March 2017, Vol. 244, No. 3

Company & Association News

Business

Names In The News

James A. Cisarik, Enterprise Products Holdings LLC’s senior vice president of government affairs and public relations, was named chairman of the Texas Pipeline Association (TPA), the largest state trade association in the country representing the interests of the intrastate pipeline network. He replaces outgoing chairman Michael A. Heim.

From February 2003 to January 2014, Cisarik served as a senior vice president of Enterprise, where he had primary responsibility for the oversight of the company’s intrastate natural gas pipelines and projects derived from LNG and other natural gas business development.  Prior to joining Enterprise, Cisarik was a senior vice president of Coral Energy, LLC, and from 1997 to February 1999 was vice president, market development of Tejas Energy, LLC. He graduated from the University of Texas with a bachelor of business administration degree in petroleum land management.

Katharine “Kathie” Morgan was named president of ASTM International, one of the world’s largest standards development organizations. She succeeds James A. Thomas, who served in the role for 25 years. She is a 33-year veteran of ASTM International. She served as executive vice president for the past two years. Earlier she was vice president of Technical Committee Operations, leading a 50-member team that supports the volunteer work of ASTM International’s 30,000 members worldwide. Morgan holds a bachelor’s degree in chemical engineering from Lafayette College in Easton, PA and a master’s degree in business administration from Widener University in Chester, PA.

At its annual meeting in San Antonio, TX, the Gas Compressor Association (GCA) advisory board members were recognized for their service for 2016: Anthony Speer, Chair (CSI Compressco, LP), Terry Baldwin (Murphy/Ennovation Controls, LLC), Mike Burky (Ariel Corp.), John Dutton (JW Power Co.), Roy Jacobs (Neuman & Esser USA, Inc.), Pete Kourkoubes (Enerflex Energy Systems), and Ray Purtzer (Archrock Compression Services). Dutton is the 2017 chairman.

Standing committee chairpersons were also recognized for their service: Education – David Seiler (Frick Compressors), Environmental – Mark Davis (JW Power Co.), Health & Safety – Joe Avila (JW Power Co.), Membership – Chris Davis (AXH air-coolers), Program & Expo (GE Oil & Gas), and Statistics – Levent Caglar (CSI Compressco LP).

Avila received the GCA’s Special Recognition Award for his work with the Health & Safety Committee. The Health & Safety Committee, GCA’s newest committee, provides leadership to GCA members focused on health & safety responsibilities, including the collection and reporting of safety data from member companies.

The Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) announced that Adam Sieminski has joined the CSIS Energy and National Security Program as the new James R. Schlesinger Chair for Energy and Geopolitics. Sieminski will succeed the Schlesinger Chair’s inaugural holder, Frank Verrastro, who will become trustee fellow and senior vice president at CSIS.

Sieminski headed the U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) from June 2012 to January 2017. Prior to leading EIA, he served as senior director for energy and environment on the staff of the National Security Council at the White House and was previously Deutsche Bank’s chief energy economist for nearly 15 years.

“Adam is one of the top energy thought leaders in the world today,” said Sarah Ladislaw, director of the CSIS Energy and National Security Program.

The Maguire Energy Institute at SMU Cox School of Business honored Trevor Rees-Jones, founder and CEO of Dallas-based Chief Oil & Gas LLC, with the L. Frank Pitts Energy Leadership Award at a sold-out ceremony on Jan. 20 on the Southern Methodist University campus in Dallas. Forrest Hoglund, retired chairman and CEO of EOG Resources and current chairman and CEO of SeaOne Holdings LLC, was honored with the Maguire Energy Institute Pioneer Award.

The Maguire Institute’s Energy Leadership Award committee selected the two oil and gas titans because of their long-term impact on the energy industry. The Pitts Energy Leadership Award annually honors an individual who exemplifies a spirit of ethical leadership in the energy industry. The equally prestigious Pioneer Award is presented to energy industry trailblazers.

“The Institute is proud to honor Trevor Rees-Jones with this prestigious award,” said Bruce Bullock, director of the Maguire Energy Institute. “Trevor has proven himself to be one of the great modern wildcatters exhibiting a record of leadership, innovation and ethics, very much like Frank Pitts in his day. We are also pleased to present our Pioneer Award to Forrest Hoglund, who is a trailblazer in this industry to this day. Both of these men are making big differences not only in the petroleum industry, but in the communities in which they live and operate”

Atlanta-based Colonial Pipeline Co. is searching for a permanent replacement for CEO Tim Felt who retired Jan. 31. He was replaced on an interim basis by industry veteran John W. Somerhalder II.who was most recently chairman and CEO of AGL Resources, an Atlanta-based energy services holding company with operations in natural gas distribution, retail operations, wholesale services and midstream operations. Felt, 62, was president and CEO of Tulsa-based Explorer Pipeline for nine years before joining Colonial in 2009.

Vaquero Midstream named Kirk N. Blackim as vice president of Business Development. He has over 30 years of experience in management roles with involvement in business development, accounting, finance, operations and governmental regulation of midstream and gas transmission systems. His experience extensively covers most basins in the U.S.

Blackim joins Vaquero from Crestwood Midstream Partners LP, where he served as director of Business Development – Gathering and Processing. Prior to Crestwood, he developed gathering and processing projects with The Williams Companies holding titles including manager of Commercial Development and Senior Originator in Williams Corporate Strategy Development Group. He will be based out of Vaquero’s office in The Woodlands.

Houston-based Clock Spring Company, LP has named Matt Boucher president and CEO. Boucher was recruited as executive vice president and COO last June and was elected as president and CEO at the Jan. 25 board of directors meeting.

Boucher’s career has focused on financial management and analysis, business strategy, and leading transformations. He joined Clock Spring from The Brock Group, a $1.5 billion specialty trade and maintenance services contractor to refining, petrochemical, power and industrial manufacturers. He holds an MBA from the University of Texas at Austin and a Bachelor of Science in Economics from Bentley University in Waltham, MA.

Dallas-based Atmos Energy Corp. said Christopher T. Forsythe, vice president and controller, has been promoted by the board of directors to senior vice president and CFO. He will report directly to CEO Kim Cocklin, and serve on the company’s Management Committee. Forsythe, 45, joined Atmos Energy in June 2003 and was promoted to director of Financial Reporting in September 2003, having previously worked as a senior audit manager for PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP. He was promoted to his current position in 2009. Forsythe is a graduate of Baylor University with Bachelors of Business Administration degrees in Accounting and Management Information Systems. 

Protiviti, a global consulting firm, has promoted Edna Lopez to managing director in the firm’s Houston office. Lopez, a Houston-based member of Protiviti’s Internal Audit and Financial Advisory practice, has over 20 years of consulting and audit experience working primarily with clients in the energy industry on all phases of internal audit. She holds a bachelor’s degree in business administration from the University of Houston and is a Certified Public Accountant.

Nigel Kuzemko, CEO of Steelhead LNG, announced the appointment of two new members to the company’s executive team. Paul Sullivan, formerly senior vice president of Global LNG and Floating LNG (FLNG) at Worley Parsons Group, was named vice president, Projects. Sullivan has had a long career in engineering and construction, with over 25 years managing LNG import and export projects.

Gerry Peereboom, was named vice president, Integration. He has over 38 years of international experience on major oil, gas and LNG projects for companies such as Noble Energy, BP and Amoco. He p[resident of Atlantic LNG in Trinidad when it was developed for BP/Amoco in the mid-1990s. They will be based at Steelhead LNG’s corporate headquarters in Vancouver, BC.

Dallas-based consulting company Solomon Associates announced that Charles J. Reith, Jr. has been named CEO upon the retirement of Dale A. Emanuel, the former president and CEO. Reith was previously named as acting president on July 1, 2016, during the transition period. Reith is a 1983 graduate of Syracuse University in Civil Engineering and has served in various capacities in the consulting business for over 34 years. He came to Solomon in 2004 where he was executive vice president of Consulting, Business Development, and Marketing.

California-based Greyrock Energy, Inc. has announced the addition of two new executive staff members. George Couvaras will serve as director of International Projects. He is a chemical engineer and has spent his career in the petrochemical industry, in particular within the Gas-to-Liquids (GTL) sector.

Glenn McGinnis will serve as vice president of Engineering. He is also chemical engineer with over 35 years of refining experience. He previously held senior positions with Aux Sable Liquid Products, El Paso Corp., Imperial Oil Limited, Exxon International, Orion Refining Corp., and TransAmerican Refining Corp.

Lazard Ltd announced that Kevin Bonebrake has joined the firm as a managing director, Financial Advisory. Based in Houston, he will advise companies in the oil and gas sector on mergers and acquisitions and other financial matters. Bonebrake has over 12 years of energy-sector advisory experience, with a focus on North American independent exploration & production companies, majors and national oil companies. He joins Lazard from Morgan Stanley, where he was a managing director in the Global Natural Resources practice within the Investment Banking Division. From 2003-09 he worked for Salomon Smith Barney/Citigroup as a member of its Global Energy Investment Banking team.

Pittsburgh, PA-based Blank Rome LLP said Amy L. Barrette and Jeremy A. Mercer have joined the Firm as partners in the Energy, Environment, and Mass Torts practice group. Barrette and Mercer join Blank Rome from Norton Rose Fulbright where their practices were focused on commercial litigation for upstream oil and gas companies. They are based in Pittsburgh office.

Darrin J. Andrews has joined St. Louis-based Carboline executive vice president of Sales USA. He has been in the protective and industrial coatings industry for over 27 years largely in the oil and gas, and mining segments. He is a NACE Certified Coatings Inspector and has been active in the Canadian protective coatings industry for 20 years.