Jack Horton will be retiring this year, after 38+ years in the oilfield supply business.
For the last 16 years Jack has served as the General Manager at Rocky Mountain Oilfield Warehouse (RMOW) in Fort Morgan, Colorado, and we took a moment to celebrate the man and his contributions.
Jack was a star high school football player in Fort Morgan. He was the starting tailback, punt returner, kick returner, free safety, punter and place kicker for his team, and set the Colorado state record in all-purpose yards.
He began his working life as a ranch hand, traveling from one ranch to another, working with animals and fixing fences across Colorado. It was work he loved and longed to eventually get back to.
When Jack was in his late teens, he got his start in the oil industry, drilling rigs with his stepfather. This work would eventually take him up and down the Rocky Mountain region—from the H2S fields around Salt Creek, Wyoming, to the Coal Bed Methane wells around Farmington, New Mexico.
His son Jeremy, who also works at RMOW, has fond memories of his dad, mostly centered around work and food.
"I can remember going on Saturday deliveries of pumps and parts out of Riverton and always stopping in Shoshoni to get a Hawaiian Punch,” says Jeremy.
He also remembers some more intense deliveries. Like when Jack drove into the middle of a high-speed chase. “We were headed to Rock Springs, WY, and the guy in the getaway car was shooting at the police out his window. One of the bullets hit the headache rack on dad’s truck!”
On another delivery day, they found themselves in the middle of nowhere near Farmington, NM, in winter. After a lunch of leftover pizza wrapped in tinfoil and heated up on the radiator of the truck, they found themselves driving up—and sliding down—a snow-packed lease road.
“The road had been cut into the side of the mesa. There was a 40-foot drop off on one side and a rock wall on the other.” Thankfully, after some white-knuckle sliding, they made it in and back out safely.
ROCKY MOUNTAIN OILFIELD WAREHOUSE
Jack’s impact on RMOW has been significant.
“Jack really helped our name grow, especially in the DJ Basin,” says Phillip Cooper, President of RMOW. “Jack had a great reputation, and a lot of customers did business with us for the simple reason that they liked Jack.”
“He’s the type of guy who goes with his gut,” says Arthur Steward, Bustiness Development Manager at Kimray in the North Plains. “And his instincts are usually right because they are based on knowledge, experience and relationships he’s gained over decades.”
In the recent pandemic, Jack’s instincts were on full display.
In January 2020, before the pandemic was on many people’s radar, he began making changes in inventory and slowed stock orders and started to lean on his experience during the downturn in the 1980s.
“He started gearing up before the pandemic was even a pandemic,” says Arthur. “That move 2 months ahead helped RMOW out a lot. They had the items they were needing, didn't hold extra inventory.”
“Jack’s team was doing conversions every day,” says Cooper. “They were resourceful and made a product the customer wanted by converting current inventory.”
Jack also helped Cooper and RMOW navigate a chaotic year. “Jack really led by example. He stayed cool under pressure, and he always encouraged me not get my blood pressure up because tomorrow was another day.”
Returning to RANCHING
Jack is an avid hunter and outdoorsman. He is a lifelong member of the Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation and continues to volunteer there. But his true passion in life has always been ranching.
Jack still wears the hallmark clothing of a rancher—boots, pearl-snap shirt, belt buckle and a cowboy hat. It’s what he wears to nice dinners.
He recently bought a ranch in Fort Morgan, Colorado, where he plans to get back to farming and ranch life.
“Jack has been such a steady, reliable partner in an industry that's all about relationships,” said Zack Tallon, Director of Customer Experience at Kimray. “He's been an invaluable resource for Rocky Mountain Oilfield Warehouse and Kimray customers in the Rockies, and his impact and legacy will continue to be felt as we move forward."
