Family is at Our Core

We understand that family is more than just a word; it's a way of life. We proudly embrace the values of trust, unity, and support, which have been the foundation of our success for generations.

Ava Cobell | VP, Sustainability

Ava has an unwavering passion for driving positive change also serving as the 5rd Generation of Cobell lineage at the company. She is an alumni of the prestigious Yale University, graduating with a degree in Sociology and was at one time president of Yale improv group, “Say Yes!”.

Now she is known for pushing the boundaries of innovation in the pursuit of making the Earth a safer place. With a profound understanding of the dynamic energy landscape, Ava harnesses her expertise and creativity to revolutionize marketing strategies that align profitability with sustainability.

Early Days | 1840 - 1855

In 1840, Eoin Cobell was born to a modest, working-class family in Ireland. His mother, a seamstress, and his father, a potato farmer, instilled in young Eoin a work ethic that was unmatched among his peers. He was said to have stayed up until the early hours, at ages as young as four, using his nimble little fingers to help his mother sew patches and his father clean potatoes. 

Eoin could’ve become a great potato farmer (or a great seamstress had he been a woman) if it weren’t for the famine (although there really never was one). Come 1846, with no potatoes and even fewer riches to the Cobel name, Eoin and his parents crossed the Atlantic.

Their sights were set on Titusville, Pennsylvania, where neighbors said the soil was thicker than soda bread, the air heavy as a pint. During their journey across the ocean, the Nolans, crammed in a tiny ship among Murphys, O'Malley's, O’Reilly’s, and Flanagans, and O’Sullivan’s, and probably a few Doyle’s as well, decided they wouldn’t be just another run-of-the-mill, poor Irish family in America. At Ellis Island, they attempted to recorded their last name as Noble (intentions obvious), but the boys at Ellis island didn’t make the requested change, and they kept their Cobell name. However, they did successfully change Eoin’s name to Boone, meaning “good” or “a blessing”. 

Life in the Land of Soda Bread Soil | 1855 - 1859

The Cobell’s were pleased to find that the earth was as lush as they’d heard it would be in Titusville. They wasted no time, putting young Boone to work sowing the fields with not only potatoes, but also sweet potatoes, corn and tobacco. Eventually the family also came to own a small heard of sheep which Boone would frequently walk out to pasture. 

One day while on one of his long thoughtful walks through the countryside Boone’s crook sunk into a pool of black liquid bubbling up from the earth. That liquid was oil. The young man had never seen such liquid and didn’t think much of it, but that year was a particularly bad harvest, and soon the land withered away and all Boone’s beloved sheep died. This was not a good time for the Cobell Family, most days Boone would go into town to beg for pennies, but soon their luck was about to change.

One day in the town square, Boone spotted an older man, dressed in furs and silks, he was enthralled. He asked what such a man was doing in a town like Titusville: “Black, dirty, filthy riches lay just below the nose in this town.” Boone suddenly remembered the day his crook sunk into the oil, and he ran back so fast his already raggedy shoes fell apart.

IPO and Energy Crisis | 1957-1975

Theodore did well, known mainly for his expert marketing skills (shown above) and his move to take the company public in 1968. However the energy crisis of the mid 70’s led to a sharp decline in the companies stock price, and following the death of his father (John D. Cobell) in 1971 he failed to get the company back on track, leaving the job to his son Chris Cobell.