Growing up on a dairy farm, I learned early that hard work wasn’t optional—it was a way of life and on the farm there were no gender-specific jobs. That upbringing instilled in me the grit, resilience, and work ethic I would later rely on to break into a field where women were nearly nonexistent.

In 1978, while working at a small oil and gas company, I expressed interest in becoming a Landman. The owner chuckled and said, “You can be a Landman when pigs can fly.” Rather than discouraging me, those words lit a fire in me. I decided right then and there: pigs were going to fly. After 4 years of working my way through records, field research and all the related sectors of market, I founded McDonald Land Services in 1982.

From a bold idea and a refusal to be underestimated, the company has grown into a nationwide firm with multiple offices and over 150 contractors. While rooted in oil and gas, we’ve expanded to support renewable energy, carbon storage, and emerging technologies like hydrogen exploration. Today, we remain committed to innovation, flexibility, and the personalized service that has defined us from the start.