Team

Steve Yarbro is a distinguished engineer and scientist with four decades of experience across national security, energy, and complex process technology development. He holds BS, MS, and PhD degrees in Chemical Engineering from New Mexico State University. His career includes technical management roles at Phillips Petroleum and Rockwell Automation, as well as senior leadership at Los Alamos National Laboratory, where he led the Nuclear Material Technology Division with a $400 million budget and 1,200 employees. He has led large-scale engineering programs supporting national security initiatives and received the Los Alamos National Laboratory Global Security Medal.

Chris Traylor is an entrepreneur and investor with more than 25 years of experience from both sides of the table building energy, technology, and cleantech companies. He spent 15 years building Flywheel Ventures, where he worked with numerous portfolio companies through successful exits. Earlier in his career, Mr. Traylor was CEO of PureColor, a clean-tech company acquired after redefining the wood coatings industry with environmentally sustainable solutions. He also held senior leadership roles at MIOX Corporation, a global water treatment innovator, where he spearheaded business development across 40+ countries before its acquisition by Johnson Matthey (LON: JMAT). Mr. Traylor began his entrepreneurial career with PSI (acq. by NYSE: SII), an oilfield electric submersible pump technology start-up. Joining as the second hire, Mr. Traylor performed executive marketing, product management and business development roles. Before PSI, Mr. Traylor was a professional athlete with the Seattle Mariners organization and competed in major collegiate athletics in the Big XII Conference. Mr. Traylor and his wife Deborah are also active in venture philanthropy and faith-based giving.

David Fischer is an energy industry executive with more than 30 years of leadership in supply chain, manufacturing, refining, and operations. He served as Vice President of Global Supply Chain at Baker Hughes, overseeing complex multinational operations supporting chemicals, fluids, and industrial services businesses. Earlier in his career, he held engineering and operations management roles with Chevron USA at the Pascagoula and Port Arthur refineries, then advanced through technical service, sales, manufacturing, and downstream chemicals leadership at Petrolite and Baker Petrolite. Mr. Fischer holds BS and MS degrees in Chemical Engineering from the University of Missouri-Rolla. He brings HOS deep experience in industrial execution, global supply chains, and manufacturing systems built for scale.

Steve Strobel is an energy-sector entrepreneur and industrial construction leader with decades of experience delivering engineered solutions for oil and gas clients. He is President and Chief Executive Officer of Strobel Energy Group, which provides engineering, procurement, construction management, and related services across the energy industry. He also oversees companies including Tierra Firme Midstream and Strobel Manufacturing, reflecting a broad operating footprint across energy infrastructure and fabrication. Since purchasing Strobel Construction from his father in 1986, Mr. Strobel has directed the design and delivery of state-of-the-art industrial facilities for more than 25 years. He supports HOS with practical execution expertise across engineering, fabrication, construction, and field deployment.

T. Greg Merrion is a petroleum engineer, energy executive, investor, and former President of Merrion Oil & Gas, a family-owned independent producer based in New Mexico. Raised in a family with deep oil and gas roots, he pursued petroleum engineering and assumed leadership of Merrion Oil & Gas in 1992. Under his leadership, the company expanded operations while maintaining a reputation for safe and efficient energy production. Mr. Merrion now leads Merrion Oil & Gas as a diversified holding company, while day-to-day E&P operations have transitioned to the next generation under his son’s leadership. His experience combines independent producer operations, capital formation, and long-term energy-sector stewardship. Through the Merrion Family Foundation, he has also supported education, economic development, free enterprise, social services, and the arts.

Joe Stanislaw is a leading advisor on international economics, energy markets, sustainability, and corporate strategy. He co-founded Cambridge Energy Research Associates in 1983 and served as its President and Chief Executive Officer before the firm was acquired by IHS Energy. He holds a BA from Harvard University and a PhD in economics from Edinburgh University, and his career includes academic work at Cambridge University and service as a senior economist at the International Energy Agency. After CERA, he founded The JAStanislaw Group and served as an Independent Senior Advisor to Deloitte's Energy & Resources practice. Co-author of The Commanding Heights with Daniel Yergin and a member of the Council on Foreign Relations, Stanislaw brings HOS broad perspective on global energy markets, sustainability, and strategic positioning.

John Dirvin is a finance and operations leader with experience across venture capital, technology, and industrial businesses. He joined Austin Ventures in 1997, focusing on firm operations for a platform that raised ten funds and approximately $3.9 billion in aggregate capital over its history. Before Austin Ventures, he spent 13 years at Texas Instruments in marketing and financial management roles within the TI Software and UNIX Computer businesses. Mr. Dirvin holds an MBA, MEng, and BS in Mechanical Engineering from Cornell University. He brings HOS financial discipline, operating perspective, and venture-backed company experience.

John Homan is an oil and gas marketing and logistics professional with more than 20 years of experience, including deep expertise in heavy oil markets. He co-founded Tailwind Energy Solutions and serves as Vice President of Business Development, helping producers optimize oil sales, gas supply, logistics, and market access strategies. His work has delivered significant per-barrel netback improvements while reducing sales, supply, transportation, and terminal risks. Previously, he was Vice President of Marketing at Serafina Energy and Senior Marketing and Logistics Representative at Laricina Energy. A Chartered Financial Analyst, Mr. Homan has built and managed physical and financial risk management programs for oil, gas, and foreign exchange with more than $1 billion in total value.

Marvin Trimble is an oil and gas logistics and terminal design professional with more than 30 years of experience across drilling and completions, terminal construction and operations, and multimodal commodity logistics. His career includes roles with Amoco Canada, now BP Canada, and leadership in rail terminal transloading through Simba Transload Ltd. From 1988 to 1993 and from 2004 to the present, he has loaded more than 3,800 railcars, offloaded more than 1,900, designed or assisted in the design of 33 terminals, converted eight terminals to load crude, and helped train and start 15 crude terminals since 2010. After Simba was acquired by Strobel Starostka Transfer Canada, he continued as Director of Commercial Development for the company's Canadian operations and currently serves as President of Simba Transload. Mr. Trimble advises HOS on terminal design, transloading, and logistics execution.

Nader Sultan is a distinguished Kuwaiti energy leader with extensive experience in global oil and gas strategy, governance, and international operations. He served as Chief Executive Officer of Kuwait Petroleum Corporation, where he helped shape the company's strategic direction, production capabilities, and international partnerships. His career spans refining, exploration, market strategy, and senior advisory roles across the oil and gas industry. He has also contributed to OPEC discussions and broader energy policy dialogue focused on energy security and market stability. Mr. Sultan currently serves as Director of the Oxford Energy Seminar at Saint Catherine's College, Oxford University, and advises HOS on international market strategy and energy-sector relationships.

Shawn Gale, RET, PMP, is a senior project management and engineering professional with more than 30 years of experience in heavy oil, energy infrastructure, and major capital projects. He has built a career delivering complex multimillion-dollar projects safely, on schedule, and on budget while developing high-performing teams. As Manager of Major Projects at Serafina Energy, he helped grow the company from inception to a $2.3 billion sale and led the design and construction of four 10,000 BBL/day SAGD thermal plants and associated infrastructure. His project portfolio includes more than $1 billion in spend and prior leadership roles with Encana, Shell, Husky Energy, and TransCanada across thermal, pipeline, and facility projects. Mr. Gale brings HOS disciplined project execution, cost control, and capital project leadership from planning through start-up.

Sushanth David is a technology leader with more than two decades of experience in artificial intelligence, machine learning, telecommunications, and advanced systems architecture. He spent three years at AWS as a Senior Principal focused on AI at the edge, following service as Lead Technologist for AI and ML at Google. Earlier, he served for eight years as Ericsson's Chief Technology Officer for South and Central America, leading AI-driven solutions for major telecom providers including America Movil and Telefonica. He also spent eight years at Cisco as a Principal Software Engineer advancing networking and IoT technologies. With 12 patents in areas including semantic reasoning, trustworthy AI, and cognitive computing, Mr. David supports HOS with technology systems expertise and Latin American market insight.

Travis Steele serves as Chief Executive Officer and General Counsel for Abo Empire, LLC, the Yates Petroleum family office, and several of its portfolio companies. He is actively involved in legal and business development activities for Heavy Oil Solutions and related portfolio companies, including Eden Radioisotopes, Helios Water Technologies, Vara Assets, Abo Petroleum, and JAY Land. He leads sourcing, analysis, and negotiation of Abo Empire investment activities and has extensive experience in corporate governance, acquisitions, business strategy, entity formation, structuring, and organization. He also advises on property acquisition and disposition transactions and related financing matters. Before moving in-house, Mr. Steele was a partner at Butler Snow, LLP, where he served as outside general counsel to businesses across energy, government contracting, healthcare, construction, and manufacturing.