As the “big picture guy” at MESA Products, Terry May says that he is the only one in the organization without a real job. Maybe that is because his job, just as it has been for the past 28 years, is to ensure that every single aspect of the company runs smoothly — a role that is surely difficult to summarize in a few words. But to those within the organization as well as to the company’s clientele, the words “founder and president” tell the story.

May has been active in the oil and gas industry for many years. After graduating with a mechanical engineering degree from the University of Texas at El Paso, May accepted a position with DuPont. He moved on to work at El Paso Natural Gas Co. and Williams Brothers Engineering Co. before an opportunity to form MESA developed from a business relationship.

MESA Products manufactures and provides cathodic protection (CP) materials, installations and NACE accredited CP engineering for the oil and gas industry. May has found the right blend of a bevy of skills that keeps the company successful — consensus building, facilitating, analytical thinking, time management and prioritization. The dedication of both May and the company to that formula has helped the team survive difficult times, such as the late ’80s when MESA was small and struggling within its industry.

“There have been a lot of key events to our success, but I’d say the overarching themes have been perseverance and respect for all stakeholders,” May explained. “Also, the support of my wife and family has been critical to MESA’s growth and success.”

The hard work has certainly paid off. MESA Products counts among its milestones the 2006 Malcolm Baldridge National Quality Award — the nation’s premier award for performance excellence and quality achievement. MESA was recognized in the small business category.

And though leadership is one of the areas judged when being evaluated for the award, May credits the 70 employees of MESA with achieving the recognition.

“I feel blessed for the privilege of working with such a great team of people,” he said.

That same group of people has helped to teach May his most difficult lesson in leadership.

“I have learned that the easiest path to long-term success is to empower your people rather than trying to do everything yourself,” he said. “This requires time and investment and is, at times, very frustrating. But you’ve got to let people make mistakes in order to learn, and you have to model the behavior you expect.”

May continues to learn as well and believes that developing mentoring relationships is key.

“When I started MESA, one of my role models was a small business owner in our industry who inspired me at a time when I really needed that,” he said. “Now, I have too many mentors and heroes to name. I love to read books about history, business and leadership, and my heroes and mentors tend to come from the latest books I’ve read.”

Staying true to the job description of all company founders, owners and presidents, May is concerned with the long term — for himself, his family, MESA and his team.

“MESA is my retirement plan,” he said. “We are focused on sustainability and continued growth. Our vision is to lead our industry in world-class performance, and I think we may have achieved that. So, the plan is to continue being the industry leader, and we’ll see where that takes us.”

To stay a step ahead and reach their goals, the MESA team participates in industry conferences and maintains regular communication with their suppliers, customers and competitors.

Additionally, May is past national treasurer and board member of NACE International and past president of NACE Foundation, which is the education outreach arm of NACE International.

In his spare time, May enjoys golfing, going to the lake and traveling with his wife of 27 years, Pat. They enjoy spending time with kids Michael, 32; Melissa, 30; Daniel, 24; and Kelsey, 22; and grandkids Connor, 4; Campbell, 3; and Max, 1.

For more information, visit www.mesaproducts.com or call (918) 627-3188.