John completed the Petroleum Land Management Program at the University of Oklahoma and received a BS in Business from Central State University now University of Central Oklahoma. From 1962 to 1968 John was an independent landman in the Mid-Continent region. He joined Cities Service Oil Company in 1968 as a Field Landman in the Mid –Continent Region. In 1970, John was transferred to the Rocky Mountain Region in Denver where he was Land Manager, Rocky Mountain Region from 1975 – 1978. As Land Manager John was responsible for a leasehold position of approximately three million acres and managed the negotiations of exploration agreements involving over one hundred drilling prospects per year. From 1978 – 1979 he was Rocky Mountain Division Manager for Patrick Petroleum Corporation responsible for all exploration and production operations in the Rocky Mountain Region. In 1979, John once again became an independent landman and in 1981 formed Wells Petroleum, Inc. Wells Petroleum provides petroleum land related services and drilling prospects to the petroleum industry.