July 2017, Vol. 244, No. 7

Company & Association News

Business News

Energy Transfer Partners

Energy Transfer Partners, L.P. announced Michael J. Hennigan, president, Crude, Liquids and Refined Products, has left the partnership for another business opportunity. Prior to the recently closed merger of ETP and Sunoco Logistics Partners, LP (SXL), Hennigan served as president and CEO of SXL.

“We are happy for Mike and his family that he has been offered a key leadership position which will allow him to remain closer to the Philadelphia area. Mike has built a team of experienced, strong leaders who have been running the legacy SXL commercial functions, and that team will remain with the Partnership under the direction of our Group Chief Operating Officer and Chief Commercial Officer, Mackie McCrea,” said ETP CEO Kelcy Warren.

Williams

The Williams Companies, Inc. announced the election of Stephen W. Bergstrom to chairman of the board, replacing Kathleen B. Cooper who will chair the board’s Nominating and Governance Committee. She has served on the board since 2006.

Bergstrom joined the Williams board in August 2016 and is well-known in the energy industry.

As president and CEO of American Midstream Partners from 2013-15 he led the company through a period of substantial growth while increasing its geographic and operational diversity and enhancing fee-based cash flow. Bergstrom worked from 1986-2002 for Natural Gas Clearinghouse, which became Dynegy Inc., ultimately serving as president and COO.

Michels

Michels promoted Sean Nicholson to vice president of Health, Safety and Environment (HSE). He is responsible for developing a comprehensive, unified HSE program throughout Michels’ operations in the United States and Canada. Nicholson had spent 10 years as director of HSE. He will expand the programs he and his team developed to support pipeline construction operations, customer needs and governmental regulations across the company’s expansive utility and infrastructure construction operations.

Wood Group

Wood Group appointed Dean Harwood to the new position of president of strategy and development for the western region. Harwood has 30 years of global experience in finance, strategy, operations and executive leadership in the engineering, construction, technology, telecommunications and infrastructure sectors. Prior to joining Wood Group he was executive vice president of operations for Parsons Corp. and president of Parsons Enterprises, an engineering, construction and management services firm.

ONEOK

ONEOK, Inc. and ONEOK Partners, L.P. have made organizational changes. Walter S. Hulse III, 53, currently executive vice president, strategic planning and corporate affairs, becomes chief financial officer and executive vice president, strategic planning and corporate affairs. Kevin L. Burdick, 52, executive vice president and chief commercial officer, becomes executive vice president and chief operating officer. Derek S. Reiners, 46, senior vice president, chief financial officer and treasurer, becomes senior vice president, finance, and treasurer.

Gibson Energy

Gibson Energy Inc., Calgary, Alberta, named Steve Spaulding as president and CEO. He will also become a member of the board of directors. Spaulding has over 25 years’ experience in the midstream space, most recently as executive vice president of Lone Star NGL LLC, a subsidiary of Energy Transfer Partners. Prior to that, he was senior vice president, Gathering and Processing at Crosstex Energy, now EnLink Midstream Partners. He also spent 20 years at Chevron and Texaco. He succeeds Stew Hanlon who retired after 26 years with the company.

ALLU

ALLU Inc., Teterboro, NJ, named Scott Stogsdill as territory sales manager for the western U.S. Previously he worked for four years as sales manager, Western U.S. and Mexico, for Sandvik, and seven years with FMC Technologies.

Polyguard Products

Polyguard Products, Inc. said it has more than doubled its manufacturing capabilities by moving a majority of its operations to Corsicana, TX. In March 2016, Polyguard purchased the former Anchor Glass building in Corsicana, which it renovated to accommodate increased manufacturing demands. The new facility, located near the intersection of U.S. Hwy 287 and Interstate 45 in Corsicana, is 380,000 square feet and has been modernized to accommodate the growth seen at the company, which is expected to continue. Polyguard projects to double in size by 2021.

“We have more than outgrown our current facilities in Ennis and this new building will allow us to continue to expand,” President Shawn Eastham said. “Moving to Corsicana will allow us to keep our existing staff of employee owners intact and to grow organically as our business grows.”

Existing headquarters will remain in Ennis with some manufacturing continuing there. That location will also include a training center to be used by its Architectural Division.

Dominion Questar

Dominion Questar has been renamed Dominion Energy after a vote by corporate shareholders. Utah-based Questar merged with Dominion Resources, Inc., in September 2016. Dominion Energy’s Utah-based natural gas utility will make changes to identifying changes in coming months. Questar Gas’ parent company, Dominion Questar Corp., becomes Dominion Energy Questar Corp. Other major entities are Dominion Energy Questar Pipeline, LLC, and Dominion Energy Wexpro; collectively, the two companies produce and transport about 60% of the natural gas used by Dominion Energy customers in Utah, Wyoming and Idaho. All the companies are part of Dominion Energy, Inc. – formerly Dominion Resources, Inc. – based in Richmond, VA. The web address is www.DominionEnergy.com.

SemGroup

SemGroup Corp. plans to buy Houston Fuel Oil Terminal Co. from investment funds managed by Alinda Capital Partners in a $2.1 billion deal. The acquisition is expected to close in the third quarter. The terminal company’s 125 employees are expected to join Tulsa, OK-based SemGroup.

ConocoPhillips

ConocoPhillips received the inaugural Ducks Unlimited (DU) Corporate Conservation Achievement Award on June 3 at DU’s 80th Annual National Convention in San Antonio. The award was created to recognize corporations from the United States, Canada or Mexico that have made exceptional contributions to conservation in North America.

Deaths

 

George Mercer, center, with wife Amy after the couple accepted the James H. Doss Award at a Weatherford Chamber of Commerce reception last year in recognition of their extensive community service.

George Lee Mercer, 56, a fourth-generation pipeliner, died May 18 in Aledo, TX from pancreatic cancer. Mercer was the second-youngest of eight children of Tommy George Mercer and Jo McNeil Mercer and was raised in the historic Rivercrest area of Fort Worth. He attended UT Austin and later transferred to Arizona State University. He helped his father in his many businesses and in 1993 took over the small family pipeline company, TG Mercer, growing it into the largest pipeline logistics company in North America with hundreds of employees and locations worldwide.

Mercer’s great-grandfather started the hauling company in East Texas with mules in 1910. His father, Tommy George Mercer, is in the Pipeline Contractors Hall of Fame. Part of the original federal Interstate Commerce Commission law was named “the Mercer” authority, which described oilfield hauling.

Mercer enjoyed working in the business with family members, including brothers, sisters, nephews, nieces and their spouses. Family life was as important to Mercer as his business, and he spent many hours traveling and vacationing with his wife Amy, and their four children, Vincent, Chelsea, Macy and Tommie. He was an avid outdoorsman who enjoyed hunting and fishing.

Well-known for his generosity, his keen business sense and his love for a good bottle of wine, in 2015 Mercer donated the land and $500,000 in founding Miracle League of Parker County, a baseball league for special needs children such as his son, Vincent, and young adults because he believed “everyone should have the chance to play a game of baseball.”

He and Amy were strong supporters, giving both money and time, to the Freedom House in Weatherford – Parker County’s center for victims of domestic abuse, sexual assault and family violence – the Parker County Health Foundation and numerous other area charities. Most recently, Mercer was an at-large member on the board of directors for the new Parker County Regional Economic Development Council, which was unveiled to the public in April.

Mercer was preceded in death by his father, grandparents; Mr. and Mrs. George Edwin Mercer, and Mr. and Mrs. Chris McNeil. In addition to his wife and children, he leaves his mother, Jo McNeil Mercer; sisters, Sharon Chisholm and husband, Dan, of Fort Worth; Christia Mercer of New York City, and John and Marty Copeland of Argyle, TX; brothers, Tommy George Mercer Jr. of Arlington, TX, Mack Mercer and wife, Patty of Trophy Club, TX, Richard Lovelace of Paris, France and Dude Lovelace and wife, Renee, of Billings, MT.

Services were held May 24 in Hudson Oaks, TX with interment in Greenwood Memorial Park. Donations may be made to The Miracle League Parker County, 120 El Chico Trail, Willow Park, TX 76087.