Last week, we spoke with Endeavor Professional Services’ Cody Cogan to learn about the firm and how it serves the oil and gas industry. This interview has been edited for brevity and clarity.

Q. To start, could you give a brief introduction to Endeavor and the work you all do?

Endeavor is a full service, multi-discipline engineering and design firm focused solely on serving the oil and natural gas industry. Our office is located in State College, PA, which allows us to provide services across the entire play, and our team brings over forty years of engineering, regulatory, permitting, and professional services to the table.

If you came to me and pointed on a map and said, “I need to drill here,” that’s all we need to get started. We’ll take you from the conceptual planning, to environmental screenings, field and topographic surveying, to the design stage, and all the coordination involved with regulatory agencies.

We are continually working to be the most effective one-stop-shop for engineering and professional services supporting oil and natural gas development. And we’re always trying to pull in services that make sense. We’re now working towards getting into the air quality sector. This is an opportunity for us to add another service, and there’s value when you only need to deal with one guy instead of five when developing a project. It all goes back to making the client’s job that much easier. 

Q. Can you talk about how Endeavor started and where you all are taking the business now?

My team and I worked at another engineering firm for several years in oil and gas. I had the opportunity to go out on my own and start Endeavor, and I was fortunate enough to bring some players from my design team along with me and the relationships we had with our clients were strong enough that they followed as well. We left our previous firm on February 1, 2019 and opened Endeavor’s doors on February 4th.

The intent is to expand to have another office location along the I-79 corridor in the western part of the state. We want to have a presence there so we can better service our clients in that region as well as in our neighbor states of Ohio and West Virginia. That’s something that we’re working towards now.

Q. Where does most of your work take place?

Most of our clients are in Pennsylvania, primarily in the north-eastern and south-western regions. The majority of our work is split 50/50 between those two areas. We are breaking out into oil and natural gas work in Ohio and West Virginia as well. Since we’ve started, we’ve been staying close to home, but we have experience doing work in our neighboring states and hope to get back there very soon.

Q. What do you think sets Endeavor apart from your peers in this area?

I think there’s a few qualities that set us apart. One is our responsiveness – we understand that this industry is fast paced. Decisions are made quickly at times and entire schedules change with a phone call, so it’s important for us to be able to provide our clients with information and answers when they call.

Another is our personal touch – as I alluded to earlier, the reason we got out of the gate so quickly is because our clients came with us, and that has to do with the strong relationships we have with them. It’s our intent to make our client’s jobs easier. No two clients are the same; each has its own procedures and expectations, so we mold our approach to seamlessly fit into how they’re accustomed to doing business. Our clients depend on us to get the job done and trust that we will meet their expectations. We’re building value with their projects, we’re saving them time, and ultimately, reducing their risks.

Q. What do you see as the value of being a member of trade associations like MSC?

I’ve been involved with the MSC through my previous firm for several years. The same month we were founded, we became members of the MSC. We recognized the value that that organization brings to the industry and the good work that its members are doing, and I wanted Endeavor to actively be a part of that. I personally value the opportunity to collaborate and network with my fellow professionals and industry. The MSC membership is comprised of some of the brightest and most successful professionals I’ve interacted with. I truly value those conversations and opportunities to learn from my fellow colleagues. I’d say we’ve always recognized the value in the MSC. 

Q. If there was one thing that you’d want to tell a neighbor, friend, or someone who’s generally not part of the industry, what would that be?

I feel as if the oil and gas industry has been labeled as the big bad wolf, and that’s certainly not the case. From my experience working in this industry, I discovered that most people are conservation-minded. They’re outdoors enthusiasts and all recognize the importance of conserving the environment for future generations. I don’t believe that this industry receives the credit that’s due. I would just ask my neighbors to be well informed and educated before drawing conclusions on this great industry. You shouldn’t take everything you read and hear in the media at face value because typically there’s another side to each story.


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