Denver based Susan Morrice is significantly involved with energy companies, jets, and other business ventures. In a recent interview with host Mike Robertson and co-host/producer Peggy Tuck on radio show “Straight Talk About Money” on 1110AM/KTEK, they were so impressed with Susan and her story they referred to her as a female “Warren Buffet”

Co-founder of Belize Natural Energy Company, Susan told the story of how the company began and positively transformed a country, and about XJet ,founded by Josh Stewart, that is receiving worldwide attention for industry excellence – All the while crediting both companies success for following the EDUCO Business Model which mines the potential energy in people.
When asked if she saw herself as an angel investor Susan replied, “I don’t think I’ve ever really been called that Peggy, but it is– once you understand and bring forward other people’s potential, it’s a bit like giving the fishing rod and not just the fish. Because what you want to do is, when you invest in somebody– I’m thinking now of Josh Stewart, who is the founder of XJet. It’s a private jet company that is literally soaring like a rocket right now. It won the number one spot, FBOs throughout the Americas, and it’s now setting up in Dubai, Saudi, London, and Paris and is being courted by some key investors globally. So yes, maybe angel, or maybe it is bringing the angel out in everybody.” Emphasizing that investing in people potential is the goal rather than investing in a business potential Susan said, “I actually know very little about jets, except it’s nice to fly on them. It’s investing in the human being, that human being, their true nature. So quite often I’ll see it, but they won’t see it and that’s where the Educo course comes in brilliantly.”

To hear Susan’s interview or read the interview in its entirety at www.Celtic Connection.com:Susan-Morrice

Date: 25-Nov-2014
Input sound file: Susan-Morrice_Mike_Roberston_Radio

Transcription results:

S1 00:00 We have a lot of guests on this show, but not too many people have transformed the nation.
S2 00:04 Right.
S1 00:04 I was really thinking about that because I looked at her video yesterday, and I started reading some of her background, and I really thought about that, that we get a lot of economists, we get a lot of strategists – I don’t know if we’ve ever interviewed anyone that’s really truly gone out and transformed a nation. So it is our pleasure this morning to have Susan Morrice with us. Susan is the CEO and Co-founder of Belize Natural Energy. Good morning, Susan. Thanks for being with us.
S3 00:32 Good morning, Mike. It’s my pleasure actually.
S1 00:35 Listen it’s– really, I was amazed. I started looking at your background – I saw one of your videos. You have had quite a life. I hope that some day you write a book, because if you write a book about your life I want to buy a copy. Really, you’ve had a very interesting life. Well, I don’t even know where to start. I think I’ll just– I’ll continue with Belize Natural Energy. When I think of Belize, I think of a country that’s got beaches, and vacationers, and stuff like that. You went into a country, I assume that had no– only gas before, and created the oil industry for Belize, correct?
S3 01:20 Mike, you’re exactly right. I actually– it was about 30 years ago. I went to Belize, and actually fell in love with the place and the people. And that is a key factor actually, because I really wanted to make a difference. I know it even sounds corny, but I think all of us have that in us, especially when we’re younger. We really feel– we lead out with that spirit of, could be adventure entrepreneurialism, and that’s what happened. So I teamed up with a Belizian, a chap called Mike Usher, whom actually I met in Denver. He also wanted to make a difference, and we both had a gut feel, even though there were 50 dry holes. Over 50 years, all the big boys had drilled in Belize – onshore and offshore – and it was declared internationally there was no oil in Belize. Everybody had given up. I just knew. I absolutely knew it was there. You know when you get a sense that this is going to be special?
S1 02:35 Right.
S3 02:35 And darn it, it was. It was really special because nobody, nobody would believe us. So, we gathered together a group of original investors – many from Ireland – who also had actually done a course with me on Understanding How The Mind Works. I think this will be a key component to share with your viewers, because this is for everybody. And we put together Belize Natural Energy and drilled the very first well. I’m sure many of your listeners, especially in Colorado and Texas, know that it takes statistically about 15 wells, wildcat wells, before you hit oil.
S1 03:20 I didn’t know that. Is that really the ratio? About one of every 15 wells in terms of wildcatting that comes in as a payer?
S3 03:29 Yeah, and it’s good for your listeners to know that because that’s an awful lot of money. That’s millions, let’s just say, down the hole. But we hit it on our first well and the best oil in the world. So light they can actually put it into their generators in Belize without refining it. Can you imagine?
S2 03:51 Wow.
S1 03:52 Wow. That’s pretty sweet oil. But there had been, before you went in there, some of the big boys had been in there and they had hit 50 unsuccessful, dry holes, right? Before you hit yours.
S3 04:06 That’s it and in fact, the president of Shell was pretty clear about telling me that I had better stop talking about Belize and get a life [laughter]. Otherwise, I’d ruin my geological reputation [crosstalk].
S1 04:20 Was that Hoffheiser?
S3 04:25 No, it wasn’t. It was actually a wonderful chap called Marlan Downey. He was the president of Shell Pecten.
S1 04:30 Okay, all right.
S3 04:32 And he knew me quite well and he was trying to do it for my own good, if you know what I mean?
S1 04:38 Right.
S3 04:40 But they now– Shell now buy the majority of all our oil because, you see, it’s the best oil in the world. It’s 40 degree gravity. We even get almost [inaudible], Louisiana Light. And so that upgrades all the Mayan Crudes in the area.
S1 04:54 Now, is there a lot of oil there? Are you still finding new pockets of oil, or what does it look like? Is this going to be a continuing growing industry for Belize?
S3 05:06 It will be a continuing growing industry, but you know what’s even more important? It is that we have actually really tapped into something that is unlimited. Oil has– you discover an oil field and it goes for maybe 20, 25 years, and quite often peters out economically. We have actually tapped into the potential, the energy in the people. That is what is really bringing forward a whole new vision, because we are stepping into the LNG market, the electrical markets. We’re already in the propane butane for the little local people in Belize. And so what we’re doing is really going [inaudible] and mining the potential within is one of the slogans that– the mission statements of BNE, and that’s what, again, what we learned how to do that on the Educo seminar.
S1 06:07 Now are you bringing in– I’m sorry. Are bringing in folks to work the oil industry down there, or are you training local Belizians?
S3 06:17 Mike, that’s a very good question. Usually throughout the world you bring in ex-pats to do the job but we made a very clear decision to train Belizians – train locals. Now we’re 98% Belizian and that is just unheard of. We’re also the number one revenue generator in the whole country.
S1 06:42 That’s nice. You know, they’re going to put a statue up for you down there. All right. I’ve got to switch a little bit because I was born in Mississippi, I know you weren’t born there [laughter].I can tell that from the accent and you don’t have a Colorado accent either. Where do you come from? Where’s your–
S3 07:01 Originally Belfast, Northern Ireland.
S1 07:03 Ooh, wow.
S3 07:04 It makes the whole story even more incredible, because there hasn’t been a drop of oil found, certainly in Northern Ireland yet, by the way I’d say. I really went to– went to Trinity as a– studied geology, which was fascinating, but it was a key turning point. And about a couple of days ago, you spoke about success traits. I think you used Warren Buffett and his paper around– and a– or couple of the examples, The Stable Boy selection. What are the traits of super-achievers? That’s what I wanted. And I was fascinated by your program. You even talked about your own, I think, it was lawn mowing business.
S1 07:51 That’s right.
S3 07:51 Lawn mowing business.
S1 07:52 Yeah [chuckles]. That’s right. It was not a glorious start, but I did have a lawn mowing business. That’s true.
S3 07:57 But it’s a brilliant start, because your parents encouraged you to get out and be all you can be. In other words, that independent spirit, and that’s a key to success. To looking at what is the model of the super-achievers.
S1 08:14 Well that’s really interesting. You know Susan, I wish I saw it back then as being encouragement. When I didn’t want to get up on Saturday to mow the lawn. My dad was really encouraging, believe me [laughter]. Anyway, if you’ll hang on, we’ve got a lot more to ask you on the other side of the break. So we’ll be back in just a few moments, folks. We’ve got Susan Morrice with us today, CEO and Co-Founder of Belize Natural Energy and somebody who’s really changing the world. So stay with us, we’ll be back in just a moment. [music]
S1 08:44 Susan I’d like to get back and just ask you a little bit about– you’ve just gotten back from Dubai, where they have lots of oil. What is the health of the oil industry? I mean there’s a lot of people– the environmentalists would like to see it go away. They’d like to use solar, and they like to use wind. What is the health of the oil industry right now?
S3 09:07 The bottom line at the moment is that the fossil fuels, the oil and gas, are very necessary to fuel the industrial economy. However, we want to really bring out all those inventive traits to look at new solar, new wind, because we need to find better ways to do that and tidal and current. And so we are also getting involved in renewables. So our oil company, Belize Natural Energy, the people are– the employees are like partners. They come forward with all sorts of ideas, all the time. For instance, propane-butane for the local people. So when you really bring forward your people, which is the key energy, then you get that creativity across the board. And it’s not one or the other. It’s a balance.
S1 10:02 Yeah. You mentioned that your employees become partners. It sounds like you really empower your employees to make a difference in your company?
S3 10:12 Very much so, because that’s what it’s about. I say, and in fact we all say, we’re all in the energy business. Because it’s the energy within us that drives us forward to be all we can be. And so we train everybody in understanding and drawing forward, that’s where the word educo comes from. It’s the Latin word to draw out. So, we send all of our employees along to various training courses, but the key one is the Educo seminar, which is designed to draw out that, let’s say, entrepreneurial spirit, pioneer spirit, creative spirit.
S1 10:54 Do you give the Educo seminar here in the United States or is that just something for the employees of your company?
S3 11:00 No, no. It’s for everybody and I don’t give it actually, I’m a recipient. I went along 12 years ago. Actually, when somebody asked me if I could come along and teach how I did the various entrepreneurial things, I said, “No. You just do it.” And I realized that there was more to it. I asked myself the question, “Why do some people go forward, like a Warren Buffet, or Gandhi, and others stay back. Stay back in themselves?” And that’s when I researched everywhere – throughout the world – who knows best. Who’s got the best training program, to really understand the mind and practically bring it out today? It was brought to Dr. Tony Quinn, Educo. E-D-U-C-O.
S2 11:52 Susan, do you see yourself sort of as an angel investor?
S3 11:58 I don’t think I’ve ever really been called that Peggy, but it is– once you understand and bring forward other people’s potential, it’s a bit like giving the fishing rod and not just the fish. Because what you want to do is, when you invest in somebody– I’m thinking now of Josh Stewart, who is the founder of XJet. It’s a private jet company that is literally soaring like a rocket right now. It won the number one spot, FBOs throughout the Americas, and it’s now setting up in Dubai, Saudi, London, and Paris and is being courted by some key investors globally. So yes, maybe angel, or maybe it is bringing the angel out in everybody.
S2 12:50 So, you’re able to help these people that you see in industry or a business that you think has potential, and then you’re able to step in and, sort of, give them that leg up?
S3 13:00 You know its– I do it the other way around. I actually know very little about jets, except it’s nice to fly on them. It’s investing in the human being, that human being, their true nature. So quite often I’ll see it, but they won’t see it and that’s where the Educo course comes in brilliantly.
S1 13:22 Wow. You know, I’ll to look into this Educo course, because you really do invest in people, which is absolutely amazing. So where you going to go next? I feel like I’m talking to the next–
S2 13:39 Warren Buffet [laughter].
S1 13:40 — the female Warren Buffet here. We go from oil to jets. I guess there’s a correlation because you got to put jet fuel in them, but what’s your next step? What’s your next mountain you’re going to climb?
S3 13:52 You know, in fact you’re doing it with me right now. I actually want everybody to know the secret of success within themselves. And so, I’m working with DU and various universities in their MBA programs, and publicly, to tell people that they too have that spirit in them and they can go along and really bring it forward and actually be all they can be. Their kids, our friends, our– the people we want to invest in, and that really, I suppose, is an element you talked about on the first segment – which is bringing a better world.
S1 14:36 Right. Now, by the way, how did you get from Belfast to Denver, Colorado?
S3 14:43 [laughter] Well, I could be cheeky and say by airplane [laughter]. I was hired by an oil company. I studied geology at Trinity, and I was hired by an oil company way back, over 30 years ago. But when I came to America I thought, “Well you know, I’ve heard about these Americans and the American dream of setting up your own company.” So very, very soon I thought to myself, “Well, I better get on with this and set up my own company.” Because I thought it was the mindset of America, which it was 30 years ago. The entrepreneurial spirit was alive and well. And I think that is the key. We need to understand that we can actually learn it and bring it back to everybody.
S1 15:28 Was it a little unusual though for a woman to be starting up her own company in the oil and gas industry? My father worked for a major oil company all his life and I must admit I didn’t see too many female– I didn’t see many female executives within the company, to say the least. I did see some female geologists, such as you, but I didn’t see anybody that was in a position of really running a company or starting one. It sounds to me like you’re a pioneer of that industry.
S3 15:56 Well, I think the word pioneer is a good one. I think it’s understanding mindsets what actually holds us back. And I really, literally, thought America was all about setting up your own company and being that entrepreneurial spirit. And then going back and understanding that. It’s almost like having an invention, or having a mindset and looking back to see how other people can do the same thing. That’s what Educo has done and that’s what I want to do for everybody.
S1 16:36 Well, thank you so much for being with us this morning.