HOUSTON, TX–(Marketwired – May 24, 2017) – Quantum Energy Partners (“Quantum“), a leading energy private equity firm, is pleased to announce the formation of Middle Fork Energy Partners, LLC (“Middle Fork” or the “Company“) with its founders Christopher L. Valdez (“Valdez“) and Jeffrey E. Wojahn (“Wojahn“, and together with Valdez, the “Founders“). Quantum and members of the Middle Fork management team have collectively made initial capital commitments in excess of $200 million to the Company.
Middle Fork, headquartered in Denver, Colorado, seeks to acquire, develop, and operate properties in the Rocky Mountain region of the U.S. where the Founders have a demonstrated track record of execution. With the initial capital commitments and Quantum’s demonstrated ability to deploy additional funds as required, Middle Fork has the flexibility to pursue a wide range of acquisition and development opportunities.
The Middle Fork team is led by Valdez as Chief Executive Officer and Wojahn as Executive Chairman. Prior to Middle Fork, Valdez most recently served as VP – Marketing & Planning for Vantage Energy, LLC (“Vantage“), a Quantum portfolio company. Prior to Vantage, Valdez served in a variety of roles at Encana Oil & Gas (USA) Inc. (“Encana USA“), including VP — Planning and Asset Manager — Piceance Basin. Wojahn has over 30 years of oil & gas industry leadership experience, including leading Encana USA as its President from 2006 to 2013. In addition to the Founders, all other Middle Fork leadership roles have been filled with individuals who worked closely alongside the Founders at prior companies including Ty Harrison, CFO, Frank Merendino, SVP — Operations, Worth Carlin, VP — Land, and Rob Zaback, VP — Development.
Valdez remarked on the closing, “Middle Fork is privileged to partner with Quantum, a premier energy capital provider that adds value to its portfolio companies by offering complementary industry knowledge, technical expertise, and exceptional business acumen. The Middle Fork team has a deep technical understanding, comprehensive commercial appreciation, and a proven operational track record of success in developing assets in the Rockies. We see great opportunity in partnering with Quantum to acquire and develop assets in this underappreciated region.”
Wil VanLoh, Founder and CEO of Quantum, commented, “We are excited to be partnering with such an accomplished team led by Chris and Jeff. This team has tremendous relationships and execution expertise in the Rockies, an area we believe is ripe for the application of various unconventional technologies. We look forward to partnering with the entire Middle Fork team to build a great Rockies-focused company.”
About Middle Fork Energy Partners, LLC
Middle Fork is a Denver, CO based company focused on acquiring, developing and operating properties in the Rocky Mountain region of the United States.
About Quantum Energy Partners
Quantum Energy Partners is a leading provider of private equity capital to the global energy industry, having managed together with its affiliates more than $13 billion in equity commitments since inception. For more information on Quantum, please visit www.quantumep.com.
For more information on Middle Fork,
please contact
Ty Harrison
(720) 500-0193
For investor relations,
please contact
Michael Dalton
(713) 452-2000