What Subsurface Consultants & Associates does

Subsurface Consultants & Associates, LLC (SCA) is a Houston-based, privately-held limited liability company founded in 1988 by Daniel J. Tearpock to provide specialized upstream oil and gas consulting, training, and recruitment services. The firm operates three integrated service lines: (1) Consulting — placement of geoscience and petroleum engineering personnel and execution of upstream projects and studies including 3rd-party due diligence, asset optimization, field development planning, business advisory, geomechanics, and New Energy advisory; (2) Training — classroom and live online courses spanning seven disciplines (Geoscience, Engineering, Unconventional Reservoirs, Energy Transition, Formation Evaluation, Multi-Disciplinary/Introductory, and Field Courses), the 12-week Daniel J. Tearpock Geoscience Certification Program ('Boot Camp'), and a free on-demand webinar library; and (3) Recruitment — contract staffing and direct-hire placement of energy industry professionals. The underlying IP is built on founder-anchored proprietary methodologies, most notably the 'Ten Habits of Highly Successful Oil Finders' doctrine taught since 1988, the Bischke (1994) Δd/d correlation method, and co-authored authoritative textbooks including the 822-page 'Applied Three-Dimensional Subsurface Geological Mapping with Structural Methods' (3rd Edition).

SCA's business model is professional services and intellectual property licensing. Revenue is generated primarily through consulting and contract-staffing billings, public and private in-house training course registrations, direct-hire recruitment placement fees, and one-time textbook sales. Go-to-market is enterprise-direct: a dedicated business development team engages majors, NOCs, and independent producers through field sales, supplemented by inbound demand from the website, LinkedIn, referrals, conferences (URTeC, SPE-ATCE), webinars, and a 27,000+ alumni network. The company is led by President Susan Howes (2027 SPE President) and Chairman Hal Miller, with headquarters in Houston, Texas, and a stated operating footprint spanning 50+ countries. The firm has no external equity investors, no disclosed funding rounds, and operates as a bootstrapped LLC, with ownership likely held internally by management and the Tearpock estate following the founder's 2014 passing.

Name

Subsurface Consultants & Associates

Legal name

Subsurface Consultants & Associates, LLC

Website

https://scacompanies.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1988

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Subsurface Consultants & Associates is a Houston-based firm founded in 1988 that provides upstream oil and gas consulting, training, and recruitment services — including subsurface geological mapping, geoscience certification programs, and contract staffing — to IOCs, NOCs, and independents across 50+ countries.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Upstream Oil & Gas Consulting and Training Services

NAICS

Support Activities for Oil and Gas Operations (213112), Geophysical Surveying and Mapping Services (54136), Support Activities for Mining (2131)

SIC

Oil & Gas Field Exploration Services (1382), Services-Engineering Services (8711), Oil & Gas Field Services, Nec (1389)

akta.pro primary industry

Seismic & Geoscience Services (Acquisition, Processing, Interpretation) (EUALABAK)

akta.pro secondary industries

Geotechnical & Subsurface Engineering Consulting (BPAHAIAB), Mineral Exploration & Geoscience Services (Geology, Geophysics, Geochemistry, Resource Modeling) (IMAKAKAA)

Keywords

• Upstream oil gas consulting
• Petroleum geoscience training
• Energy industry recruiting
• Subsurface mapping services
• Reservoir engineering staffing

Headquarters

HQ city

Houston

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. Consulting Services: SCA provides geoscience and petroleum engineering personnel on a contract basis to supplement clients' business endeavors. Consultants are deployed on assignments globally across the oil and gas industry.
2. Training Services: SCA offers courses in classroom and live online formats spanning seven disciplines (Geoscience, Engineering, Unconventional Reservoirs, Energy Transition, Formation Evaluation, Multi-Disciplinary/Introductory, and Field Courses). Courses are available as public offerings or private in-house training. Revenue is generated through course registration fees.
3. Recruitment and Direct Hiring: SCA places candidates into full-time/permanent positions and provides contract staffing. The recruiting team matches candidate skill sets with client requirements for geoscience, petroleum engineering, and other energy industry roles.
4. Textbook and Publication Sales: SCA sells published textbooks including 'Applied Three-Dimensional Subsurface Geological Mapping with Structural Methods, Third Edition' and 'Quick Look Techniques for Prospect Evaluation', generating one-time revenue per unit sold.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

Subsurface Consultants & Associates (SCA) provides three core services to the upstream oil and gas industry: (1) Consulting — placing geoscientists and petroleum engineers on contract and executing upstream projects and studies (3rd-Party Due Diligence, Asset Optimization, Field Development Planning, Business Advisory, Geomechanics, New Energy); (2) Training — classroom and live online courses across seven disciplines plus the signature 12-week Geoscience Certification Program; and (3) Recruitment — direct-hire and contract placement of geoscience, petroleum engineering, and energy professionals.

Product overview

Subsurface Consultants & Associates, LLC (SCA) is a worldwide leader in consulting, training, and recruitment services for the energy industry. Founded in 1988 and headquartered in Houston, TX, the company operates three core service lines: Consulting Services (geoscience and petroleum engineering consulting, including 3rd-Party Due Diligence, Asset Optimization, Field Development Planning, Business Advisory Services, Geomechanics, and New Energy), Training Services (classroom and live online courses spanning seven disciplines, including the signature Applied Subsurface Geological Mapping course and the Daniel J. Tearpock Geoscience Certification Program/Boot Camp), and Recruitment Services (direct hire staffing for the energy industry). Supporting offerings include webinars, the Ten Habits methodology, technical publications (Applied Three-Dimensional Subsurface Geological Mapping and Quick Look Techniques textbooks), Lunch & Learn presentations, and an e-Training partnership with IHRDC.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Consulting Services (Geoscientists, Engineers, Projects & Studies)
• Training Services
• Recruitment Services
• Daniel J. Tearpock Geoscience Certification Program (Boot Camp)
• Applied Subsurface Geological Mapping Course
• Lunch & Learn Presentations
• Webinars (Free Live and On-Demand Library)
• Applied Three-Dimensional Subsurface Geological Mapping with Structural Methods (Third Edition) Textbook
• Quick Look Techniques for Prospect Evaluation Textbook
• e-Training (with IHRDC)

Quantifiable outcome

• 27,000+ professionals trained since founding in 1988
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers17 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature5 records

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• IHRDC (International Human Resources Development Corporation)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSCA and IHRDC have entered into a cross-marketing and selling partnership to deliver joint services for international oil and gas industry clients. The partnership enables cross-marketing of respective products and services and, where appropriate, joint service delivery. IHRDC is a Boston-based company founded in 1969 that provides e-Learning and Knowledge Solutions (including IPIMS with 1,000+ courses), Competency Management, and Instructional Programs. IHRDC also has offices in Houston, London, Amsterdam, Abu Dhabi, Kuala Lumpur, and Lagos.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Broad incumbents

• CGG (Viridien): Viridien (formerly CGG) is a global geoscience major offering seismic acquisition, processing, interpretation, and multi-client subsurface studies—overlapping with SCA's geoscience consulting and interpretation services but at much larger scale and with proprietary data libraries.
• Core Laboratories: Core Laboratories provides reservoir description and production enhancement services to the upstream oil & gas industry, intersecting with SCA's geoscience, formation evaluation, and reservoir consulting practices for similar IOC/NOC buyers.
• Schlumberger (SLB): SLB is the largest integrated oilfield services company, providing subsurface consulting, training, and digital interpretation tools that overlap with SCA's geoscience and engineering consulting. SLB's scale and digital platforms (e.g., DELFI) compete with SCA's boutique offering.
• TGS: TGS is a global multi-client geoscience data and intelligence provider serving E&P operators with seismic libraries and subsurface data—adjacent to SCA's interpretation and due-diligence consulting, with overlapping enterprise clients.
• Halliburton / Landmark: Halliburton's Landmark division (now part of independent operations) offers geoscience interpretation, reservoir consulting, and training to upstream operators, overlapping with SCA's subsurface consulting and formation evaluation services at greater scale.

Direct peers

• RPS Group: RPS Group provides subsurface and geoscience consulting to the upstream oil & gas sector, overlapping directly with SCA's Projects & Studies (due diligence, asset evaluation, field development planning) offerings for IOCs, NOCs, and independents.
• IHRDC: IHRDC is both an SCA partner and a direct competitor in energy industry e-Learning and competency management, offering IPIMS (1,000+ courses) to IOC/NOC clients globally—the same target buyer and use cases as SCA's training business.
• PetroSkills: PetroSkills is a direct competitor in upstream oil & gas training and competency development, offering classroom, online, and in-house courses across the same geoscience, engineering, and operations disciplines as SCA's training services.

Emerging players

• ION Geophysical: ION Geophysical provides seismic acquisition, data processing, and subsurface imaging technology for oil & gas exploration—comparable to SCA's geophysical interpretation focus but operating from the technology/instrumentation side of the value chain.
• Geokinetics: Geokinetics provides seismic acquisition and subsurface imaging services, partially overlapping with SCA's geoscience interpretation and exploration-support consulting for upstream operators.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/subsurface-consultants-associates/jobs/?viewAsMember=true
• Xx.com/scacompanies

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles7 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Subsurface Consultants & Associates