Formed in 2023, Keystone Drillers LLC is an oil and gas exploration and development company that plans to offer syndicated limited partnerships to accredited investors in order to finance the acquisition and development of various projects in multiple basins nationwide, including western Pennsylvania. Our executive team has hands-on experience managing the development of oil and gas projects.
Keystone Drillers intends to structure its investment partnerships to use funds to drill, complete, and operate oil and natural gas development wells to provide periodic distributions to investors until the wells are depleted. 1 In addition, Keystone Drillers sponsored partnerships are anticipated to capture the tax deductions provided by the IRS for companies that invest in drilling natural gas and oil wells. Our partnerships are a potentially valuable tax planning tool for high-net-worth individuals that are accredited investors. This allows investors that elect to participate as investor general partners in the limited partnership to benefit from associated tax advantages.2
1. Distributions are not guaranteed. They can be less or more than expected depending on the productivity of the well. Attainment of any investment objective depends on many factors including our ability to select suitable wells for the partnership that will be productive and produce enough revenue to return the investment made.
2. An investment in a Keystone sponsored partnership may provide certain tax benefits; however, these tax benefits are not guaranteed. Changes in federal and state tax laws could limit or eliminate these benefits. An investment in a partnership involves a high degree of risk. An investor should only invest if he or she can afford the total loss of the investment.
As a recently formed company, Keystone Drillers intends to sponsor tax-advantaged oil & natural gas drilling partnerships.
Keystone Drillers is affiliated with MDS Energy Development, which has raised over $700 million dollars of outside investor capital. As set forth in “Our Executive Team” section below, certain members of our executive team also serve as executive officers and directors of MDS Energy Development, including Michael D. Snyder, who is the CEO of Keystone Drillers and MDS Energy Development.
Keystone Drillers intends to structure the partnership it sponsors to capture the potential tax benefits provided by the IRS for companies that invest in drilling oil and natural gas wells. This structure works to pass the potential tax benefits along to its investors who elect to participate as investor general partners, which carries potentially unlimited liability.
Having learned all phases of oil and natural gas exploration and development from his father David Snyder, Michael oversees the day-to-day operations of various oil and gas companies. Michael has served as the CEO of Keystone Drillers since its formation in 2023. He also serves as the CEO and President of MDS Energy Development and its affiliates.
He resides in Fox Chapel, a suburb of Pittsburgh. Michael is an avid outdoorsman, and enjoys spending time with his young daughter.
David has served as the President of Keystone Drillers since its formation in 2023. He also serves as the founder and a member of Horizon Structures LLC and a member of Zook Cabins LLC. David is also the founder and CEO of The Real Asset Investor, which he founded in 2015, which is an investment and syndication firm. In this role, he has sponsored over forty private funds that invest in various asset classes, including oil and gas, self-storage, car wash, automated teller machines, and digital assets.
David and his wife and four children reside in Lancaster, Pennsylvania.
Zach has served as the Executive Vice President of Investments of Keystone Drillers since its formation in 2023. Shortly after receiving his Bachelor of Science degree in geology from West Virginia University, Zach joined MDS Energy Development in 2013 as an operational geologist. In 2019, he was promoted to Executive Vice President of Investments of MDS Energy Development. As Executive Vice President of Investments, Zach works with financial advisors and investors in the northeast part of the country. Zach currently resides in Pittsburgh with his wife and children.
Zach holds Series 22 and 63 securities licenses and is a Registered Representative of Cabin Securities, Inc. Member FINRA/SIPC. For more information see https://brokercheck.finra.org.
Richard has served as Executive Vice President of Development of Keystone Drillers since its formation in 2023. He also serves as Executive Vice President of Development of MDS Energy Development since July 2019.
A western Pennsylvania native, Richard began his career in 2004 with Exxon-Mobil as a reservoir and facilities engineer, working in Green River Basin, Wyoming, and on producing platforms in the Gulf of Mexico. In 2010, he was promoted to reservoir engineer supervisor, overseeing teams in East Texas and the mid-continent. In 2013, he moved to lead the team developing Exxon-Mobil/Exxon’s annual corporate plan (around $5 billion capex) and then to the business development team where he evaluated and helped effectuate acquisitions in the Permian, Bakken, Eagle Ford and Appalachian Basins, exceeding $6 billion. In 2017, he was promoted to Appalachia asset development manager, where he was responsible for the development of more than 600,000 acres, 400 horizontal wells and three rigs. In 2018, he accepted a position with Range Resources as director of reservoir engineering.
He holds a Bachelor of Science in petroleum and natural gas engineering from Penn State University and resides in Fort Worth, Texas.
Richard holds Series 22 and 63 securities licenses and is a Registered Representative of Cabin Securities, Inc. Member FINRA/SIPC. For more information see https://brokercheck.finra.org.
Heather has served as the Vice President of Accounting and Corporate Secretary of Keystone Drillers since its formation in 2023. Heather also serves as the Vice President of Accounting and Corporate Secretary of MDS Energy Development and its affiliates. Heather previously served as the Controller of MDS Energy Development and its affiliates since February 2016, and prior to that as a Staff Accountant and Human Resources Manager beginning in June 2012. Previously, she worked as a Staff Accountant and Human Resources Manager for Falcon Drilling, LLC from June 2006 through May 2012. Heather received a Bachelor of Science from the University of Florida in 2006.
Heather holds Series 22 and 63 securities licenses and is a Registered Representative of Cabin Securities, Inc. Member FINRA/SIPC. For more information see https://brokercheck.finra.org.