Brent Leftwich

Vice Chair

Brent Leftwich, currently serving as Vice Chair of the Board of Managers for Contract Land Staff, LLC, is the Founder of the CLS, and has led it to its growth and advancement in the Right of Way Industry. Brent’s land experience includes 30+ years of service to the oil and gas, real estate, pipeline, utility, transportation and telecommunication industries. Having begun his oil and gas/Right of Way career in the late 1970’s, he has transformed his one-man operation into one of the nation’s largest Right of Way and Land Management consulting companies.

With B.A. degree concentrations in Urban Planning and Public Administration, Brent began his working career in the public sector, and became Interim City Manager of Lockhart, Texas at the age of 22. From there Brent ventured into real estate, which led him into the oil and gas/Right of Way industry.

With vision and leadership Brent has propelled the growth of CLS, acquiring a reputation of bringing innovation, technology, and new ideas into the Right of Way industry such as the development of CLS’s Virtual Right of Way Department.™ Also under his guidance and direction, the Right of Way project management database PowerTrak and its next generation CLSLiNK have been developed and deployed nationwide.

Brent is an IRWA Certified Instructor of the Right of Way Agent’s Development Program as well as a frequent instructor for the CLS Professional Development Institute on virtually any aspect of Right of Way. Honors include being named the IRWA Chapter 8 Right of Way Professional of the Year and CLS being named as the IRWA Large Employer of the Year, both in 1999.

Brent is a sought after presenter at national conferences in the energy and land management industries. He has served as Chair of the IRWA International Environmental Committee, is a member of the International Pipeline Committee, and a longtime member and past President of the IRWA’s Gulf State Chapter 8.

Brent was named Professional of the Year 1999 by Chapter 8 - The Gulf Coast Chapter of the International Right of Way Association. He was the feature cover story for the Houston Business Journal in August 2008 after CLS was acquired by Investment Partner HKW Hammond, Kennedy and Whitney in July of that year.