black stone minerals is the largest publicly traded mineral and royalty company in the united states. our interests include approximately 18 million gross acres in over 40 states. our principal business is maximizing the value of our existing portfolio of mineral and royalty assets through active management and expanding our asset base through acquisitions of additional mineral and royalty interests. we maximize value through the marketing of our mineral assets for lease, creative structuring of those leases to encourage and accelerate drilling activity, and selectively participating alongside our lessees on a working-interest basis. our primary business objective is to grow our reserves, production, and cash generated from operations over the long term. we are headquartered in houston, tx.