September 2016, Vol. 243, No. 9

Company & Association News

Business

Association News

Jim Skidmore, chancellor emeritus of the Community and Technical College System of West Virginia, has joined the Natural Gas Training Council Board of Directors. The Council is a non-profit organization partnering with industry and communities to educate workers and increase knowledge of the natural gas industry.

Personnel Changes

Courtney McShane has joined Willbros Group, Inc. as director of Business Development for the Marcellus Shale and Eastern Seaboard regions. She brings several years of pipeline construction, facility construction and maintenance experience to Willbros. Previously, McShane represented several pipeline construction business units for portfolio company PLH Group. She will also represent Willbros’ subsidiary Lineal Industries natural gas upstream and midstream construction services based in Pittsburgh.

James A. McDonald joined Romet Limited as director of Sales and Marketing, Canada. He has more than 20 years of experience in sales and marketing, along with nine years in banking. In 2004, he joined Elster Canadian Meter and was promoted to director of Sales and Marketing in 2007. In 2014, he was promoted to director of Sales and Marketing, Measurement and Regulation United States and Canada for Elster Gas – Metering Americas before joining Romet.

Steve Knowles joined EN Engineering as CEO. Knowles was with Wood Group Mustang, where he was CEO from 2006-2015.

The Lincoln Electric Company promoted long-time employee John T. Bronstrup to the newly created position of president, Business Development for the Americas Welding segment.

NDT Global appointed Thomas Wolf as CEO of its European operating company and Steve Gaida as CEO of the Canadian operating company.

ABB appointed Chris Shigas as U.S. director of Media Relations.

Oscar K. Brown joined Occidental Petroleum Corp. as senior vice president, Worldwide Business Development.

Ben M. McFarland joined Steptoe & Johnson PLLC’s litigation team in Wheeling, WV. He will focus on professional liability and energy litigation.

Hyundai Construction Equipment Americas named David Vicha as district sales manager, supporting dealers throughout Texas, New Mexico, Colorado, Kansas, Oklahoma, Arkansas, and parts of Louisiana and Missouri.

2H Offshore, an Acteon company, appointed Yann Helle as managing director. Helle replaces Tim Eyles, who will be vice president with parent company Acteon.

Morningstar, Inc. expanded its commodity research to include oil markets and appointed Sandy Fielden as director of Research, Commodities and Energy.

Company News Mergers & Acquisitions

Two of the longest-running pipeline companies in the U.S. will sell their entire fleets, Sept. 28-29 in Columbus, OH, in what will be Ritchie Bros.’ largest-ever pipeline equipment auction. Most of the inventory will be that of Tulsa, OK’s Sheehan Pipe Line Construction Company, which has been in operation for over 100 years and filed for bankruptcy earlier this year. Also featured will be equipment from Winchester, KY-based Oliver Pipe & Equipment Inc.

“There’s only been two or three auctions like this in my 37 years in this business – it’s an excellent opportunity for buyers,” said Robert Riess, president & CEO of Sheehan. “The pipeline industry is a small niche group of friends and competitors, and I think there will be many people very interested in these assets.”

On June 20, a U.S. Bankruptcy Court gave an order approving the sale of substantially all assets of Sheehan Pipe Line Construction to the winning bidder, Ritchie Bros. Auctioneers for $30.75 million in cash.

The auction also features a major fleet realignment from J-Wood Pipeline Services. There are over 1,300 equipment items and trucks listed to be sold, with no minimum bids or reserve prices. Bids can be placed in person, online in real time and by proxy, Ritchie Bros. said.

Centurion Midstream Group, LLC acquired Permian Crude Transport, LLC (PCT) and its affiliates. PCT is a provider of integrated crude logistics services with operations throughout the Permian Basin.

Caterpillar Oil & Gas completed its acquisition of M2M Data Corp.   Headquartered near Denver, M2M focuses on natural gas compression.

EnLink Midstream Partners moved into a new regional office in Midland, TX located in the west wing of the Bank of America Tower at 303 W. Wall St.

EN Engineering acquired CNA, Inc., a services firm that provides comprehensive engineering, consulting, and automation services to pipeline companies, utilities, and industrial customers.

PJ Valves (PJV) launched a new piping business, PJ Piping (PJP). Located in Houston, the company – operating as part of the PJ Group – will supply specialist pipe fittings, flanges and other piping components to the oil and gas, petrochemical and desalination sectors. PJP will be led by a core team of Daniel Composto and James Short.

Peoples Gas, North Star Gas and local dignitaries broke ground July 6 on a $20 million, 100,000- square-foot training center in Little Village neighborhood in Chicago. UJAMAA Construction, Inc., a Chicago minority-owned general contractor, was awarded a $1.3 million contract for the training center construction.

When complete, the center will provide training for 1,600 employees of Peoples Gas, North Shore Gas and their contractors annually. Dozens of Chicago high school students are expected to take part in the vocational training program at the center annually. The center will employ 90 full-time staff, including 75 operations and maintenance employees.

Wood Group was awarded an extension to its master service agreement contract with Apache Corp. to deliver subsea engineering and consultancy services in support of routine operation and maintenance works in the North Sea. Also, detailed engineering will be provided for future subsea developments across its entire North Sea portfolio, the Forties and Beryl areas, Scottish Area Gas Evacuation (SAGE) pipeline and onshore SAGE facility at St Fergus.

Obituary

Holyne (F.H.) Harrell, 75, died July 10 in McComb, MI. He started his pipeline career with Gregory & Cook Construction (now Price Gregory International Inc.,) in 1982 and worked as an office manager on numerous projects throughout the U.S. He leaves his wife, Roxann; daughter, Terann (Niles) Bryan; brother, Jamie (Dianne); and two grandchildren, Services were July 14 in Osyka, MI.