Title: 1) Owner and President; 2) Technical Advisor
Company: 1) Desert Rain Consulting LLC; 2) Solomon Associates
Location: Farmington, New Mexico, United States
John W. Caldwell III, Owner and President at Desert Rain Consulting LLC and Technical Advisor at Solomon Associates, has been recognized by Marquis Who’s Who Top Engineers for dedication, achievements, and leadership in Engineering.
Mr. Caldwell has established a distinguished career spanning over 45 years in the oil and gas industry, marked by technical expertise, leadership and a commitment to continuous improvement. Since 2012, he has served as the owner and president of Desert Rain Consulting LLC, based in Farmington, New Mexico. In this capacity, Mr. Caldwell provides specialized consulting services focused on upstream oil and gas operations, with an emphasis on unconventional resource development and process optimization. His responsibilities include managing client relationships, conducting in-depth data analysis, and delivering actionable insights to enhance operational efficiency for companies in the U.S. and abroad, including Canada, Australia and the Middle East.
Concurrently, Mr. Caldwell has served as a technical advisor for Solomon Associates, a global benchmarking firm. In this role, he is frequently engaged as a subject matter expert to evaluate the operations of companies worldwide. Mr. Caldwell’s work involves extensive research and data collection, analyzing individual well production data and financial information using certified algorithms, and generating comprehensive reports that benchmark client performance against industry standards. These efforts have enabled clients to improve production efficiency and increase revenue.
Mr. Caldwell retired as an operations advisor at ConocoPhillips in 2011, having spent five years with the organization. During his tenure, he played a pivotal role in integrating Burlington Resources into ConocoPhillips following its acquisition. He led initiatives focused on continuous process improvement, including the implementation of the Deming Method across teams and vendors in San Juan. Under Mr. Caldwell’s leadership, the organization advanced from a third-quartile to a first-quartile performance metric, establishing itself as an industry leader.
From 2002 to 2006, Mr. Caldwell was a senior engineering advisor at Burlington Resources. He was instrumental in advancing unconventional resource development projects, particularly in coalbed methane and shale gas extraction. Between 1988 and 2002, Mr. Caldwell held various engineering and production manager roles at Burlington Resources, where he oversaw large-scale drilling programs and resource quantification efforts.
Earlier in his career, from 1980 to 1988, Mr. Caldwell held individual contributor and engineering supervisor positions at Burlington Resources. He began his professional journey as a production engineer with Texaco in 1978.
In addition to his corporate roles, Mr. Caldwell has served as an expert witness on reservoir issues before state oil and gas commissions in Oklahoma, Texas, Colorado, North Dakota, Montana, New Mexico and Arkansas. His recognized authority in unconventional oil and gas extraction, coalbed methane development and business process improvement has made him a sought-after consultant and advisor within the industry.
Mr. Caldwell holds a Bachelor of Science in civil engineering with an emphasis on structural engineering, cum laude, from the University of Idaho in Moscow, Idaho, in 1977. He holds professional engineer certifications from the Oklahoma and New Mexico State Boards, underscoring his technical proficiency and commitment to maintaining high professional standards.
Beyond his education, Mr. Caldwell is a member of the Society of Petroleum Engineers, reflecting his ongoing engagement with professional networks dedicated to advancing petroleum engineering practices. In addition to his professional pursuits, he has demonstrated civic commitment through service with the American National Red Cross. He also serves as the board chair for the New Mexico state chapter, a position he has held since 2020, following his previous tenure as the board chair for the Northwest New Mexico chapter from 2010 to 2020.
A defining achievement of Mr. Caldwell’s career occurred in the late 1980s when he led a team that broke over one trillion cubic feet of gas in the San Juan Basin’s Fruitland coal formation. This milestone required rigorous subsurface evaluation and the drilling of approximately 4,000 to 5,000 wells over several years. The project not only established significant gas reserves but also set new industry benchmarks for coal seam gas development. The success of this initiative contributed to Burlington Resources’ reputation as a pioneer in unconventional gas operations and influenced similar developments internationally.
Mr. Caldwell attributes his achievements to curiosity, analytical thinking, determination and adaptability. His willingness to embrace challenges and learn continuously has shaped his approach to leadership and innovation. In the future, Mr. Caldwell aims to continue mentoring younger professionals within the oil and gas industry and remains dedicated to supporting community initiatives.
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