HISTORY
The
Company’s origins date back to the founding in 1987 of a predecessor
company, Fremont Energy Corporation. Fremont Energy focused on small
acquisitions and low risk exploration during the late 1980's and early
to mid 1990's. When sold in January, 1996 to Amerac Energy
Corporation, a Houston based public company, Fremont Energy owned
interests in 135 producing oil and gas wells, primarily in Oklahoma and
Kansas, and operated 90 of the 135 wells. At the time of the sale the
Company’s net proven developed producing (“PDP”) reserves totaled
nearly 1.8 million BOE (barrels of oil equivalent).
In
1995, prior to but in anticipation of the sale of Fremont Energy,
Fremont’s principals formed Fremont Exploration, Inc. and shifted their
building efforts to the new company. Fremont Exploration’s strategy
was to pursue growth through both exploration and acquisitions. In
late 1998, due to the retirement of one of the founding principals, the
Fremont partnership was dissolved. The oil and gas assets of the
Company were liquidated by direct assignment to the shareholders,
leaving the Company an empty shell.
Under
the leadership of the sole remaining founding principal, Fremont
returned on October 1, 1998 to a strategy of growth through oil and gas
acquisitions and exploitation. During the fourth quarter of 1998 and
the first quarter of 1999, the Company made a few small acquisitions.
By March 31, 1999 Fremont had acquired interests in approximately 100
producing properties (mostly minor interests in properties operated by
other companies) and owned a net 200,000 BOE of PDP reserves.
On
April 1, 1999 a new Fremont Exploration, Inc. partnership was formed.
At that time the remaining founding principal of the original Fremont
and another seasoned energy industry executive, having agreed to pool
their talents and resources to build a meaningful energy company using
Fremont Exploration, Inc. as the growth vehicle, embarked upon a
focused value creation growth program.
Fremont
Exploration, Inc. has enjoyed considerable success in the execution of
its business plan from 1999 through 2004. The Company increased its
base of total proved reserves from 200,000 BOE at April 1, 1999 to
approximately 2.3 million BOE at December 31, 2004. In addition the
Company acquired and subsequently re-sold three additional oil and gas
properties (fields) during the 1999-2004 time period. The three fields
were acquired in 1999 and 2000. Reserves assigned to the three
acquisitions as of the date of each acquisition totaled 1.2 million
BOE. Each of these fields was re-sold in separate opportunistic
divestitures between 2002 and early 2004. At the time of each
divestiture each project had achieved payout and in each case the
re-sale price exceeded the Company’s purchase price by a minimum of 50%
up to over 100%. By virtue of enhancements achieved in these fields by
Fremont during its ownership, the Company estimates that the 12/31/04
reserve assignments for the three fields would still equal and perhaps
exceed the reserves assigned at the time of their acquisition by
Fremont.
Fremont
plans to build an oil and gas reserve portfolio with a net asset value
of at least $100 million within five years. The reserves will be
concentrated in the Utah Project and in conventional oil and gas
properties located primarily in Texas, Oklahoma and Kansas. This
growth will be achieved by acquisitions of small independent companies
as well as individual property sets from larger independents and majors
and through the Company’s drill bit projects.