BRENT LEFTWICH, PRESIDENT
LEFTWICH MANAGEMENT INC.
Brent Leftwich, President of Leftwich Management Inc., has an extensive business background and as Founder of Contract Land Staff (CLS), led the company in its growth and advancement in the Right of Way industry from 1985 until 2017, having sold the company twice to equity firms. Brent’s Land Management and Right of Way experience includes 40 years of service to the oil and gas, real estate, pipeline, utility, transportation and telecommunication industries. Over the 32 years leading CLS, he transformed his one-man operation into one of North America’s largest independent Right of Way and Land Management companies.
With a B.A. degree in Geography with a concentration in Urban Planning and Public Administration from Southwest Texas State University, Brent began his career in the public sector holding various positions at the City of Lockhart, Texas, including serving as Interim City Manager at the age of 22. From there Brent ventured into the real estate industry, which ultimately led him into the oil and gas Right of Way service industry.
With vision and leadership, Brent propelled the growth of CLS, acquiring a reputation of bringing innovation, technology, and new ideas into the Right of Way industry such as the development of CLS’s Virtual Right of Way Department® (VROW), development of a full-service GIS group and the opening of numerous Regional Offices across North America. Also, beginning in 1995, under Brent’s guidance and direction, the Right of Way project management database PowerTrak and its second iteration as the state-of-the-art CLSLiNK database integrated with the CLS GISViewer® were developed and deployed to numerous clients in the U.S. and Canada.
For many years Brent served as an IRWA Certified Instructor for the IRWA Pipeline Course 215, where he brought his years of actually providing ‘boots on the ground’ ROW services himself, along with his years of leading and managing a growing company and meeting a variety of client needs, into the classroom. His success and years of experience gave his students the practical understanding needed to leave the classroom and handle their work more effectively and efficiently. Additionally, he was a frequent Instructor for the CLS Professional Development Institute (PDI) as well as numerous professional conferences on virtually any aspect of Right of Way.
Mr. Leftwich has been honored through the years in multiple ways, honors include being named the IRWA Chapter 8 Right of Way Professional of the Year in 1999 and being named a Finalist in the Ernst & Young Professional of the Year – Energy & Energy Services for the Gulf Coast Area 2014, 2015 and 2016. Under his leadership, CLS was named the IRWA Large Employer of the Year in 1999 and 2009 as well as the 7th Best Place to Work in Greater Houston Area by the Houston Business Journal in 2016.
Currently, Mr. Leftwich serves as the Chair of the IRWA International Oil & Gas Pipeline Committee and Vice Chair of the Right of Way Consultants Council (ROWCC). He previously served as Chair of the IRWA International Environmental Committee. He is a longtime member and Past President of the IRWA’s Gulf States Chapter 8 and is a sought-after presenter at national conferences in the energy, transportation, right of way and land management industries.
Mr. Leftwich has long been active in civic and church activities, both in Fort Bend and Colorado Counties, TX. Currently he serves on the Board of Trustees for the Sugar Land Legacy Foundation and the Columbus Community Hospital. He is an active supporter and Co-Chairs the annual Swing & Blast (Golf Tournament & Clay Shoot) for the Boys and Girls Clubs of Champion Valley; and supports other local non-profits such as Texana MHMR Authority, Frelsburg Volunteer Fire Department, Rosenberg-Richmond Helping Hands, among others.