Meet Jay McGovern
As the owner and chief geologist of McGovco, LTD, Jay McGovern has been generating successful oil & gas prospects in South Texas for over 37 years. The results of his prospects speak for themselves, as he is able to live off of the producing oil & gas assets that he has discovered to date. Having a focus on conventional, small-scale drilling deals surrounded by proven economic production, Jay’s business model has allowed him to weather the volatility of the oil market while others have gone out of business.
The son of Dr. E.A. and Mrs. LeGene McGovern, Jay was born in Cleveland, Ohio as the fifth of seven children. He and his family moved east a few years later, living in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania until Jay was 12. Jay’s life in Texas began as Dr. McGovern flew with his wife and seven children to Beaumont, TX, the home of one of the first oil wells in Texas, in July of 1969.
Having taken an early interest in science and spending time in the outdoors, Jay decided pursue a degree in Wildlife and Fisheries Management after graduating from high school in Beaumont. He graduated in 1980 from Texas A&M in College Station, married his high school sweetheart, Elizabeth, who graduated with a degree in mechanical engineering, and moved to Corpus Christi to begin his new life. At his first job, Jay quickly found that shoveling gravel at a fish farm was not how he envisioned his education serving him into the future, so he decided to return to school to complete a Bachelor of Science in Geology from Corpus Christi State University in 1982.
After graduating, Jay gathered experience and expanded his knowledge of oil & gas geology for 13 years by working various positions with exploration firms in Corpus Christi and working on retainer for numerous investors. In 1995, he decided to go into business for himself, working on his own to create prospects, buy leases from landowners, and structure deals with investors.
Over the last 35 years, Jay’s ideas have led him to drill nearly 250 wells that have produced a cumulative 1.95 million barrels of oil and 19 BCF of gas. He has made his investors an estimated $126.4 million dollars, with 47% of his wells to date being hydrocarbon producers.
Jay continues to live in Corpus Christi with his wife, Elizabeth. Their four sons are grown and out of the house. Tim and Joe are both geologists in San Antonio, Andy is pursuing a career in computer coding, and Patrick is a graduate from UT with a degree in architecture. He trains young geologist in the sweet science; he has trained over 40 to this date. He drills 8 wells on average per year.