Fairmont State seniors to benefit from Diversified Gas & Oil Co. scholarships

Diversified Gas & Oil Co., the Birmingham, AL, company whose chief executive officer and co-founder is Fairmont State University graduate Rusty Hutson Jr., has committed $30,000 in scholarships over the next three years to Fairmont State students.

“Diversified Gas & Oil strongly believes in supporting students who attend colleges in our operating areas and that are seeking to start careers in the gas and oil or related industries,” said Brad Gray, Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer.

“We believe that the energy sector in the United States is strong and that it is a driver of economic prosperity for millions of people in the country. The gas and oil industry is a major factor in maintaining low energy costs for our country. At Diversified, we are very committed to our business operations in the Appalachian Basin.”

Diversified’s scholarship will provide funds for rising seniors earning a degree in a natural gas and oil focused major with an overall grade point average of 3.0 or higher. Each student selected will receive a $2,500 scholarship for their senior year.

“Our students will benefit tremendously from this generous investment,” said Julie R. Cryser, Fairmont State Foundation president. “We can’t thank Diversified and Mr. Hutson enough for the support of our Falcon Family.”

Gray said that for the gas and oil industry to continue to be productive, innovative and successful, it needs a consistent talent pool of qualified, local, educated young people.
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“We can think of no better place from which to source this talent -- young people from our back yards, our high schools, our universities,” he said.

Fairmont State University President Mirta Martin noted that students will benefit greatly from these scholarships. 

“We are forever grateful to the Hutson family and Diversified Gas & Oil,” President Mirta M. Martin said. “Their support will change the lives of many of our students. Because of this generosity, Falcon students – tomorrow’s leaders – will vigorously pursue their dreams knowing that someone cares enough to invest in their futures.”

DGOC views these scholarships as an investment in the communities in which they operate and investment in the lives and the futures of students preparing for a career in the industry.

Diversified is an operator of gas and oil producing assets. Its innovative, disciplined investment strategy is focused on the acquisition of mature, low-decline and low-risk wells, enhancement of operations with a focus on efficiency, and maximization of profitability for shareholders. Founded in 2001, Diversified has deep roots in the mineral-rich Appalachian United States.

Diversified’s gift comes just months after Rusty and Kimberly Hutson invested $400,000 to establish the Rusty & Kimberly Hutson Family Scholarship for the benefit of Fairmont State University School of Business students.

A 1991 accounting graduate and certified public accountant, Mr. Hutson spent 13 years working in the banking industry in Ohio and Alabama. In 2001, Hutson founded Diversified Gas & Oil where he serves as Chief Executive Officer. The company began with the purchase of 40 wells in West Virginia and now operates throughout the Appalachian Basin.