Steven G. Smith
Brigham Young University, Marriott School of Business
Age: 45
“Dedicated father who loves to stay active.”
Hometown: Houston, Texas
Family Members: Danielle (wife), 3 kids: Garrett (21), Ethan (16), and Olivia (14)
Fun fact about yourself: About halfway through the EMBA program, I started rebuilding a 1962 International Harvester Scout 80 with my brother in Utah. I haven’t quite finished it yet, but we are having a lot of fun.
Undergraduate School and Degree: B.S. (2003) and M.S. (2005) in Chemical Engineering from the Brigham Young University Ira A. Fulton College of Engineering
Where are you currently working?
Company: ExxonMobil
Role: Reservoir Engineering Advisor in our Acquisitions and Divestment Team
Extracurricular Activities, Community Work and Leadership Roles: I love to mountain bike. It’s a little bit different in Houston, but there are surprisingly good, fun trails here. In addition to my full-time job and my other responsibilities, I’ve been actively involved in my church. I have served as the ecclesiastical leader of a young-single adult congregation, and I currently serve as a youth seminary teacher.
Which academic or extracurricular achievement are you most proud of during business school? When I started the EMBA program, I really wanted to master all of the material. I decided that I was going to do my best to get the best grades possible, as long as I could still balance work and life. It wasn’t always easy.
Marketing wasn’t a particularly hard class. At the end of the semester, the professor gave the students with high enough grades the option to not take the final and walk away with a B in the class—or to take the final and accept the grade. Because I had made it a goal to get the best grades possible, I decided to take the final. It was harder than I thought it would be. I’m an engineer, so I like problems that have definite answers. Many of the final’s questions were open-ended. For example: what are some ways to market this product? I answered the questions, but then I asked myself, “Did I answer this question correctly?” or “Did I provide enough information in my response?” I wasn’t sure if I had mastered the material. However, as I near the end of my program, I’m proud to say I’ve received all A’s so far, and I’ve learned a lot in the process.
What achievement are you most proud of in your professional career? I think one of the key highlights in my career was starting up a new oil field off the shore of Angola, where we opened wells that were producing over 20,000 barrels of oil per day per well.
I’m a reservoir engineer, so my normal day job is to work on a computer and plan where our company drills wells. I then try to model or forecast how much the company will produce from each well. We combine the forecasted rates with the costs required to drill and maintain the well to get a forecasted return on investment. Then we take that forecast to management to get approval to move forward. About 10 years ago, after getting approval and drilling some new wells, I was assigned to monitor the ramp-up of production for these wells off the shore of Angola.
For three weeks, I was on the floating production facility—a large tanker converted to process crude oil while anchored to the ocean bottom—personally monitoring the opening of the new wells. We carefully monitored and adjusted the choke setting until the wells were producing at their peak stable rate.
It was the first time I had personally gone offshore to a producing facility in the middle of the ocean. For someone working mostly on a computer to model expected well production, it was incredible to see the scale of the operations required to produce oil and then see how prolific these wells are. It bridged what I do in the office to real life. These wells make over 20,000 barrels of oil a day, so the work I did helped revitalize the production at that facility, added to the global supply, and increased the overall success of the company.
Who was your favorite MBA professor? I loved just about every professor in the program, but I’d have to say Mike Drake and Jake Thornock, because they co-taught the first accounting class I ever took. It was 6 hours on a Friday, but they made it fun. They had great stories and jokes, and it all tied into accounting to help the material sink in and keep the class engaged. Not only did they make the class fun, but they also wanted each of us to succeed and love accounting like they do.
Why did you choose this school’s executive MBA program? The EMBA program at BYU Marriott had a good reputation for being not only a great school, but also one focused on developing complete leaders—in business and also in life. I was looking for more than just the business degree. I needed to recharge spiritually, and I knew that BYU Marriott would focus on developing me as a whole person.
What is the biggest lesson you gained during your MBA, and how did you apply it at work? I think the biggest lesson I’ve learned is you can always keep learning and applying new things in work and life. I’ve applied what I learned in the finance and accounting classes to my current role in Acquisitions and Divestments as I hold discussions with my team to reach better understanding and recommendations.
For example, as I’ve learned accounting terms, I can ask questions that I didn’t consider before. My role is to help determine the value of an asset. I ask questions such as: If we continue producing, what would the value of that production be? Sometimes there’s a conversation of the book value versus what we see as value. Having been in the EMBA program, I can now have those conversations with accountants and understand their concerns and sensitivities with what they’re doing. Then I can better bridge those understandings to move forward collaboratively.
Give us a story during your time as an executive MBA on how you were able to juggle work, family and education? I leave Texas every other weekend to attend classes in the EMBA program in Utah, and I miss a lot of family stuff. To try to have better balance, I will load up on schoolwork during my weekends when I travel for class. For example, I travel on Thursdays to Utah, so I do many of the readings during the three-hour flight and on the train ride to Salt Lake City. I try and make my travel and school days effective, so during the week I am able to spend my evenings and time with my family and go to events and activities with them.
What advice would you give to a student looking to enter an executive MBA program? Just go for it. I don’t think you’ll regret the added training and education you get. Even if you are busy, you’ll be surprised at how much you are capable of elevating your efficiency and rising to the challenge.
What was your biggest regret in business school? I traveled in from Texas to Utah for class, so I’d say my biggest regret is probably not being able to be as active in the social activities. But that was a sacrifice I had to make for balance with family and work in Houston.
Which MBA classmate do you most admire? Joel Warden. He is such a great guy, a good friend, and he puts forth 100% effort into his schoolwork, his family, and his job. He had a few health challenges during the program. He had a lot going on with his family and moved homes, but he was always in class with a smile and prepared to contribute to group work.
What was the main reason you chose an executive MBA program over part-time or online alternatives? As a full-time professional and father, the full-time MBA program didn’t feel right for me. I also really wanted to make connections in person. I feel like I learn better in person, and I wanted to network with the professors and other students on a more personal level.
What is your ultimate long-term professional goal? To me it’s not about the position but being able to add value in unique ways—being able to advise upper management while considering all aspects of a decision so that the best information is shared. I’m hoping to have a better understanding of investment ideas and small business ventures in the future.
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