The Offshore Energy Center recently sponsored its seventh annual Salute to Industry Interns in Houston.

Emceed by Libby Cheney, global vice president of Environment, Health, Safety and Social Responsibility for the Hess Corp., the conference provided more than 200 interns the opportunity to meet with their peers and to receive advice from professionals in the industry.

A conference highlight was a scavenger hunt using the Center’s Mobile Offshore Learning Unit, a small traveling museum that provides hands-on information about the oil and natural gas industry.

Keynote speaker Bruce Vincent, president of Swift Energy Co., opened with a lecture about opportunities in the energy industry, while a four-speaker panel of senior professionals offered insights.

Motivational speaker Dayna Steele, a longtime Houston radio personality, provided advice and funny anecdotes from her own life experiences, making the day-long event educational and very entertaining.

Rock Star Principles Of Success

“You’re a lowly intern. There, I said the words. You’re a lowly intern,” Steele said. “It’s OK. There’s still hope. You’re going to be great someday. Because beginning right now, this very moment, this very second, you are going to start thinking like you did when you were a kid -- that you can be a rock star.”

Having worked with musicians for many years, Steele got to observe key qualities of rock stars. Passion, networking, knowledge, and appreciation make up her Rock Star Principles of Success, the top qualities individual must have in order to succeed.

Passion

“Make sure you are passionate about what you do, because it’s going take a lot of work to be that rock star, to be that successful person.” Passion, Steele explained, is the first Principle of Success.

“Do you really think that, say, Steven Tyler, really wants to sing Walk This Way one more time? He doesn’t, but like many rock stars he is very passionate about what he does.”

However, Steele warned, even the most dedicated can inevitably fail. She told a story about Def Leppard drummer Rick Allen. On New Year’s Eve, he severed his left arm. Everyone thought his career was over. Yet within weeks, he was with the band, looking for a way to create a drum set that he could play with two good legs, and one good arm. He is still the band’s drummer today.

“The most successful people in the world fail all the time. You do not own every product Steve Jobs ever made, because half of them didn’t make it. But he learned, and he went on to make a better iPod, iPad, iPhone. So remember, there are going to be times that you fail. Don’t give up.”

Networking

The next Rock Star Principle is relationships and networking.

“Everything that happens will be because of a relationship you have with someone,” Steele said.

She gave an example using her experience with David Crosby, from the band Crosby, Stills and Nash. Crosby had just been released to a halfway house in Texas, and needed to be set up with a doctor and a dentist.

Steele said that a few years ago she sent a note to Crosby’s manager, who she had met at a party. “Nice to meet you. Thanks for inviting me to the party. If you ever need anything in Houston, give me a call.”

Crosby’s manager eventually did call Steele, and she assisted in arranging medical and dental help.

“David and I became friends. Yes, I got exclusive interviews. Never asked for it. Never expected it. David did it because I had helped him. You never know how these things are going to come back to you. It may not come back this afternoon. It may not come back next week.”

Knowledge

“Gene Simmons [rock star from Kiss] was once asked, ‘What is the one thing you attribute your success too?’ He said, ‘I read. I read everything I can get my hands on,’ ” Steele said.

Knowledge, the third Rock Star principle, is crucial if one is to be successful in any field, according to Steele.

Steele put it bluntly: “Why would anyone want to form a relationship with you if you don’t have a clue what’s going on?”

Appreciation

Lastly, there is appreciation. “I learned appreciation from Billy Idol. Billy Idol broke all attendance records when he played a concert at Six Flags. Management was absolutely blown away.”

The theme park management was so stunned by how successful Idol’s performance was that they turned on all the rides and lights as a thank you.

“And for the next two and a half hours, we rode rides. I’ll never forget the smell of wet hairspray and eyeliner -- and that’s just on the guys! It was the 80s!” Dayna recalled.

Always say thank you and always write a thank you note, Steele said. “People will remember it,” she added.

Introducing the Oil and Gas Industry

In the afternoon, a panel of experts explained the process of oil and gas development from beginning to end. Rusty Goetz, chief geologist at Marathon Oil, gave an overview of the industry. He also discussed how to get oil and gas to the market place, and he talked about the role of geologists in the process.

“We think that there are basically eight stages of exploration. The first four stages are identify, acquire, explore and appraise. That’s where geologists have probably the largest say in the project,” he said.

The other four stages are select, define, execute, and operate. Geologists tend to play a lesser role in these stages, Goetz explained.

Danny Brown, general manager for Anadarko, talked about shale, where it is found, how to develop it, and why we should care about it.

“Shale is becoming a bigger and bigger portion of oil and gas production and reserves. Shale gas represents about 30% of the total gas production in the United States, and this was 0% just a few years ago. We should care about shale because it’s going to represent a huge portion of all production in the United States,” he said.

Brown used his company’s involvement in the Eagle Ford shale to explain exactly how to drill for oil and how to do it safely. “I think shale is here to stay for some time. It will continue to play a bigger and bigger role within the industry, but it has to be done safely and responsibly,” he concluded.