#89. From Flight Engineer to CEO: Powering the Data Center Boom with Rob Rice

How do you transform an oilfield services giant into a power generation powerhouse?

Gravity CEO Rob Rice joins David de Roode and Victoria Beard Queen to reveal the "behind-the-scenes" of his company’s massive evolution.

From his days as an Air Force flight test engineer to leading multi-million dollar divestitures, Rice explains why the future of the field is not in water or chemicals, but in standardized 400 kW natural gas generators.

Tune in to find out!

00:36 Podcast Mission And Sponsors

01:59 Host Banter And Industry Events

03:39 Meet Rob Rice

03:54 Louisiana Roots And Air Force

05:46 First Rig Trip Spark

07:25 Early Career Texas Eastern

08:51 Enron And Overseas Work

11:28 Hanover To Archrock Leadership

14:41 Air Force Flying Stories

16:26 Gravity Origin And Reshaping

20:23 Power Rental Market Focus

26:11 Reliability Data Centers And Service

29:18 Strategic Partner Role

30:52 Looking Ahead For Gravity

31:01 Growth and Diversification

32:13 Company Size and COVID Reset

33:49 Remote Work and Tech Shifts

35:43 Deal Prep and Data Rooms

38:32 Motivating Teams Through Change

41:59 Professionalism First Impressions

45:24 Career Choices in Energy

49:10 Mentors and Paying It Forward

50:15 Life Outside the CEO Role

52:21 Crawfish and Louisiana Roots

54:51 Final Advice and Wrap Up