The Rice Business Capstone Team finalized a comprehensive Three-Year Strategic Plan for Sage Energy Partners, aimed to assist Sage to strengthen its competitive position in the Uintah Basin energy sector.
The Capstone Course at Rice University’s Jones Graduate School of Business brings together teams of Second year MBA students and their professors to develop recommendations that can help organizations solve critical strategic challenges, such as major growth or expansion plans, organization turnaround strategies, and entering new ventures. During the last nine years, over 185 organizations and more than 1,900 students have participated in the Capstone program.
The Rice Capstone Team, consisting of Julio Gomez, Grace Wenyan, John-Michael Gallogly, Sotirios Econopouly, and Rebekah Jenkins, crafted a customized strategy that capitalizes on Sage’s distinctive advantages, particularly its connections with Native American Indian communities and its Channel Partnership with Baker Hughes a $48 billion worldwide oilfield service company.
Key Aspects of the Strategy
- Operational Focus—Enhance efficiency and establish Sage as a leader in service quality and safety.
- Market Positioning—Position Sage as a crucial player in the development of energy resources in the Uintah Basin.
- Holistic Approach—Engage Sage’s leadership, employees, and external stakeholders, including customers and governmental energy agencies.
- 2024: Buyout of HJG Utah’s minority equity shareholders.
- 2025: Focus on stabilization and operational efficiency at Sage Water Resources; Focus on startup of Baker Hughes Channel Partnership.
- 2026: Market expansion of Sage Oilfield Services leveraging Baker Hughes Channel Partnership and strategic acquisition of water assets for Sage Water Resources.
- 2027: Market dominance and scaling operations all Sage companies.
“I am proud of my time and relationships built while at Rice. Collaborating with the 2025 Rice MBA’s was a great experience. Sage Energy is grateful for the work the Team performed and we are using the recommendations from the Capston Strategy Report to transform Sage from having a business to building a trusted brand in the Uintah Basin.”
—Steve Crower, CFO of Sage and Rice 1997 MBA Alumni