August 2017, Vol. 244, No. 8

Company & Association News

Business News

INGAA Foundation

The INGAA Foundation named industry veteran Jason M. Goldstein as executive director upon the Aug. 31 retirement of Richard Hoffmann. Goldstein will manage the Foundation’s technical and economic studies, implementing its strategic plan and overseeing the planning and studies development process. He also will manage Foundation meetings and workshops. Goldstein has worked in the environmental and natural gas industries since 1993, holding positions including managing partner, chief operating officer, vice president, project manager, environmental inspector and field technician. He has worked with large consulting firms, pipeline operators and private developers of natural gas assets. Goldstein holds an MBA in finance and business law from Stern School of Business at New York University and master’s in environmental science from the SUNY College of Environmental Science and Forestry.

IPLOCA

The 2016-17 IPLOCA Board of Directors nominated two new honorary members during its meeting in Hamburg last month. In recognition of their significant involvement to IPLOCA over many years, Butch Graham, Sr., auctioneer/Pipeline & Energy consultant with Ritchie Bros Auctioneers and Gus Meijer, retired VP of International Sales at CRC-Evans, were awarded the recognition which has only been given 12 times since IPLOCA was founded 51 years ago.

LOGA

Don Briggs, founding member and president of the Louisiana Oil and Gas Association, was named LAGCOE Looey 2017, an honorary position given for accomplishments in the Louisiana oil and gas industry. Briggs founded Aztec Pipe & Supply that later became the Aztec Corp., which serviced the industry from pipeline supplies to drilling fluid. Briggs also started the Louisiana Independent Oil and Gas Association (LIOGA), serving as president of the association of only 12 members, which is now the Louisiana Oil and Gas Association (LOGA) with over 1,300 members.

PLCAC

The Pipe Line Contractors Association of Canada (PLAC) elected new officers for 2017-18 at its annual meeting in Banff, Alberta. The president is Lyall Nash, president of TESTCO Western Corp.; first vice president is Paul Schultz, senior vice president of Premay Pipeline Hauling, L.P.; second vice president is Kevin Waschuk, vice president of Waschuk Pipe Line Construction Co., and treasurer is Nick de Koning, president of Robert B. Somerville Co. Ltd.

MEA

Midwest Energy Association  announced three energy delivery companies received Accident Prevention Awards for outstanding safety records: ComEd (Illinois);  Vectren (Indiana) and  Muscatine Power & Water (Iowa).

ASGMT

Flow-Cal, Inc. President Michael Squyres was appointed president of the Board of Directors for the 2017 ASGMT (American School of Gas Measurement Technology). Since 2013, ASGMT has expanded its curriculum to include natural gas liquids.

Williams Companies

The Williams Companies, Inc. appointed  Chad Zamarin as senior vice president of Corporate Strategic Development. He succeeds Frank Billings who has retired. Zamarin will be responsible for enterprise-level strategy, business development, customer-relationship management, as well as government affairs and project analysis. Zamarin previously served as senior vice president and president, Pipeline and Midstream at Cheniere Energy, Inc. Williams CEO Alan Armstrong noted that Zamarin can help strategic growth across diverse segments of the energy industry, especially in pipeline transportation and LNG exports. Williams also appointed Frank J. Ferazzi as senior vice president over the Atlantic-Gulf operating area, succeeding Rory Miller, who is retiring. Ferazzi has served as vice president and general manager, Eastern Interstates (including oversight of Williams Partners’ Transco pipeline system) in the Atlantic-Gulf operating area since 2012. He has a combined 36 years of service with Williams and Transco, where he has held various commercial and customer service leadership roles in the company’s gas pipeline business throughout his career.

Chesapeake Utilities

Chesapeake Utilities Corp., Dover, DE, announced five executive appointments to the corporate office  as well as Chesapeake Utilities, Peninsula Energy Services Co. (PESCO) and Sharp Energy business units. Lou Anatrella was named chief human resources officer. Aleida Socarrás was promoted to vice president of Chesapeake Utilities where she is responsible for overseeing the activities of the Delmarva Natural Gas (DNG) and Sandpiper Energy gas distribution systems on the Delmarva Peninsula. Tom Mahn was promoted to vice president of Chesapeake Utilities Corp. and will continue to serve as treasurer and head of the Finance Department. Al Gallo was promoted to assistant vice president of PESCO, the non-regulated energy marketing business. Andy Hesson was promoted to assistant vice president of Sharp Energy, the non-regulated propane distribution company.

AECOM

Infrastructure firm AECOM named Randall A. Wotring as chief operating officer. He has over 30 years of experience in the engineering and construction industry and last September was promoted to group president, Technical and Operational Services. AECOM also announced that Stephen M. Kadenacy is leaving his position as president and chief operating officer.

Frontier Integrity

Frontier Integrity Solutions appointed Keyth Pengal as CEO and oil and gas veteran Bill Boyer to the Board of Directors. Pengal has over 25 years of operating experience. Boyer is senior vice president of Operations at Southcross Energy Partners L.P. He retired from Occidental Petroleum after a 39-year career as president of Occidental’s crude oil pipeline subsidiary, Centurion Pipeline, and general manager of Occidental’s midstream operations business unit.

Lincoln Electrical

Lincoln Electric Holdings, Inc. promoted Steven B. Hedlund to executive vice president and president of the International Welding segment. He will lead the European (Europe, Middle East, Africa and Russia) and Asia Pacific regions’ day-to-day operations and oversee the implementation of all strategic, operational and commercial initiatives.

Sidley Austin LLP

Emily P. Mallen joined the Washington, D.C. law firm of Sidley Austin LLP as a partner. She will be a member of Sidley’s Energy practice, specializing in natural gas, oil and products pipelines.

King & Spalding

Oil and gas attorney Peter Hayes joined King & Spalding as a partner in Houston. He represents companies and entrepreneurs in upstream, midstream and downstream transactions, including mergers and acquisitions, joint ventures and project development. His work includes gathering and processing systems, pipelines and capacity on pipelines (including tolling capacity) and refineries, both in the U.S. and internationally.

Steptoe & Johnson LLP

Monique Watson joined the Washington, D.C. office of Steptoe & Johnson LLP as counsel in the Energy Group. She recently left the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC), where she spent 15 years in senior legal positions, with a particular focus on oil and natural gas pipeline matters.

Wood Mackenzie

Abraham Silva joined Wood Mackenzie’s Global Public Relations team in Houston as senior PR manager for the Americas. He worked nine years for
H+K Strategies.

Enduro Pipeline

Henry Green and Robert Franke joined Enduro Pipeline Services-Sales Division as part of the company’s expanding customer contact and business development objectives. Green has over 15 years of oil and gas pipeline experience, specifically related to the inline inspection service industry.  Establishing a northeastern location, he will support business development focused on the Marcellus/Utica plus the midwestern and northeastern area states. Franke, with his years of pigging product experience, will be based in the New Braunfels-South Texas area to handle pipeline product sales to the Texas-Eagle Ford Shale Play region and the Permian Basin of Texas and New Mexico.

Arsenal Capital Partners

Arsenal Capital Partners completed the sale of portfolio company Flowchem, a manufacturer of pipeline performance products, to KMG, a global provider of specialty chemicals, for $495 million.  Founded in 2001 and based in Waller, TX, Flowchem is a leading global provider of drag-reducing additives, related support services and equipment to midstream crude oil and refined fuel pipeline operators.

H&E Equipment Services

H&E Equipment Services Inc. held a grand opening of its new branch at 3825 Stone Oak Dr., Beaumont, TX, designed to provide full-service coverage to customers in eastern Texas and southwest Louisiana.  The 9,500-square-foot facility is capable of repairing a variety of general industrial and construction equipment.

Safety Management Systems

Safety Management Systems (SMS) acquired Liberty Pipeline Services, LLC, an energy pipeline services consulting firm. SMS, based in Lafayette, LA, is a global provider of safety, medical, rescue, training, industrial hygiene and security services to the energy industry. Liberty, based in The Woodlands, TX, is a major provider of consulting and inspection services to the pipeline industry. Liberty Pipeline has changed its name to Liberty Energy Services, LLC and will continue operations at 1585 Sawdust Rd, Suite 150, The Woodlands, TX 77380.

Ritchie Bros.

Ritchie Bros., heavy equipment auctioneer and provider of end-to-end services, received unconditional antitrust clearance from the U.S. Department of Justice for the proposed acquisition of IronPlanet®, an online marketplace for heavy equipment and other durable assets. Ritchie Bros. CEDO Ravi Saligram said the company’s “outstanding brand reputation and high degree of customer trust, coupled with IronPlanet’s digital prowess built on user friendly technology, will provide multiple product and channel offerings.”

MRC Global

MRC Global Inc.’s U.S. subsidiary, MRC Global (US) Inc., opened a new regional distribution center in Shafter, CA, near Bakersfield. The facility, located at 4000 Fanucchi Way, will hold $15 million in inventory to support MRC Global’s operations on the West Coast and Alaska. The center includes 80,000 square feet of warehouse space, which includes a 5,000-square-foot valve and engineering center, a 15-acre pipe yard, which includes a state-of-the-art pipe cutting facility, and a two-story, 11,000-square-foot office building.

NuStar Energy

San Antonio-based NuStar Energy L.P. is ranked No. 32 among the “Best Places to Work for Millennials” by Fortune magazine and Great Place to Work.

Deaths

Milton Weeks Heath Jr. died June 20 in Scottsdale, AZ at the age of 88. The son of Milton Weeks Heath Sr. and Elizabeth Woodward Heath, Heath grew up in Waban, MA and earned his bachelor’s degree in 1952 from the School of Natural Resources at the University of Michigan. He earned his Certificate of Business Administration at Babson Institute.

As son of the founder of The Heath Companies, Heath’s career in the natural gas industry spanned over 60 years in all aspects of the family business, with its core focus on leak detection and public safety. He regionalized the company across the United States and established Heath’s international presence in Canada, Germany and Australia. He served in numerous committee positions and chairmanships for the American Public Gas Association, American Gas Association, Southeastern Gas Association, Southern Gas Association, International Gas Union, Canadian Gas Association, The Society of Gas Operators and Texas Gas Association. He was a former mayor and active member of the Gild of Ancient Suppliers. Heath retired in 2012 for health reasons and was replaced at the company’s helm  by his daughter, Carolyn.

He leaves his wife of 61 years, Ruth Tipping Heath, and his children, Kathryn (Anthony) Landicho of Virginia, Carolyn (Todd) Haag of Texas and Milton (JoAnn) Heath III of Texas, and 14 grandchildren. He also leaves his sister, Barbara Heath Kane. Donations can be made in memorial to the Alzheimer’s Association or American Diabetes Association or a charity of your choice.