Personnel

Corporate Organization

COSCO Capital Management LLC (“COSCO”) is a US-based advisory company, headquartered in New York City with branch offices in Houston and Hartford and with a Canadian subsidiary, COSCO Canada Ltd. (“COSCO Canada”), based in Calgary, Alberta. In addition, it has two NASD registered, SIPC insured broker dealer affiliates: Private Energy Securities, Inc. (“PESI”), through which it arranges its private placements of private securities, and Strategic Energy Research and Capital, LLC (“Strategic Energy”), which handles all financings for COSCO’s public clients. Finally, COSCO has several special purpose entities through which it manages its various energy investments in the US and Canada.

Location and Background of Personnel

In addition to its offices in New York, Hartford, Houston, and Calgary, COSCO has personnel in Phoenix and colleagues in London, Sydney, and Caracas. The majority of this team, before joining COSCO, had careers within the energy business. Two of COSCO’s three Managing Directors, in fact, have Masters Degrees in geology, and the third has completed almost fifty mergers or acquisitions as either principal or agent. COSCO, therefore, considers itself to have unusual capacity to understand the energy business and assess management strengths and business plans. As a consequence, it believes it is particularly well suited to source attractive investment opportunities, conduct primary due diligence on individuals, companies, and specific projects, and assist in the execution of investment and business strategies. This hands-on experience and capacity to act as a catalyst for value creation are what make COSCO one of the preeminent energy-focused investment specialists in North America.

COSCO Management and Members

COSCO has three Managing Directors, Cameron O. Smith, William E. Weidner, and Lane W. McKay, two Principals, T. Prescott (Scott) Kessey, and Emilie N. Carlsson, one Associate, Reva A. White, and two Analysts, James M. Masters and Craig M.I. Campbell. Brief descriptions of the principal mandates of all personnel are set out below, followed by more detailed discussion of their personal backgrounds and qualifications. For complete resumes, click on Resumes in the submenu above.

It is with regret we note at this time that Sharon Younger, long time Senior Associate for COSCO and otherwise known as “COSCOMomma”, retired effective year-end 2007 after eighteen years of service. She will be missed.

COSCO Colleagues

In addition to its full-time personnel, COSCO has Colleagues, located in London, Sydney, and Caracas. In COSCO’s lexicon, a “Colleague” is an individual or organization with which/whom COSCO has a formal agreement to work jointly as needed in a particular area or expertise. For a complete list of COSCO’s Colleagues and their descriptions, please click on Colleagues in the submenu above. 

COSCO Personnel—Principal Mandates

Cameron Smith, COSCO’s Founder and Senior Managing Director, although born in Calgary, is a member of the Wm. F. Buckley family, which has been identified since the beginning of the Twentieth Century with the international oil business and since 1921 with New York City, itself. He has been resident of New York City since 1976. On behalf of COSCO, Mr. Smith, a reformed geologist, focuses on business strategy and development, as well as service to COSCO Clients, particularly those based or active in the northern half of the U.S. and abroad. Mr. Smith, as Chairman of COSCO Canada, is in charge of liaison with COSCO’s Canadian activities.

Bill Weidner, COSCO’s second-most senior Managing Director, located in the Hartford area, and also a reformed geologist, has an exceptionally strong background in commercial and mezzanine debt, having been a principal provider of both for almost a decade during the 1990’s. He uses this experience on behalf of COSCO clients for which debt is particularly applicable. Mr. Weidner also focuses on COSCO’s equity clients in the southern half of the United States, services many of its buy-side engagements, and through PESI heads up its regulatory and compliance practice.

Lane McKay, COSCO’s most recent Managing Director, located in Calgary, is charged as CEO of COSCO Canada with Canadian client development and management, as well as liaison with Canadian Private Capital sources, whether for Canadian or U.S. clients. He also uses his extraordinary experience in mergers and acquisitions on behalf of COSCO’s M&A clients.

Scott Kessey, Principal, manages COSCO’s Houston office. With a decade’s experience in the oil industry in various financial roles, Mr. Kessey handles most of COSCO’s modeling and analytical responsibilities, in addition to client development and services, particularly in the Texas vicinity. He also acts as CFO for COSCO and its affiliates.

Emilie Carlsson, Principal, joined COSCO in September 2007 and is based in New York City. Given her background in corporate development roles within the Australian oil and gas industry and having lived in London and Indonesia, working with growth-stage companies, Emilie's primary focus at COSCO is on identifying international companies which are suitable candidates to access capital from the United States and, then, assisting them through the process. Ms. Carlsson has already been involved in a broad range of client development and services on behalf of COSCO.

Reva White, Associate, administers COSCO's routine payables, billings, and collections, coordinates all external advertising and communication, manages its database and data search and management functions, organizes its tracking systems for capital sources in the U.S. and Canada, and organizes its conferences and industry meetings.

James Masters, Analyst, joined COSCO in June, 2007. He is primarily responsible for assisting Mr. Smith in performance of client services from initial due diligence through the end of the marketing process. Mr. Masters also maintains the COSCO website and shared documents files, prepares the semi-annual Private Capital for Energy Index Report, and performs market research.

COSCO Canada Personnel—Principal Mandates

Cameron Smith, Chairman (see above)

Lane McKay, CEO and President (see above)

Craig M.I. Campbell, Analyst – Public Equities, joined COSCO in September 2004. In January 2008, Mr. Campbell transitioned from an Analyst on the private side focus on public energy companies deserving of growth capital. In his original position as Private Equity Analyst, Mr. Campbell was responsible for profiling private energy companies, performing financial analysis and due diligence on COSCO clients and potential clients.