Senior Bankers

With offices in Dallas and Houston, the Energy Group takes an industry-focused approach to its investment banking services. Our transactional, client-focused experts deliver superior results.

Howard House
Managing Director – Investment Banking
Co-Head of Energy Group

Mr. House joined Raymond James & Associates as managing director and co-head of the Energy Group in September 2001. He earlier served as managing director and head of the energy group of investment banking at ING Barings LLC. Mr. House also held senior banking positions in the energy investment banking group of Prudential Securities Inc. and the Lehman Brothers Inc. natural resources investment banking group. He was also an associate with Kidder, Peabody & Company, Inc., and a senior petroleum engineer with Exxon Company, USA.

Mr. House holds a Master of Business Administration from the University of Texas, and petroleum and civil engineering degrees from Tulane University and Lamar University, respectively.

Allen Lassiter
Managing Director – Investment Banking
Co-Head of Energy Group

Mr. Lassiter, who joined Raymond James & Associates in 1994, has more than 25 years of investment banking experience, including an extensive background in public offerings of equity and debt securities, private placements, and mergers and acquisitions. Earlier, he served as a managing director at Kemper Securities, where he was responsible for the management of investment banking in the Southwest and as managing director and co-head of the Smith Barney Energy Group.

Mr. Lassiter was a Morehead Scholar at the University of North Carolina, where he received a Bachelor of Arts. He holds a Master of Business Administration from the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania.

Michael Ames
Managing Director – Investment Banking
Exploration & Production

Mr. Ames joined the Raymond James & Associates Energy Group in September 2001 and has over 20 years of investment banking experience. Prior to joining Raymond James, Mr. Ames was in the energy group at Prudential Securities where he specialized in the exploration and production and oilfield services sectors. Prior to Prudential Securities, Mr. Ames worked in the corporate finance departments at Merrill Lynch Capital Markets, Shearson Lehman Hutton and Stephens Inc.

Mr. Ames graduated with honors earning a Bachelor of Business Administration in finance and a Master of Business Administration from the University of Texas.

Mark Huhndorff
Managing Director – Investment Banking
Midstream, Coal and Alternative Energy

Mr. Huhndorff joined the Dallas office of Raymond James & Associates in 1997. Previously, he was a process specialist with BetzDearborn where he developed and sold chemical treatment programs in the petroleum refining industry. Mr. Huhndorff also served four years in the space systems division of the United States Air Force, and was honorably discharged as a captain. He holds a bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering, magna cum laude, from the University of Michigan, and he holds a Master of Business Administration from the Harvard Business School.

Scott McNeill
Managing Director – Investment Banking
Oilfield Service

Mr. McNeill joined Raymond James & Associates in 1998 after earning his Master of Business Administration, with honors, from the University of Texas at Austin. He was employed as a summer associate with Raymond James in 1997. Prior to joining Raymond James, Mr. McNeill worked in the Dallas office of Arthur Andersen in the enterprise group focusing on middle-market companies. Mr. McNeill holds a Bachelor of Business Administration in accounting with a concentration in information systems from Baylor University and is licensed as a certified public accountant.

Christopher J. Simon
Managing Director – Investment Banking
Head of Asset Acquisitions & Divestitures

Mr. Simon joined Raymond James & Associates as Managing Director and Head of Asset Acquisitions & Divestitures in April 2009. Earlier, he served as managing director of acquisitions & divestitures and was a member of the board of directors at Tristone Capital. Mr. Simon also held senior positions at Petroleum Place Energy Advisors, JMI Energy, Inc. and Destec Energy, Inc. He began his career as a petroleum engineer at ARCO Oil and Gas Company.

Mr. Simon holds a Master of Business Administration from the University of Texas and a Bachelor of Science in petroleum engineering from Texas A&M University.