Thomas Cooper, lightboximages.comTim <strong>Marquez</strong>’sjourney fromcredit carddebt to <strong>the</strong>philanthropiceliteBy Ben GoseA RoughRoad to RichesTim <strong>and</strong> Bernie <strong>Marquez</strong>during <strong>the</strong> groundbreakingfor <strong>Marquez</strong>Hall in October30 Fall/Winter 2010
I“I made it out, but I hated it,” says Tim <strong>Marquez</strong> ’80, referring to <strong>the</strong> four years he spent earning hisdegree at Colorado School of <strong>Mines</strong>.It was 1976 when he transitioned from Denver’s predominantly Latino Lincoln High School in southDenver to <strong>the</strong> Colorado School of <strong>Mines</strong> campus, where fellow students walked around with calculators on<strong>the</strong>ir belts <strong>and</strong> hard hats on <strong>the</strong>ir heads. “It was pretty geeky,” he says now.Then <strong>the</strong> work started—not just <strong>the</strong> intense studying required to complete a petroleum engineeringdegree at <strong>Mines</strong>, but also <strong>the</strong> 30 hours a week he put in at <strong>the</strong> Coors plant to help pay his tuition.“There was a lot of pressure <strong>and</strong> it never seemed like it ever let up,” <strong>Marquez</strong> says.As it turns outs, pressure is something that <strong>Marquez</strong> (pronounced “Marcus”) h<strong>and</strong>les pretty well.After making it through <strong>Mines</strong>, he quickly l<strong>and</strong>ed a jobat Unocal in Sou<strong>the</strong>rn California. Thirteen years later,chafing under <strong>the</strong> bureaucracy of a large company, he <strong>and</strong>a partner formed <strong>the</strong>ir own firm, Venoco Inc. Thanks to<strong>Marquez</strong>’s keen eye for extracting new life from aging oilfields, as well as some shrewd deal-making, it’s turned outto be a great decision, but <strong>the</strong>re have been some bumpsalong <strong>the</strong> way, including an ill-fated partnership withEnron; being fired by his own board of directors; a strugglefor control of <strong>the</strong> company; <strong>and</strong> a class-action lawsuitbrought against Venoco <strong>and</strong> led by Erin Brockovich, <strong>the</strong>environmental attorney depicted in <strong>the</strong> 2000 movie starringJulia Roberts.Despite it all, <strong>Marquez</strong> emerged intact <strong>and</strong> is happy toreport that his life is much less dramatic <strong>the</strong>se days. He’sback in charge at Venoco, <strong>the</strong> company is doing well <strong>and</strong>,having amassed a sizeable fortune, he’s devoting a lot oftime <strong>and</strong> energy to giving it away—some to <strong>Mines</strong>.Thanks in part to a $10-million matching gift from <strong>the</strong><strong>Timothy</strong> <strong>and</strong> <strong>Bernadette</strong> <strong>Marquez</strong> Foundation, <strong>Mines</strong> brokeground on a new building for <strong>the</strong> Petroleum EngineeringDepartment in October. It will be named <strong>Marquez</strong> Hall.Like many who succeed in business, Tim doesn’t lackenergy. “He has always been a very energetic, aggressive,go-get-’em type of guy,” says Mark DePuy ’78, who renteda room to <strong>Marquez</strong> just after he graduated from college,<strong>and</strong> who subsequently served as chief operating officer atVenoco. “There’s no slowdown in Tim.”<strong>Marquez</strong>’s frenetic pace isn’t limited to his business life.When he took up snowboarding a few years back, friendsestimate that he logged more than 40 days that seasonalone. He rises early each morning to swim, <strong>and</strong> sharplycuts off late-morning meetings for his second workout of<strong>the</strong> day—a lunch-time run.“If you want to go out for a casual run, Tim is <strong>the</strong>wrong guy to go with,” says Bill Schneider ’83, a formerchief financial officer at Venoco. “He always wants to pushit. He is enthusiastic on a lot of fronts.”But he’s also clear about his priorities. Speaking toan audience of mostly <strong>Mines</strong> students in 2007, <strong>Marquez</strong>said, “When I was put out on <strong>the</strong> street by my own board,my family <strong>and</strong> friends all rallied around me. That’s whenI really realized what is most important in my life. I’mnot a workaholic. I’m home every day at six o’clock. Ihelp my kids with homework. In <strong>the</strong> end, who cares howmuch money you make or what station you rise to in life?Friends <strong>and</strong> family are what count.”Now that <strong>the</strong>ir youngest daughter is college, Tim <strong>and</strong>his wife, <strong>Bernadette</strong>, will likely be spending more timewith friends, especially once <strong>the</strong>y’ve completed a movefrom <strong>the</strong>ir home in a historic Denver neighborhood to aluxurious downtown apartment. Among <strong>the</strong> many advantagesof <strong>the</strong>ir new location, Tim may be most excitedabout <strong>the</strong> prospect of being able to walk to ColoradoRockies games.Tim <strong>Marquez</strong> is clearly committed to <strong>Mines</strong> <strong>the</strong>se days,but that hasn’t always been <strong>the</strong> case. Prior to announcing<strong>the</strong> $10-million gift, he hadn’t stepped foot on campus fortwenty years—<strong>and</strong> he hadn’t given <strong>the</strong> school a dime.“It just dawned on me finally that I owe a lot of mysuccess to <strong>the</strong> school,” he says. “I’ve gone from no affinityfor <strong>the</strong> school to having a real affinity for <strong>the</strong> school.”As anyone who keeps up with Denver news will know,<strong>the</strong> <strong>Marquez</strong>es’ generosity isn’t limited to <strong>Mines</strong>. In 2006,Colorado School of <strong>Mines</strong> 31
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