I have preached my whole life about the importance of building a great team. So here is the first in a series of podcasts with the people who actually make the Pickens Plan run.

Joining me for this episode are Jay Rosser, who has been my right hand man for 15 years and serves as my VP, Public Affairs, and seasoned political expert Tom Synhorst, who served as the Campaign Manager. When I decided to launch the Pickens Plan, Tom was my first call and first hire. He’s the hidden hand in American politics — a man who works tirelessly behind the scenes. This is likely his video debut.

We reminisce about the beginnings of the Plan in the summer of 2008, how we were importing $1 billion of foreign oil (it’s about half that today), how we had no energy plan and no prospects for one from either candidate, Barack Obama or John McCain, and how we focused on converting heavy-duty trucks from diesel to natural gas right from the get-go.

I think you’ll appreciate this insiders’ look at how it all got started.

Subscribe to the Pickens Podcast on AudioBoom or iTunes, and let me know what you think via Twitter @BoonePickens.

— Boone