Cardinal River Energy
211 N. Robinson, Suite 200 , Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, United States

Cardinal River Energy Company is a diversified energy company that was founded in 1987 in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. Through its various affiliates, the company is engaged in oil and gas exploration and production, gas gathering and processing, energy related acquisitions, energy financing, and other energy related businesses.  From its beginning as a non-operator that participated in third party prospects, the company now develops and operates its own prospects, and retains up to a 100% working interest in its wells. The company operates over 2,500 wells in Oklahoma and Kansas, and owns both operated and non-operated interests in over 3,500 wells located in Oklahoma, Kansas, Texas, Arkansas, Kansas, New Mexico, Mississippi, Louisiana and Illinois.  Through its affiliates, the company also owns and operates over 2,000 thousand miles of gathering pipelines and related assets in Oklahoma and Kansas.

Company History

Cardinal River Energy Company was founded in 1987 as a small exploration and production company. In late 2006, the company formed a strategic partnership with several privately held Oklahoma City based energy companies. These companies consolidated their oil and gas interests into Cardinal River Energy I LP. Through its early years, the company focused its business strategy on being a low cost, non-operating working interest owner in a diverse portfolio of oil and gas assets. As the company continued to grow and began generating its own prospects, the company formed CRECO Operating, LLC as an operating affiliate to drill, manage and operate the companys internally generated prospects.   Today, as a result of the general partners selective acquisition and participation strategies, the Partnership now owns operated and non-operated working interests, royalty interests and overriding royalty interests in over 1000 wells and properties located in several states including Oklahoma, Kansas, Arkansas, Texas, New Mexico, Mississippi, Illinois and Louisiana.  In early 2016, a consortium of five national banks retained an affiliate of Cardinal River Energy to provide independent analysis and advice concerning one of the bank groups oil and gas borrowers that was facing financial distress.   The borrower subsequently filed for bankruptcy protection.  During the bankruptcy proceeding, Cardinal River continued to provide analyses and advisory services, while also acting as an advocate for the bank group.  This eventually led to the formation of River Rock Energy Company, which was formed to assist the banks in making a successful credit bid for substantially all of the borrowers assets.  Under a collaborative arrangement with the bank group, River Rock Energy was assigned over 2,500 producing wells, associated leases, and a multi-state gas gathering and processing system.   River Rock Operating, LLC operates the wells and the gathering system.  

Cardinal River Energy Company

Cardinal River Energy Company was founded in 1987 by Art Swanson, then President of Ricks Exploration, Inc., to participate as a non-operator in prospects and wells developed by Ricks Exploration and others. As the company continued to grow, it began generating its own prospects and increased its participation interests in new prospects and wells.  In late 2006, the company formed a strategic partnership with several privately held Oklahoma City based energy companies. At such time, Cardinal River Energy Company became the largest owner in the partnership.  Today, the partnership, Cardinal River Energy I LP, owns operated and non-operated interests in over 1,000 wells and properties located in several states across the U.S. Cardinal River Energy Companys primary business continues to be to participate in oil and gas wells through the partnership, as well as direct participation in outside investments.  Cardinal River Energy is also the parent company of River Rock Energy Company and River Rock Operating, LLC.    River Rock Energy owns over 2,500 oil and gas wells in Oklahoma and Kansas, with over 2,300 miles of gas gathering and processing assets.   River Rock Operating, LLC is the operator of substantially all of the wells that are owned by River Rock Energy.  Both River Rock Energy and River Rock Operating were formed to assist a group of national banks in acquiring, owning and managing assets that were previously owned by a borrower that had filed for bankruptcy protection.  With Cardinal Rivers support, River Rock continues to manage and develop these assets.