PERSONAL RECORD INTERVIEW
Mike Stanley
Personal Record Interview
A building story with a seismic sequel Mike Stanley of MKS Consulting was in the house building business in Canada before an unlikely sequence of events in South Sudan turned his attention to seismic. Learning on the job, he became a senior executive in a geophysical services company based in the Middle East, before his next incarnation as a major player in the second-hand seismic equipment market and related brokering and leasing activities. His company has since 2016 completed over 150 transactions, the largest worth over $10 million.
Modest upbringing in Manitoba? My mom worked as an administrator in a doctors’ office and while she provided everything we needed, there was not a lot of ‘extra’ to go around. I remember wondering how business-oriented folk had carved out successful careers, so I would try to seek them out and ask lots of questions. Building trade straight from high school? I had worked in construction since the age of 15 as a labourer during the summer. I was fortunate to have hard working men and women shape my understanding of a strong work ethic. How did seismic business come into your life? Seismic business found me. In 2006 I was running my own residential carpentry business in Calgary, when a friend, who happened to work in seismic, asked for help with a humanitarian building project in South Sudan. There I encountered my first seismic field camp and subsequently was invited to get involved on the company’s business side. Highlights of rise to ops manager in Dubai I began as an analyst with the geophsysical services company in Calgary. Within four years, I completed my Business Diploma, and became a Dubai-based executive manager, with the added duty of contract and client relations. The highlight would
be the development of strong relationships with the project team. Managing personnel with 30-40+ years of experience required some sensitivity with a willingness to learn and collaborate. In 2016 it was back to house building My time as operations manager ended during the industry downturn in 2015. After relocating back to Nova Scotia, Canada from Dubai, I was trying to determine ‘what’s next?’. Even though I had managed a multi-million dollar company, my CV was confusing to potential employers, and I struggled to find a job. So I went back to basics and did some house-building. I remember my mom saying that to support my brother and I she would work at a fast-food restaurant if necessary. Maybe that inspired me. How the company came about? While I was trying to figure out how to capitalise on my experience, I was contacted by former seismic industry colleagues. They had a vast amount of seismic equipment stranded in North Iraq, and they hired me to consult and travel to the location to find a solution. I managed to negotiate the export approval process recovering 100% of their equipment. This was the genesis of my future business. By word of mouth, customers began to contact me for similar projects, especially finding second-hand equipment at a time when seismic business was ailing and there was no money about. FIRST
The status today My company was registered in 2016 and has become a seismic industry leader in the used seismic equipment market. We have exclusive representation agreements with several international service companies and broker sale and leasing transactions. Now we also purchase seismic equipment on a speculative basis, knowing it has future value for potential sale. Our growing pool of equipment for lease includes TZ source vessels, acoustic transponders, Sercel 428 cabled equipment, and recently acquired Sercel WiNG nodes. What next? In such a volatile industry, I’ve never claimed to know what the future holds. But I believe that the trade, lease, and logistics set-up we have created can be replicated in other niche industries. For the moment we will continue to equip our customers according to the demands of the industry. We also hope to grow our services outside of purely seismic equipment into other E&P sectors adopting the same business model. Time away from work? When I am not travelling, I spend as much time as possible with my young son and daughter, including coaching their baseball and basketball teams. I also stay active and competitive by participating in CrossFit five days a week. When travelling, I can always find a CrossFit affiliated gym in which to work out, and that keeps me in a healthy, active state of mind.
BREAK
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VOLUME
41
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AUGUST
2023
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