Title: Owner and Operator
Company: Shale Assets, LLC
Location: Madison, Mississippi, United States
John W. Howard, owner and operator of Shale Assets, LLC, has been recognized by Marquis Who’s Who Top Business Owners for dedication, achievements, and leadership in land and land management.
Mr. Howard has successfully negotiated an impressive real estate career while also serving in a number of executive positions in energy and land management. He began collegiate studies at the University of Alabama in their College of Business and Management Studies before transferring to the University of South Alabama, where he achieved his Bachelor of Science degree in finance. During college, he served as an intern for CITCO, then known as Cities Service Oil and Gas. He also was honored to be voted president of his fraternity (Sigma Alpha Epsilon), an SGA senator, and a Supreme Court justice. He also served as Community Service Coordinator, assisting with the Special Olympics, where he began his interest in nonprofit organizations and activities.
Upon graduation, Mr. Howard joined a fledgling home-building and land development company that was constructing less than ten homes each year and was preparing for bankruptcy. Under his leadership, the John Howard Companies quickly became Alabama’s largest homebuilder, with closings of over 140 homes annually, a rate maintained for over 20 consecutive years. He was also frequently recognized as being a top-five producer among all realtors in the Mobile, Alabama area.
Mr. Howard was named president of the Mobile (AL) Association of Realtors (MAAR), as a State Director for the Alabama Association of Realtors (AAR), as a top executive for Habitat for Humanity International, and was appointed to chair a number of land-use or zoning committees on behalf of the city of Mobile. He was in demand as a frequent public speaker and co-wrote AAR’s Mission Statement. He also served as a traveling ambassador for the city on behalf of the Chamber of Commerce and MAAR. He held, simultaneously, a Real Estate (RE) Salesman’s License, a RE Broker’s License, a RE Residential Appraiser’s License, and a Real Estate Property Adjuster’s License.
Circumstances eventually caused Mr. Howard to change professions, entering the energy industry as an oil and gas landman. He later achieved status as a Certified Professional Landman (CPL), the industry’s highest designation regarding knowledge and experience. He wrote and copyrighted a non-fiction book entitled “The Utica/Pt. Pleasant Play in Ohio”, which was later used as the primary information source for Harlon Spector’s 4-piece feature in the Cleveland Plain Dealer. He also contributed articles to a number of publications including OilPro.com, where he was twice named “most-read contributor” on an annual basis. He also contributed to MineralRightsForum.com, who recognized him as Member of the Month, and to GoMarcellusShale.com, where he was named Best New Contributor. He also posts weekly energy-related articles on LinkedIn.com, frequently getting as many as 8,000 views. They twice have named him as having the “Top Performing Post” for the entire site.
Recognition in these publications, and the fanfare associated with his non-fiction book, caused Mr. Howard to become in demand as a public speaker, entertaining the Carroll County (OH) Business Development Association and the Carroll County Genealogical Society, among others. He also was sought out as an industry consultant by the GLG Group, the Coleman Research Firm, and the Indigo Group. Mr. Howard also served as an expert witness in a lawsuit regarding mineral exploration in West Virginia. On two different occasions, he consulted with landowners under the Ohio Dormant Mineral Act, successfully retrieving mineral rights that had been usurped under questionable circumstances.
Mr. Howard also spent three years as an in-house landman, serving as Vice-President and District Manager for Alliance Petroleum Corporation, Pennsylvania’s largest conventional producer. Duties here included management of over 50,000 producing properties which included negotiations and customer service activities with a myriad of landowners. Upon acquisition of the company by Diversified Gas & Oil, he returned to the industry as a private contractor and consultant.
Mr. Howard continues to perform online research for a variety of energy companies and maintains his consulting and public speaking endeavors, taking particular pride in the “pseudo-sermons” he delivers to disadvantaged individuals via the Luther Martin Ministries. He also sits on the board of directors for a number of nonprofit organizations. He is presently working on the establishment of an online title training institute, Integrity Title Training, LLC, which he hopes to have operational during 2025.
On a personal level, Mr. Howard enjoys Alabama football, architecture, fine dining, Mardi gras, the blues, and especially in-shore fishing, which he takes great pleasure in sharing with his son, John Merritt Howard. It was decided to use his entire name and refer to him as John Merritt, rather than just John, to distinguish him from his grandfather, who is estranged from them both. Breaking the cycle of abuse which Mr. Howard had been forced to endure during his life is the single proudest accomplishment of his entire career, personally or professionally, and he is exceptionally proud of his son and the relationship that they share together.
Mr. Howard plans to continue to concentrate on his writing as well as the researching and reporting he is contracted to do for industry participants, along with the continuation and expansion of his consulting business. Eventually, his focus will be almost exclusively on his title-training institute, should he be fortunate enough to get it operational within the next calendar year.
Mr. Howard is a devout Christian and a conservative, although an Independent politically. He believes in the America First doctrine, and the ideas of strong national defense, small government, fiscal responsibility, and economic and social assistance for the less-fortunate. Despite recent world events, he remains a proud American and is devoted to doing his part to contribute to the well-being of our great country and its citizens.
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