Huntley & Huntley Energy Exploration LLC (HHEX) said Oct. 30 it hired John Applegath, a former executive with Range Resources Corp. (NYSE: RRC), to serve as its senior vice president and COO.

Applegath joins HHEX after recently retiring from Range Resources, where he served as senior vice president of operations from 2014 to 2018, leading both the Marcellus Shale division and, more recently, the North Louisiana division.

“I am excited to join HHEX at this pivotal time in the company’s history,” Applegath said in a statement. “I look forward to returning to a basin I know extremely well and working with our industry partners, as well as the entire HHEX team.”

HHEX is a privately-held energy company based in Canonsburg, Pa., that focuses on the upstream and midstream development of natural gas resources in the Appalachian Basin. The company has assembled a position in southwestern Pennsylvania of more than 100,000 largely contiguous and operated acres within the core Marcellus, Utica, and Upper Devonian fairways, according to the HHEX press release.

At HHEX, Applegath will be responsible for the company’s operational and technical activities. His appointment is effective immediately.

M. Chris Doyle, HHEX president and CEO, said Applegath’s proven track record in the Appalachian Basin will be “invaluable.”

“HHEX’s initial delineation wells have outperformed expectations, and industry success in the deep Utica play is immediately adjacent to our position,” Doyle said in a statement. “John’s entrepreneurial spirit, operational and technical expertise, and deep knowledge of this asset will help us build upon that foundation.”

Applegath’s distinguished career spans over 40 years and includes experience at Anadarko Petroleum Corp. (NYSE: APC), Union Pacific Resources, and ExxonMobil Corp. (NYSE: XOM) as well as Range Resources. He first joined Range in 2008, helping establish the company’s Marcellus operations and serving as vice president of operations from 2009 to 2014 for its southwestern Pennsylvania assets.

According to its website, Range Resources pioneered the Marcellus Shale in 2004 with the successful drilling of the Renz #1 well in Washington County, Pa.