Tarrant Ethics Award goes to Clear Fork Royalty

Clear Fork Royalty received the 2014 Greater Tarrant Business Ethics Award from the Fort Worth Chamber of Commerce. Clear Fork Royalty is an oil and gas mineral rights and royalty acquisition company. Founding partners Joseph DeWoody, Michael DeWoody and Ryan Haggerty accepted the award at Judge Glen Whitley’s State of the County address September 4 at the Worthington Renaissance Fort Worth Hotel. Criteria for the award include: clear communication of the company’s ethical standards; transparent, honest and fair business practices; and a code of ethics, credo, code of conduct or mission statement that clearly spells out the company’s requirement for honesty, integrity and compliance with the law in all business dealings.

“A lot of companies talk about having a strong corporate culture; Clear Fork showed that they not only talk about theirs but they actively manage it,” said Shannon Shipp, associate professor of ,arketing and director of the Neeley Ethics Initiative, M.J. Neeley School of Business, Texas Christian University. “Culture is transmitted through stories and shared history,” said Shipp, who chaired the awards judging committee. “Clear Fork has many stories about when it acted ethically and went above and beyond the legal requirements. It also clearly showed a process whereby new hires are given those examples and helped to develop the same sense of ethical action.” Each applicant was judged by a panel of business owners and professionals. The Greater Tarrant Business Ethics Awards are presented by BB&T, and platinum sponsor is Bourland, Wall & Wenzel P.C. Partners include the TCU Neeley School of Business, the Fort Worth Chamber of Commerce, the Society of Financial Service Professionals, the Financial Planning Association of Dallas/Fort Worth, and the Fort Worth Business Press.