About

We come from humble roots. Founded on honesty, steadiness and sweat equity – that’s our story, and that’s something we’re awfully proud of.

In 1962, two West Texas oilmen with a dream, beat-up car and plenty of guts set out to form a company that would set itself apart from the scores of wildcatters who were looking to swoop in on the latest fly-by-night play.

Howard Parker and Joe Parsley shook hands and flipped a coin to determine whose name would come first in the fledgling company’s moniker. Parker won the toss, and Parker & Parsley was born.

The company became known for making smart decisions, conservative hedges and shrewd deals as it assembled acreage and drilling plays. While competitors sunk millions and billions into global operations, Parker & Parsley never abandoned its legacy wells in the Permian – a loyalty that continues today.

In 1997, Parker & Parsley merged with MESA Inc. to form Pioneer. At the time, MESA boasted heavy natural gas holdings, offshore drilling expertise and an attractive internal culture that paid specific attention to its employees. Those things helped sell Parker & Parsley executives on the merger.

The name changed to Pioneer Natural Resources, but components of the two founding companies endure. We continue to operate in the Permian Basin, and we remain steadfast in this belief: We are in a people business first, oil business second.