Pollard, Clay

Head shot of suited businessman (Clay Pollard) smiling against white backdrop
Name: 
Pollard, Clay
Title: 
Senior Landman at Clayton Williams Energy, Inc.
Texas A&M Class: 
1981
Inducted: 
2014

Biography:

Clay Pollard graduated from Texas A&M University in August 1982 with a B.S. in Agricultural Economics, followed by a M.A. in Land Economics and Real Estate in December 1983. During his time at A&M as a graduate student, Clay worked for “Doc” Schmedemann in the Land Economics and Real Estate Center as a research assistant. Following graduation, Clay began his career with Claytie Williams in the oil and gas industry in San Antonio as an Oil Scout for Clayton W. Williams, Jr. Company. There, he followed drilling activities in the Austin Chalk and Gulf Coast for the company.  By 1985, Clay became a landman for the company, handling the oil and gas leasing activities related to the company’s leasehold in the areas where he previously served as a scout.

In February of 1986, during an energy industry downturn, Clay’s career path changed direction when Claytie asked him to become a salesman for a fledgling Williams Company, ClayDesta Communications, a digital long distance communication network. Clay spent the next two years at ClayDesta, selling their long distance communication services to major corporations in San Antonio, including the two largest energy firms, Valero and Tesoro. By the age of 29, Clay was promoted to Vice President of Sales for ClayDesta at corporate headquarters in Midland, where he was responsible for sales budgets, commission plans, and revenue and cost reduction targets. After Claytie sold the company in the spring of 1992, Clay took a job in Austin as district sales manager for MCI Telecommunications.

Clay was recruited by a close Aggie friend, Kevin Osborne, in 1995 to become a Business Development Manager for Database Consultants, Inc., where he was responsible for the sales of Oracle database consulting services and Oracle software products. After Clay sold $5.2 million in licenses and completed a $1.2 million transaction, the largest transaction by a non-Oracle employee, Clay was promoted to Director of Oracle Sales. While serving as Director of Sales, Clay delivered a 340% annual sales growth rate and was named Partner of the Year in 1999. In 2000, Clay was hired by Oracle Corporation as Regional Sales Manager, managing the sales effort in the southwestern U.S.

By 2005, Clay decided to go back into the oil and gas industry as a Senior Landman for Clayton Williams Energy, Inc., working in the College Station area. Over the next few years, on top of his leasing duties, Clay created a land software system for reporting and mapping designed to give feedback for land management. The system was implemented throughout the entire company. Clay spent two years in Pecos where he was responsible for the oversight and management of right-of-way acquisition for the Christopher Columbus Pipeline, a pipeline system transporting oil, gas, and produced water that stretches more than 200 miles in Reeves County. Today, Clay is responsible for managing the field activities of all contract landmen in the Giddings field.

Clay, a ’79 charter member of the A&M Chapter of the fraternity Phi Gamma Delta (Fiji), was the second President of the chapter and has served as chairman and board member of the board of chapter advisors for the last five years. He has spoken to numerous classes and student organizations at Texas A&M, including the Finance Insurance and Real Estate (FIRE) Association at the request of Dr. Curtis Lard. Clay is a member of the Association of Former Students and is a season ticket holder for Texas A&M men’s and women’s basketball.

Clay and his wife Jeanne ’83 live in Austin, Texas and have two children, Clayton ’10 and Mary Claire ’16.

Click Below for Video Interview: 
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