Founded in 1999
The first Bonanza Creek company was founded in 1999 by our President and Chief Executive Officer, Michael Starzer, who was soon joined by Patrick Graham and Gary Grove, forming the nucleus of a management team that has been together ever since.
A Rich History
This first company sold its largest natural gas assets in the Wattenberg Field in 2005 and started again with institutional capital in 2006, making the strategic shift to become an oil-weighted company.
Since 1999, multiple Bonanza Creek companies have been formed, including Bonanza Creek Oil Company, Bonanza Creek Energy Company and Bonanza Creek Resources Company. In December 2010, Bonanza Creek Energy, Inc. was formed and prepared to enter the public markets, which it did in December 2011, listing on the NYSE with the ticker symbol “BCEI.”
Each Bonanza Creek company has held properties in the Wattenberg Field, and collectively drilled hundreds of vertical wells. In July 2011, the Company initiated its horizontal Niobrara program and has since ceased vertical development. In November 2012, we drilled our first horizontal Codell and Niobrara “C” Bench wells and spud our first extended reach well, opening the door to Bonanza Creek’s next phase of growth and development.