The Arete Creek team is built on deep operational, technical, and transactional expertise. Ten of our sixteen team members previously worked together at Henry Resources, building a decade-long track record of successful project execution. As a cohesive unit, we were directly responsible for drilling, completing, and producing more than 200 horizontal wells developed by Henry between 2014 and 2024.
Our management group has played integral roles in creating five successful Permian Basin upstream ventures: Bold Energy I, II & III, Henry Resources’ horizontal resource strategy, and Oxbow Petroleum. This history reflects not just individual résumés, but a proven ability to work together to deliver results.
Our business development team brings exceptional transactional capability, having executed over $8 billion in upstream deals through a disciplined and repeatable process. In addition, our staff brings extensive experience and training from respected industry leaders including Blackbeard, Chevron, Citation, Concho, Ovintiv, Oxy, Permian Resources, and Southwestern.
With our current team, Arete Creek is fully equipped to operate more than 100 wells and manage complete asset development from cradle to grave—supporting a two-rig drilling program with efficiency, precision, and consistency.
Meet the dedicated professionals who will drive Arete Creek Resources' success.
Blake Braun
President & COO
Mr. Braun, a Midland native, has 17 years of oil and gas experience. Prior to forming Oxbow with Co-Founder Will Rutherford in 2020, he worked for Henry Resources for 11 years. At Henry Resources, Mr. Braun worked in drilling, reservoir and operations. Most of his time at Henry was spent leading the Drilling team. As Drilling Manager Blake oversaw Henry’s transition from an exclusively vertical driller to an active multi-rig horizontal driller in both the Midland and Delaware Basins. Before Henry, Blake worked as an engineer for Discovery Operating and Oxy. Blake graduated from Texas Tech University with a Bachelor of Science in Civil Engineering. Mr. Braun has been active as a volunteer with Young Life for 20 years and currently serves on the Midland Young Life Committee.
Patrick Cohorn
CEO
Mr. Cohorn, raised in a small farming community in southeast New Mexico, has spent his 20-year career in oil and gas working the Permian Basin. Patrick began his career in 2005 as a geologist with EnCap-backed Bold Energy. Mr. Cohorn remained with the Bold Energy team in various roles through all three iterations of the company, Bold I, II and III, until joining Henry Resources as a Geologist in 2015. In 2018, Patrick was promoted to Geological and Business Development Manager. By 2021, Patrick was elevated to Operations Manager. In 2023, Mr. Cohorn was promoted to COO and eventually President of Henry Resources before leaving to form Arete Creek with his partners. Patrick has a Bachelor of Science, Sul Ross State University; a Master of Science, Oklahoma State University; and, a Masters of Business Administration, University of Oklahoma.
Tyler Chesworth
Exploration Manager
Tyler Chesworth was born and raised in Big Spring, Texas, and brings over 12 years of experience as a geologist, offering deep technical expertise and leadership in the exploration and development of oil and gas assets across the Permian Basin. He began his career with Berry Petroleum in Midland, TX, developing vertical Wolfberry wells, and later joined Fleur de Lis Energy in Irving, TX, as the company's first geology hire. There, he gained multi-basin experience and advanced to Development Manager, overseeing subsurface operations. Throughout his career, Tyler has led multidisciplinary teams to optimize development programs, delineate basin margins, and support acquisition evaluations and divestitures. Most recently, he served as a Senior/Staff Geologist with Earthstone Energy and Permian Resources until recently joining Arete Creek in 2025. Tyler holds both a Bachelor of Science and a Master of Science in Geology from The University of Texas Permian Basin.
Justin Crump
Marketing & Facilities Manager
Mr. Crump has 16 years of oil and gas experience in the Permian Basin. He started his career in 2007 with Nicholas Consulting Group focusing on engineering and design of upstream and midstream surface facilities. In 2013 he joined Chevron as a facilities engineer where he worked to become the lead design owner of their Mid-Continent Business Unit's standard facilities. In 2018 Mr. Crump joined Concho Resources and worked on multiple asset teams helping to develop their Delaware Basin and North Midland Basin acreage. Prior to joining Oxbow Petroleum in 2024, Mr. Crump was employed at Henry Resources where he supported all operations activities involving facilities and pipeline systems. Mr. Crump holds a B.S. in Mechanical Engineering from Texas Tech University. Justin and his wife currently serve and volunteer at Greenwood ISD school, youth sports programs, and Greenwood Baptist Church.
Brandon Phillips
Drilling Manager
Mr. Phillips has a 14-year career as a drilling engineer, drilling horizontal wells across many basins in the lower 48. Brandon's career started with Southwestern Energy where he was a drilling engineer responsible for horizontal wells in the Marcellus Shale and Fayetteville. In 2018 he joined Henry Resources where he oversaw the drilling operations and engineering in the Delaware and Midland Basins. Brandon joined Oxbow Petroleum in 2024 and provides his drilling expertise as Drilling Manager. Mr. Phillips holds a B.S. in Petroleum Engineering from Texas A&M University. Brandon is an active volunteer in the children's program at his local church.
Amy Pitcock
VP of Business Development
Amy is a West Texas native with over 15 years of experience in oil and gas land and business development. She joined Arete Creek Resources in 2025 as Vice President of Business Development after a successful tenure at Ovintiv. Her career also includes key roles at Bold Energy and Endeavor, where she helped lead transactions totaling more than $8 billion in value.
Deeply committed to her community, Amy serves on the Board of Trustees for the Permian Basin Petroleum Museum and the Board of Directors for the Big Bend Conservancy. She was also a founding board member of the Permian Basin chapters of the Women’s Energy Network and Women of Courage.
Amy holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Finance from Angelo State University and an MBA in Energy from the University of Oklahoma. She is a Certified Professional Landman and a licensed Realtor.
She and her husband, Blake, have been married since 2004 and enjoy spending time at their property in Coke County, Texas, with their two dogs.
Blake Pitcock
EVP Land
Mr. Pitcock has 14 years of oil and gas experience. Blake is a native of West Texas with experience in midstream natural gas operations, water midstream, operational land work, business development, transactions and surface land work. Prior to his time at Henry, Mr. Pitcock was part of the Business Development team for Bold Energy III until the company sold to Earthstone Energy in 2017. Mr. Pitcock has attained the designation of Certified Professional Landman through the AAPL and holds a bachelor’s degree from Texas Tech University. Blake and his wife Amy have been married since 2004 and enjoy working together on their property in Coke County, Texas. Mr. Pitcock is a member of the AAPL, PBLA and the Midland Wildcat Committee.
Michael Randle
Controller
Mr. Randle has 16 years of oil and gas accounting experience. Michael began his career in 2009 as a financial analyst with ExxonMobil in Houston. He held numerous accounting assignments of progressing responsibility with XTO Energy post-acquisition. In 2016, Michael joined Blackbeard Operating in Midland as the Permian Controller. Mr. Randle stayed with Blackbeard until joining Arete Creek as Controller in 2025. Mr. Randle holds a Bachelor of Science degree from Purdue University in Management with a concentration in Finance. He was also an Academic All-American on the Purdue golf team. Michael and his wife enjoy raising their two small children in West Texas and are active volunteers in the community.
Bo Ritchie
Operations Manager
Mr. Ritchie, a Midland native, has 17 years of oil and gas experience as a Production Engineer. Prior to joining Oxbow Petroleum in 2022, he was employed at Citation Oil and Gas for 14 years as a production engineer with responsibilities across various producing assets. Bo provides the daily oversight of all production operations and production engineering at Oxbow. Mr. Ritchie holds a B.S. in Petroleum Engineering from Texas Tech University. Bo is currently serving as a pre-teen leader at Midland Bible Church and volunteers at COM Aquatics.
Will Rutherford
CFO
Mr. Rutherford, born and raised in Midland, TX has been active in the oil and gas industry for over 10 years as a finance professional in upstream operations, mineral acquisition, midstream and crude marketing, and real estate investment and development. Prior to forming Oxbow with Blake Braun, Will was the CFO for Ventura Energy Partners, LP. Upon graduation from Baylor University with a B.B.A. in Finance and Economics, Will began his career as an analyst for a company specializing in distressed real estate investments. Mr. Rutherford has been active as a volunteer leader with Young Life and currently serves on the Midland Young Life Committee.
Amy Smith
Accounting Manager
Born and raised in Midland, Amy has spent her 19-year career in oil and gas accounting working in the Permian Basin. She began her career in 2006 with a small tax firm and then moved in 2007 to Pioneer Natural Resources where she worked as a JIB Accountant. In 2011, she joined Delaware Basin Resources, where she gained extensive experience in operational finance over 12 years. After the sale of Delaware Basin Resources in 2023, she transitioned to Permian Resources as the Joint Interest Billing Supervisor, overseeing billing operations for over 10,000 properties. In 2025, Mrs. Smith joined Arete Creek Resources as Accounting Manager, where she leads comprehensive accounting functions, including financial reporting, regulatory compliance, and operational accounting. She holds a dual bachelor's degree from Texas Tech University. Amy served on the board of the Permian Basin chapter of COPAS for over six years, including one term as President. She has been married to her husband for over 18 years and is the proud mom of two boys and a dog.
Angie Underwood
Reservoir Engineering Manager
Angie is a reservoir engineer with 13 years of experience in reservoir engineering, petrophysics, and production engineering. She began her career as a production engineer at Anadarko Petroleum Corporation and has since held technical roles with both public and private operators, including Matador Resources Company, Summit Petroleum LLC, and Permian Resources. Angie focuses on maximizing asset value through detailed evaluations supporting acquisitions, trades, and organic growth opportunities. She holds a Bachelor of Science in Chemical Engineering from Cornell University and a Master of Science in Petroleum Engineering from Texas A&M University. Outside of work, she enjoys spending time with her husband and their two boys.