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Surviving the freshman year

Against All Odds

Alumni Highlight with Tom Gladney

Awards & Recognition • Congratulations to engineering excellence scholarship recipient Doug Hall
• Three MSU teams win funding to further their start-up businesses
• Center for Computer Security Research helps make
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“Things that are truly valuable rarely come easily.” 

That’s a quote from Tom Gladney, a 1975 engineering graduate from the Bagley College of Engineering.  He says that quote also is one of the most important lessons MSU taught him.  After graduation, he leaned heavily on that saying when he began his career working for Sun Oil Company in Delhi, Louisiana.  It was his first job after his college graduation.

“When I got there, they gave me a key ring, a tool kit, a flashlight and a shared radio car and said, ‘Here, go to work,” said Gladney. “I was a field production engineer I worked the night shift every third weekend and every holiday for the first year.” 

With little orientation and no welcome committee Gladney went to work.  Starting with nothing—except the valuable lessons he learned at Mississippi State—it was through sheer determination, the emotional intelligence to build trusting relationships, and a reputable reputation, that enabled Gladney to work his way up to earn positions of higher authority.  After moving from Mississippi, to Louisiana and then to Texas, his hard work and determination began to pay off in 1999, when some friends and colleagues recommended him for a job managing Plains Production Company’s (PXP) off shore oil operation near Santa Barbara, California.

“After three years in California I was ready to return to Texas and PXP offered me a vice president position in Houston.  Two public company mergers later I was an Executive VP in charge of all exploration and production activities.”   

Along the way, Gladney has never forgotten that he comes from working class roots, which makes him very grounded and realistic.  It seems that he believes in longevity rather than the short-lived cash-in deals that fulfills many company’s instant gratification impulses to create an impressive financial portfolio.

“The most valuable advice I can give to recent graduates is work hard, have fun, nurture relationships, and always, always, always maintain the highest ethical standards.” 

Recently, Gladney retired from PXP and started his own business, BoDog Resources, LLC in Houston Texas.  It’s an oil, gas and well exploration and property investment company.

“I recognized the opportunity to do something more focused without as many distractions from value creation as there are today in a large public company, that was one of the main reasons I wanted to own my own company,” and he added,  “What I enjoy the most about being an entrepreneur is that the value I create I retain for my family and—he jokes—the taxman. What mistakes I make are mine alone.” 

Today, Gladney is busy making oil and real estate investments and he is doing quite well. A business deal for BoDog developed when constructing his new home.  When building the home in a mature urban Houston neighborhood Gladney recognized an opportunity to improve the area and at the same time make a potential profit.

“I like to stay active and I value and believe in ‘learning for a lifetime’ and through owning my own company I hope I can help good people make a difference.” 

Tom and his wife, Lisa, live in Houston.  In their free time they enjoy coming back home to visit Tom’s mother in Myrtle, Miss. and while they’re here they usually try to make a visit to Starkville.

“Lisa and I love attending and cheering for the Bulldogs at the Mississippi State football games—Go DAWGS!”