Thanks to Larry Nichols' vision, Devon Energy Corp. looked again at George Mitchell's Barnett program in 2001, bought it and took it lateral. As much as Mitchell and his team figured out how—and where—to complete the Barnett, Devon Energy under Nichols' leadership made it a world-changer with the successful introduction of the fractured lateral. This eventually led to where U.S. shale is today.

In this interview with Hart Energy's Jessica Morales, Nichols talks about how Devon Energy also quickly deployed new data-analysis technology to further capture more tight-rock resource in place and how might it fit as many as 84 wells in one Permian Basin section.

View Larry Nichols acceptance speech and keynote address at Hart Energy's Executive Oil Conference in Midland, Texas.