Our Team

Jon B. "Brett" Bennett

President

Brett Bennett is an oil and gas industry professional. As Vice President of Rife Energy Operating, Inc., an established North Texas operator, Mr. Bennett oversees strategic planning, business development and resource management. His experience in the industry has provided him with a firsthand understanding of the cyclical nature of the industry; and, Rife’s activity in mature oilfields has provided Brett an awareness of the environmental damage being caused by the abundance of untended wells across the state. This knowledge and concern distilled in Mr. Bennett a clarity of purpose that prompted him to found Native State to address the environmental and financial consequences of oilfield booms and busts.

Jeffrey S. Mecom

Director

Jeffrey S. Mecom serves as Senior Counsel, Western Hemisphere for Thermon, Inc., a publicly traded industrial process heating company. He has over 25 years of experience in securities, contracts, mergers and acquisitions, corporate governance and regulatory affairs. He served for eight years as Vice President-Legal and Corporate Secretary at TransAtlantic Petroleum Ltd., a publicly traded international oil and gas exploration and production company. Prior to that, Mr. Mecom served as Vice President-Legal and Corporate Secretary at IMCO Recycling Inc., a publicly traded metals recycling and alloying company. Mr. Mecom earned a J.D. from the University of Texas School of Law and a B.A. in Economics from the University of Texas at Austin.

Grant Swartzwelder

Director

Grant Swartzwelder is the President of OTA Environmental Solutions which is comprised of OTA Compression, OTA Environmental and Kimark Systems. Through these companies, OTA provides products and services to address emissions issues within the energy industry. Mr. Swartzwelder has been a frequent speaker on the environmental issues confronting the oil and gas world. He holds a B.S. in Petroleum Engineering from Texas A&M University and MBA from Harvard Business School.