November 2016, Vol. 243, No. 11

Company & Association News

Business

Association News

The American Gas Association (AGA) elected Pierce H. Norton II as chair of its Board of Directors for 2017. Norton is president and CEO of ONE Gas, Inc. in Tulsa, OK and was elected alongside several other officers during AGA’s annual corporate meeting in San Diego, CA.

Other board officers for 2017 include: First Vice Chair Kimberly J. Harris, president and CEO, Puget Sound Energy (Bellevue, WA); Second Vice Chair Joseph Hamrock, president and CEO, NiSource, Inc., (Columbus, OH); Dave McCurdy, president and CEO, AGA (Washington, DC); and Immediate Past Chair Ralph A. LaRossa, president and COO, Public Service Electric & Gas Company (Newark, NJ). For a full listing of executives serving on the AGA Board of Directors, visit www.aga.org.

AGA also awarded the Distinguished Service Award to Robert “Bob” C. Skaggs Jr., chairman and CEO of Columbia Pipeline Group Inc.  

INGAA Foundation Executive Director Richard Hoffmann plans to retire in August, nearly 10 years after he took the helm of the organization. Hoffmann previously had a distinguished 34-year career at the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, culminating when he served as director of the Office of Energy Project’s division of gas, environment and engineering.

Hoffmann has guided the INGAA Foundation over a significant period of growth and change. The Foundation brings together natural gas pipeline companies, construction companies, engineering firms, pipe and compressor manufacturers, accounting firms, companies providing information technology services and other suppliers of goods and services to the pipeline industry.

Personnel Changes

AlixPartners, a global business advisory firm, named Rick Peters managing director in the Turnaround and Restructuring practice. He will be based in the firm’s newly opened Houston office where he will focus on power and gas restructuring. He has over 30 years’ senior consulting experience, focused on the energy, power and utilities sectors, specifically merchant power and pipelines. He joins from his own independent firm, Peters Consulting Associates and previously was a managing director at Accenture, where he led their North American utilities management consulting practice. Before that he was a senior partner at The Boston Consulting Group where he led the global energy practice.

EnLink Midstream, promoted Michael J. Garberding to president and CFO, and Benjamin D. Lamb to executive vice president of Corporate Development.

Flowserve Corporation’s Mark Blinn plans to retire as president, CEO and member of the board of directors.

Heath Consultants Inc.’s CEO, Graham Midgley, is retiring after 20 years with the company. Jeffrey M. Tuttle, currently general manager for Greer Commission of Public Works and Heath Board of Directors member, will succeed Midgley as CEO.

PLIDCO^®, a manufacturer of pipeline repair and maintenance fittings based in Westlake, OH, has hired Scott Wilson as sales manager where he will direct all aspects of worldwide sales efforts. Previously, he ledl consulting practices with the WBC Group and Integrated Data Solutions.

Massachusetts-based Patriot Energy Group appointed industry veteran Heather Takle as vice president of Energy Services where she will be responsible for the day-to day management and long-term strategy of demand-side products and services such as energy efficiency and distributed generation within Patriot Energy. Patriot Energy focuses on natural gas and electricity procurement, developing strategies that have allowed small to medium sized businesses to take advantage of purchasing strategies that can secure lower costs over time.

A former Petrohawk Energy and Halcón Resources exec is leading a new midstream company. Rich DiMichele is overseeing the creation of Houston-based Palmilla Energy LLC. Los Angeles-based Oaktree Capital Management LP is funding the new midstream company. DiMichele is a former executive of Petrohawk Energy and Halcon Resources. Palmilla’s senior leadership team has over 60 years of energy experience.

Other executives include: Travis Boeker, executive vice president of commercial and business development; Scott Grahmann, executive vice president of accounting, finance and administration; David Wright, executive vice president of operations and construction

Trans Adriatic Pipeline (TAP) AG hired Ulrike Andres as Commercial and External Affairs Director. Once completed, the 878-km TAP system will transport natural gas from the Shah Deniz II field in Azerbaijan to Europe.

Along with moving into new offices at 7223 Empire Central in Houston, TX 77040, Onstreams’ U.S. Operations, Technology and Finance groups added Michael Duncan as operations manager, USA; Jay Barlow as senior mechanical designer and Mark Rudnicki as vice president of Finance.

Swire Oilfield Services welcomed its new CEO John Bruce (JB) Rae-Smith. He succeeds Tor Helgeland, who retired after 22 years with the company.
Io oil & gas consulting, the independent venture backed by GE Oil & Gas and McDermott, appointed Richard Dyson as CEO. He will be based in io’s head office in London and oversee global operations including offices in Houston and Perth, Western Australia.

Mike Ortiz joined New Century Software, Inc. as vice president of Strategic Development. He managed projects in oil and gas exploration and production, gathering and transmission pipelines and petroleum refineries across the U.S.

Denbury Resources Inc. promoted Chris Kendall from COO to president. He will assume this position from Phil Rykhoek who will remain CEO

Tellurian Investments named R. Keith Teague executive vice president and COO. He will work on the proposed Driftwood LNG project at Lake Charles, LA.

Geoff Mina is once again taking on the role of CEO at Connect First He will be leading the company’s strategic direction and operations while working closely with President and Founder Richard Manulkin.

Company News, Mergers & Acquisitions

TorcSill Foundations, LLC acquired AnchorPipe International Inc. Founded in 1978, the Houston-based company provides onshore and offshore pipeline anchoring solutions to the oil and gas industry.

Lyle Love, CEO of TorcSill, said, “These businesses are a natural fit. AnchorPipe has a great track record of installing helical pier-based foundations to pipeline operators and their construction firms. TorcSill is focused on engineering, manufacturing and installing helical pier foundation systems.”

Carboline’s parent company, RPM International Inc. announced the acquisition of Specialty Polymer Coatings, Inc. (SPC), a Canadian manufacturer of high-performance coatings for the global oil and gas pipeline market. It will operate as a free-standing business within the RPM Performance Coatings Group and report through the Carboline Company.

A news release said the acquisition will allow Carboline and SPC to better serve their customers in the oil and gas pipeline market through a combination of technology and service locations. SPC will extend its service model through Carboline’s large global sales force and numerous distribution locations to better reach customers, said Carboline Vice President of Global Marketing and Business Development Doug Moore.

Obituary

John “Dan” Gully Sr. died Sept. 19. A resident of Denham Springs, LA, Gully worked in the pipeline industry for Houston Contracting Company as a superintendent and oversaw projects that took him from the North Slope of Alaska to South America.

He is survived by his wife, Sarah; son Dan (Jo Ellen); daughter Teri Sullivan (Tom); seven grandchildren and 11 great grandchildren. The family asks that any donations be made to St. Jude Children’s Hospital.