About Gulf Coast Western and Customer Reviews

See What GCW customers have to say

“In the risky business of onshore oil exploration and production, Gulf Coast Western, under the active and responsible leadership of Matt Fleeger, “ one customer wrote in October, “every joint venture has been conducted with both engineering and fiscal rigor (and) with an active risk management protocol.”

Matthew Fleeger is the president, director and CEO of Gulf Coast Western, and has been in this role since returning to the company in 2009. Fleeger got his start in the oil industry, and in business with Gulf Coast Western in the mid-1980s, before striking off on his own to work for other oil companies, and then founding and running three other successful business in the medical waste and spray tanning sectors. Fleeger’s commitment to Gulf Coast Western is not merely professional — it is also personal, as his father founded the company in 1970. To Fleeger, therefore, Gulf Coast Western is truly a family business and Gulf Coast Western reviews are taken directly to heart.

Gulf Coast Western’s customers appreciate being treated like family. Working with Mr. Fleeger and others at Gulf Coast Western has been “a real pleasure,” one customer commented in a Gulf Coast Western review last July. “Even though my investment has not always worked out, I have found Gulf Coast willing to find a way to make it right.”

Working to “make it right” is a commitment Fleeger and other top executives at Gulf Coast Western have made to their customers. Under their leadership, as Fleeger has noted with pride, the company has worked hard to ensure that its partners stay informed and are involved with the business. Gulf Coast Western makes it a priority, Fleeger told a reporter, to help those partners make “smart decisions with their money,” and has promised that he, personally, as well as other executives, will “do everything we can to protect our joint venture partners.”

That commitment to protecting the customer’s stake in the joint venture and to keeping them informed and involved has earned the appreciation and thanks of many partners.

“I have been investing with Gulf Coast Western for almost five years now. They are a top notch organization. They do what they say they are going to do. Their accounting, website and communications are excellent. Their CEO and their customer representatives go the extra mile in answering questions, explaining the geology and economics of the oil and gas ventures, and making their investors feel like active partners in the projects.”

The CEO’s commitment to “make it right” is something that long-term investors appreciate — and which is why they not only stay with the company, but also recommend it to others.

“I’ve been a client with Gulf Coast Western for five years,” wrote another satisfied customer in July. “Although there has been some ups and downs in the oil market, Gulf Coast Western has continued to work hard through these trying times and continued to provide their clients with good returns. I would highly recommend this company to anyone interested in investing in the oil business.”

That customer is not alone in his praise. As another wrote that same month, “Since 2012 we have been working with GCW. GCW has communicated very well through the peaks and valleys of investing in the oil industry and the stock market woes and the factors that affect the oil pricing globally.” He also appreciates how “the CEO and his leadership team have consistently shown us the highest level of character and integrity that we could have asked for. We believe in Matt Fleeger, therefore we believed in the future of GCW.”

That customer’s praise for how GCW leaders have demonstrated “the highest level of character and integrity” is something of which Mr. Fleeger and the rest at the top is very proud. As Fleeger told the press soon after coming back aboard, he and everyone at GCW are committed to ensuring that Gulf Coast Western is and will always be “an honest and ethical company.”

The customer who remarked on the character of GCW’s leadership and employees is not alone. As one couple put it in a comment to the Better Business Bureau in June, “We love this company! From the owner to each individual we have had the privilege to speak and work with, they have responded with integrity and honesty. They have treated us with the utmost respect. They go above and beyond the norm to help make our investments a profitable endeavor. This is an unpredictable industry, and we knew that going in. Yet we are very comfortable, because we know we are in great hands! Our personal representative has done a great job of keeping us abreast of progress as it occurs. Like I said, each individual in the company with which we have had contact has always taken exceptional care of us. We couldn’t be happier.”

Frank Schmieder, a former CEO of Greyhound, echoed those remarks recently in a review of Gulf Coast Western. “I first invested with Gulf Coast Western three years ago as a way to diversify my assets. I wanted an alternative to the stock market. Since my initial investment, I’ve participated in six additional joint ventures with Gulf Coast Western. Throughout each partnership, my representative was always very informative and kept me up-to-date. I have found the people at Gulf Coast Western to be forthright, professional and honest. I have in the past and will continue to recommend others invest with Gulf Coast Western.”

GCW protects partners by ensuring they first meet some stiff qualifications

One of the key ways in which “the people at Gulf Coast Western look out for their partners,” as Mr. Suozzi says, is in making sure its partners are, as he notes, “qualified and willing to take a certain level of risk.” As the statement on the GCW web page in the section “Partnering With Us” explains:

“Because of the risk involved in oil and gas partnerships, only those individuals who qualify as ‘accredited investors’ may participate in one of our Joint Ventures. An accredited investor is defined as an individual who satisfies at least one of the standards listed below.” Those four standards are defined as follows:

Diversified Exploration Since 1970

Gulf Coast Western Rates an A+ and gets 5 out of 5 stars from Better Business Bureau

How many companies in the oil industry are so well thought of that they rate an A+ from the Better Business Bureau? Gulf Coast Western has earned that, and more, as the Better Business Bureau also gave the company five stars out of five based on customer reviews.

The Better Business Bureau does not hand out such high ratings or award so many stars to just any company. A business has to work hard to earn those ratings. It has to satisfy its customers needs, listen to its concerns — and then act upon them. Gulf Coast Western is committed to doing that, and its investors, partners and other customers have let the Better Business Bureau know just how good a job Gulf Coast Western has done in responding to and meeting their concerns and expectations.

The Better Business Bureau rating “represents the customer’s opinion of the business,” as the BBB website explains. The letter grade “represents the BBB’s opinion of how the business is likely to interact with its customers.” Gulf Coast Western got top marks in both categories.

Committed to doing what is in the best interest of the customer

As seen by reviews, Gulf Coast Western has earned not just the respect, but also-and even more importantly-the trust of its partners and investors. It works hard through its personal representatives and with its web content to keep its customers up-to-date on the oil industry, on what the company is doing, and on what scams and fraudulent offers they might be presented by unsavory characters. The company recently added a Due Diligence link on its website to specifically help answer customers’ concerns about such issues and offers. Gulf Coast Western, moreover, is very up front about its operations, and how those are performing.

“Before investing with Gulf Coast Western, I had little knowledge of the oil and gas industry,” says Mike Szot, and insurance executive from California. “The guys from Gulf Coast Western helped me along the way and provided me with a deeper understanding of the oil drilling business. I feel comfortable doing business with them,” he adds, “and I expect to continue investing with them in the future.”

GCW is an “excellent company,” noted another satisfied customer last May. In particular, he praised Gulf Coast Western in a review for being “very professional and transparent. They always attempt to do what is in the best interest of the client.”

One of the ways Gulf Coast Western does that, notes one of our partners, Peter Suozzi from Arizona, is how “the company goes out of its way for investors. My representative maintained steady communication with me and provided ample information for each potential investment. They also encourage investor involvement by inviting us to participate in regular teleconferences. “

Mr. Suozzi has been with GCW for a long time. “I first invested with Gulf Coast Western in 2009,” he explains. “Before deciding whether to invest with them, I looked at information provided by my representative, did a background check on the company and visited their website. I felt comfortable with the people I spoke with, and traveled to one of the oil field sites to bet a better understanding of the operation. After meeting with the people on site, and using my contacts to review the investment, I became confidant in the date provided to me. Since then, I have participated in several of their joint venture partnerships.”

“Overall,” as Peter Suozzi continues, “the people at Gulf Coast Western look out for their partners. If you are qualified and willing to take a certain level of risk, I would highly recommend investing with Gulf Coast Western.”

• An individual whose net worth (excluding the value of your primary residence) and personal property, over total liabilities, individually or in addition to that of his or her spouse at the present time exceed $1 million.
• An individual who has had income in each of the two most recent years in excess of $200,000, or joint income with his or her spouse in excess of $300,000 in each of the two most recent years, and reasonably expects the same income level in the present year.
• An entity in which all of the equity owners are accredited investors.
• An individual or entity that may otherwise be deemed an accredited investor as that term is defined in Rule 501(a) of Regulation D as promulgated by the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Put simply, and colloquially, GCW does not want anyone to “put all of their eggs in one basket,” and will not accept as a partner anyone who can not afford or would not financially survive a downturn in the oil market, or a year in which their investment might not offer a positive return. This set of requirements is just one way that GCW has shown and continues to show that “our commitment is to operate with the utmost honesty, integrity and transparency.”

That commitment to “honesty, integrity and transparency” is why GCW has more than one thousand accredited partners, but also why its customers not only stick with the company, but also keep coming back to invest in new ventures. As the website notes, “approximately 70 percent of our partners have participated in more than one venture with us.” Those kind of numbers mean even more to GCW, and say more about the company, than even the five-stars and A+ rating awarded to Gulf Coast Western by the Better Business Bureau.

Originally published at https://www.goodoildays.org.