Rhett Bennett, founder and CEO of Black Mountain Sand, a Texas-based frac sand provider, will speak at Midwestern State University at 3:30 p.m. and 7 p.m. Wednesday, Nov. 14, in Dillard 101 as part of the Dillard Energy Center Distinguished Speaker Series.

In 2007, Bennett established Black Mountain, and today the organization includes several business units: exploration and production operations, commercial saltwater disposal, and midstream and in-basin frac sand mining. In 2017, Black Mountain Oil and Gas I sold its New Mexico assets to Marathon Oil Corporation for $700 million.

Bennett was born in the coal country of Kentucky where his father ran the family coal mining business. While in the third grade, he placed seventh in national chess competition. He earned a Bachelor of Science in Business Management in 2003 from the University of Georgia. In 2012, he completed OU's Energy Executive Management Program. Oil and Gas Investor magazine named him a member of its 2017 "Forty Under 40" list.

Bennett serves as a board member of the Texas Alliance of Energy Producers, a member of the executive committee of the Fort Worth Wildcatters, the Independent Petroleum Association of America, the Texas Independent Producers & Royalty Owners Association, the National Association of Royalty Owners, the American Association of Professional Landmen, Young Professionals in Energy, and the Fort Worth Petroleum Club.

The 3:30 p.m. session is primarily for the campus community. The 7 p.m. session is for the community at large as well as the campus community. Admission is free. For information contact Jeff Stambaugh at jeff.stambaugh@msutexas.edu or 940-397-4634.