Richard Spears is one of the owners and managing directors of Spears & Associates, an oilfield market research firm founded in 1965. The firm has over 300 clients worldwide. Richard has been with the firm since 1985. Richard started his professional career as a field engineer for Halliburton in Enid, Oklahoma and has worked on every continent except for the Antarctic.

Richard is a 35-year member of the Society of Petroleum Engineers.

Richard is on the board of directors of Varel International Energy Services, a global manufacturer of drill bits and completion equipment, and Advanced Industrial Devices, a manufacturer of artificial lift controls.  Richard is on the board of Fellowship for Performing Arts, a Broadway theater company, and is chairman of the board of Regent Preparatory School, a 500 student classical Christian school in Tulsa.  Richard has held board seats for Abrado Wellbore Services, Allied Horizontal Wireline Services, Evolution Engineering, Universal Pegasus, Federal Flange, W-Technology LINK and the Bill Shaffer Foundation, some as board chairman.

Richard Spears, along with other family members, invests through a variety of family-owned limited liability corporations, including Sequoyah Capital Partners, Shelter Capital and Council Oaks Partners. In all entities Richard acts as managing partner.