy Co. merged with Cabot Oil & Gas in late 2021 to form a new company, known as Coterra Energy, to build upon the impressive legacies and strengths of both companies. This merger brought together two industry-leading operators with top-tier oil and natural gas assets to create a diversified energy leader.
Before the merger, Denver-based Cimarex Energy Co. was a vibrant oil and gas exploration and production company with principal operations in the Mid-Continent and Permian basins. Houston-based Cabot Oil & Gas Corp. was an independent oil and gas company engaged in the development, exploration, production, and marketing of natural gas, crude oil, and natural gas liquids in the Appalachian, Rocky Mountain and Anadarko basins.
Resulting joint company Coterra Energy continues to honor the legacy and example of Cimarex founder F. H. “Mick” Merelli at The University of Tulsa through two endowments created by Cimarex in 2013. These two substantial gifts, which fund a faculty chair in the McDougall School of Petroleum Engineering and scholarships for students in any engineering major, were renamed the F. H. “Mick” Merelli/Coterra Energy Chair in Petroleum Engineering for the McDougall School of Petroleum Engineering and the F. H. “Mick” Merelli/Coterra Energy Trustee Scholarship Endowment Fund for Engineering, as a result of the merger.
Mick Merelli had a remarkable career spanning more than 50 years in the oil and gas industry. He worked his way up from a field engineer to a widely respected chief executive. Merelli skillfully led Terra Resources (President, 1979-88); Apache Corporation (President, 1988-92); and Key Production Co. (Chairman, President and CEO, 1992-2002). Finally, he led Cimarex Energy Co. to great heights, serving as chairman from 2002 until his death in 2012. He also served as president and CEO of Cimarex from 2002 to 2011.
Merelli’s business philosophy was rooted in sound fundamentals and the conviction that a company should create real value through drilling and production. He believed an executive’s responsibility was to make the company not simply more profitable, but genuinely better. Merelli placed individual talent at the center of this quest and always promoted a culture of innovation, independent thought, and personal initiative – often pushing others to exceed their own expectations. His legacy lives on through new leaders in the oil and gas industry.
These two funds will continue to promote academic excellence in TU’s engineering programs for generations to come while paying tribute to a true leader and innovator in the energy industry.
