A lifelong Morgantown resident, Reid grew up watching the shale boom reshape Appalachia and comes from a family with generations of roots in the region’s energy industry. Today he works on the Surface Land team, serving as a key link between the company and the landowners whose property it operates on.

How did you get into the energy industry, and what brought you to Expand?
Energy has been part of my family’s history for generations. My great-grandfather, my grandfather and other members of my family all worked in the energy sector. As a high school senior, I discovered West Virginia University’s Energy Land Management program at a career fair — pitched as the business side of oil and gas — and I was sold. I joined in Fall 2015, one semester after it launched, and interned with what was then Southwestern Energy in 2018 between the Jane Lew and Tunkhannock offices. The learning curve was steep, but it confirmed I’d found the right path. I joined the Surface Land team full-time in Morgantown afterward and have built my career here ever since.

Walk me through a typical day — how would you describe your job to a neighbor?
I usually say it’s easier to describe a typical week than a typical day. The Surface Land team sits at the intersection of many parts of the business — operations, construction, facilities, environmental, regulatory — while also serving as a primary point of contact for landowners. A big part of my job is being the translator between them and the company. One day I might be acquiring easements for waterline infrastructure, and the next I’m answering, “Is the fracking on that pad three miles away causing this new crack in my driveway?” Simply put, I make sure the company has the land rights it needs while maintaining good relationships with the people who own and live on that land.

What do you enjoy doing outside of work?
As much time outdoors with my family as possible — camping, hiking, biking, skiing, gardening or projects around our property. My wife would tell you that collecting hobbies is one of my hobbies; I’ve cycled through running, CrossFit, gravel biking, ping pong, kettlebells and more than a few others. I also enjoy amateur homesteading, and moving to a property with 10 acres has given me more room to expand that. And I like reading — or at least the audiobook version of it, since most of mine happens on long drives or while I’m working on a hobby.

This summer, Expand Energy hosted 29 interns across the company in departments including Operations, Engineering, Accounting and Information Technology. Our internship program trains the next generation of energy workers through hands-on, industry-leading experience. To learn more, read A Day-in-the-Life of Petrotech Engineer Intern Carson Jones.