Oil and Gas Investor editor-in-chief Leslie Haines says, “The Oil and Gas Investor Excellence Awards honor commitment to quality and innovation in the most important areas of the oil and gas industry—executive management, financing, exploration, field rejuvenation, acquisitions, investor relations and exemplary corporate citizenship. As long-time supporters of the industry, we at Oil and Gas Investor are delighted to recognize these individuals and companies.” The 2007 honorees are as follows:

Executive of the Year: Guma Aguiar, co-founder of privately held Leor Energy LP, which was formed in 2003 as an East Texas/Deep Bossier wildcatter and sold in November 2007 to EnCana Corp. for $2.55 billion. The company proved Amoruso Field in Robertson County and, in some 24 months, grew production from zero to 240 million gross cubic feet per day.

M&A Deal of the Year: BreitBurn Energy Partners LP’s acquisition of Michigan, Indiana and Kentucky assets from Quicksilver Resources Inc. that employed some 50% cash and 50% locked-up BreitBurn units. The deal transformed the portfolios of each company. As a result, BreitBurn has increased its natural gas exposure; Quicksilver has increased its exposure to crude oil by virtue of its new, roughly 32% stake in BreitBurn units. J.P. Morgan Securities was the financial advisor to Quicksilver and Credit Suisse was the financial advisor to BreitBurn.

Financing of the Year: Privately held Milagro Exploration LLC’s raise of some $825 million to purchase Gulf Coast assets from Petrohawk Energy Corp. Milagro completed a series of financings to fund the acquisition, and was represented by UBS Investment Bank; Petrohawk was represented by Merrill Lynch Petrie Divestiture Advisors.

Best Discovery: Contango Oil & Gas Co.’s field discovery in Eugene Island Block 10 offshore Louisiana in the shallow Gulf of Mexico. Alone, Mary Rose #1 in 11 feet of water added 154 billion cubic feet equivalent to Contango’s proved reserves, a 68% increase. The company’s Dutch #1, #2 and #3 wells are each producing some 35 million cubic equivalent per day. Mary Rose #2 and #3 wells are under way.

Best Field Rejuvenation: ATP Oil & Gas Corp.’s redevelopment of Gomez Field in Mississippi Canyon 711 in the deepwater Gulf of Mexico. Many consider the deepwater Gulf to be nascent, but some fields are already in rejuvenation mode. ATP obtained Gomez, an oil and gas discovery in 3,000 feet of water in MC 711, 30 days before the lease was to expire in 2003.

Best IR Program: Range Resources Corp. In the past five years, as the company’s production and earnings have grown, it’s gotten the message out. The number of analysts covering Range has increased from four to 20, and attendance on analyst conference calls has tripled. In 2007, the company made presentations at more than 25 investor conferences, and in the latter half of the year, it began to attract major media attention.

Best Corporate Citizen: Southwestern Energy Co. has established a formal corporate giving program in the Fayetteville shale area in central Arkansas that involves several multi-year initiatives, including a scholarship and petroleum technology program with the University of Arkansas Community College at Morrilton, a partnership with Junior Achievement to bring an energy curriculum to high school students in Arkansas, and creation of the Damascus Bobwhite Quail Habitat Project with public entities to create, restore and maintain habitat for bobwhite quail.