Denver, CO – March, 2021

With more than 36 years of professional experience and leadership in the natural gas and oil industry, Rich Frommer helped Great Western successfully expand in company size, strategic goals, community outreach and industry leadership. He positioned the company to become an industry-leading innovator in natural gas and oil. His poise, determination and strategic focus has not only led Great Western to be the operator of choice in Colorado but created the dynamic titan Rich is today.

Titan100 recently announced its 2021 cohort, showcasing CEOs like Rich and their accomplishments in the business community. The Titan100 awards program recognizes a premier group of 100 CEOs and C-level executives in Colorado each year. Representing both the private and public sector, these leaders are industry titans who demonstrate exceptional leadership, vision, passion, and influence in their field. Rich’s deep commitment to innovation, the community and the environment, position him as a leader in the industry and a titan in the business community.

In 2017, Rich also stepped into the role of chairman of the Western Energy Alliance, and in 2019, was named the chairman of the Colorado Oil and Gas Association (COGA). His new and broadened perspective of statewide operations helped him make better and more informed decisions for Great Western. As of 2021, Rich has expanded and positioned the company as the fifth largest oil producer in Colorado. What’s the national stat?

In addition to growth, Rich has helped Great Western focus priorities to include industry-leading strategies around environmental, social and governance (ESG) needs.  

Environmental

Rich is a life-long visionary who spearheaded a continuous air emissions monitoring pilot program, enabling clean and safe operations and supporting Great Western’s stewardship and sustainability efforts. This proactive measure has allowed Great Western to be a technical resource to local communities as they seek to understand the relationship between air quality and natural oil and gas operations. 

Additionally, Rich oversaw the launch of the GREEN Initiative upholding Great Western’s commitment and role in the environmental sustainability ecosystem. GREEN – Globally Reduced Emissions and Extraction Network – is an integrated process for managing our field locations that highlight areas of sustainability.

Social

Rich’s culture of conscience and spirit of innovation goes beyond being a determined leader of the natural gas and oil industry – it sets an inspirational example for Great Western employees and becomes a mindset that other industry leaders strive to embrace. Rich has the wellbeing of Coloradans at the forefront of his operations – on his mind and in his high-level executive decisions – that influence Great Western’s community partnerships and contributions. With operations across Colorado, Rich led Great Western in its efforts to partner with over 50 organizations, participating through donations, volunteering, and creating one-of-a-kind projects because he believes we must take care of the communities in which we live and work. Great Western has also partnered with the Butterfly Pavilion to restore the land at a site location to the short prairie it once was more than 100 years ago.

While working in an industry that is predominately male, Rich’s dedication to diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) has influenced Great Western’s management team in several ways. Today, the team is composed of more than 40% female managers. Great Western has also made a commitment to DEI and is supporting community partners and nonprofits that value the same DEI commitments such as the Colorado Association of Black Professional Scientists and Engineers, and Women’s Energy Network. Great Western’s commitment to DEI will continue to grow as one of the leading natural gas and oil companies focusing on the importance of DEI throughout the industry as a whole.

Governance

In his career, Rich has held key roles in solving industry crisis matters and is trusted with his strategic and mindful thinking; most recently, Rich worked with the executive team to develop Great Western’s core values with the addition of its latest value – resilience – to reflect the everchanging natural gas and oil industry. Even before COVID-19 became a reality, this value was added and introduced companywide, and now it is the company’s rallying cry. Resilience has led Rich and his executive team over the last few months as they have sought to do the right thing through this pandemic. Rich and his executive team continue to fight to see the other side of COVID-19, the market downturn and Colorado’s regulatory regime.

Watch the full ESG presentation from EnerCom’s 2021 Energy Investment & ESG Conference here

In the last nine years under Rich’s leadership, he has solidified Great Western’s commitment to the environment by producing some of the cleanest natural gas and oil with the smallest footprint in Colorado; he’s led employees to view their position as a fulfilling career with a culture of positivity and growth; and at the height of pandemic, Rich upheld transparency and maintained resilience for the Great Western staff through emails and virtual town halls to connect with others.

It’s for these reasons we are excited to see Rich be named as a Titan100.

To learn more about the award and the nominating body, visit this website.

Read more about Rich’s accomplishments: Great Western’s CEO Wins 2020 Most Admired CEO Award!