In 1960, after nine years as a petroleum engineer with the British American Oil Producing Company, J. Greg Merrion set out on his own. He moved his young family from Midland, TX, to Farmington, NM, and scraped together enough money to drill the Edna 1, a Gallup oil well named after his mother.
Following the success of the Edna 1, J. Greg partnered with fellow independent Bob Bayless and in addition to drilling shallow development wells in northwest New Mexico’s San Juan Basin, Merrion and Bayless purchased producing wells in New Mexico, Colorado, Arizona, Wyoming, and Utah.
Merrion and Bayless decided to end their joint venture in 1981. Over the next decade, J. Greg continued to guide the success of Merrion Oil & Gas, and in 1992, he handed the reigns over to his eldest son, T. Greg while continuing to serve as Senior Advisor until his death in 2002.