Pipeline Leadership Conference Shines in Denver
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- Dr. Barb Jackson, Director of the Franklin L. Burns School of Real Estate and Construction Management, University of Colorado
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- Bernie Krzys, Publisher and CEO, Benjamin Media Inc.
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- Chuck Shafer, Vice President of Engineering, Projects and Construction at NiSource Inc.
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- The Crisis Management Response and Stakeholder Engagement Panel included (from left) Jennifer Reams of Tallgrass Energy, Dr. Samuel Ariaratnam of Arizona State University and Paul Andersen of OSHA Compliance Services.
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- The North American Infrastructure and Falling Oil Prices Roundtable discussion included (from left) Daniel Loero of GE Oil & Gas, Jeff Moore of Bentek Energy and Rick Porter of Black & Veatch.
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- Lauren Tipton, Regulatory Compliance Engineer, New Century Software
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- The Land Management and Acquisition Panel included (from left) Andrew Craig of TransCanada, Evan Randall of Holland & Hart, Ralph Cantafio of Cantafio Edington and Patrick Fitzgerald of the University of Denver.
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- David Messersmith, Extension Educator, Penn State University
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- The 2015 Pipeline Leadership Conference Pipeline Construction Productivity and Collaboration Panel included (from left) Joe Beffer of Midwestern Mfg., Mark Oliver of John Deere, Bob Osborn of Michels Pipeline Construction and Scott Miller of Miller Pipeline.
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- Mark Bridgers, Principal, Continuum Advisory Group
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- Jim Chiarello, Director, Pathfinder LLC
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- Blair Morgan, President, Innovatia Inc.
The Pipeline Leadership Conference got off to a roaring success, Nov. 4-5, at the University of Denver in Colorado. The event brought focus to overcoming industry challenges through leadership and collaboration.
The inaugural conference fosters collaboration, discussion among participants and it drew more than 75 attendees representing the top executives in the industry to the Denver campus to discuss strategies to further develop oil and gas pipelines in North America. The robust presentation program focused on market forces, regulatory changes, safety and integrity management, as well as engaging stakeholders and land management issues.
Day 1 of the Pipeline Leadership Conference kicked off with a welcome message from Benjamin Media Inc. CEO and publisher Bernie Krzys and Dr. Barb Jackson, director of the Franklin L. Burns School of Real Estate and Construction Management at the university, followed by an overview of the North American oil and gas pipeline and distribution market by Continuum Advisory Group principal Mark Bridgers. Low oil and gas prices are putting constraints on the industry, according to Bridgers, while an aging workforce is a question the industry must find an answer to refill the ranks with younger professionals.
RELATED: 2016 North American Pipeline and Distribution Market Overview
“Companies need to balance the expectations that those 30 years old and under have for a career with the expectations of those age 50 and up,” Bridgers said. “How we attract 14- and 15-year-olds to enter the industry is a whole other question.”
Following up on Bridgers’ message was keynote speaker Chuck Shafer, vice president of engineering, projects and construction at NiSource Inc., who highlighted his company’s “people-engineering strategy” to help train and bring in new talent to the industry, as well as to expand its in-house engineering capabilities. NiSource has also engaged in a contractor management program to build long-term relationships between its top construction partners by establishing multiyear, flexible agreements.
Other first day speakers included Lauren Tipton, a regulatory compliance engineer at New Century Software and that company’s Integrity Plus program, who discussed how companies better respond to federal and state regulatory changes; and David Messersmith, an extension educator at Penn State University’s Marcellus Education Team, who discussed engaging stakeholders via social media platforms.
RELATED: Adventures in Acquisition
The Land Management and Acquisition Panel closed the first day. Moderated by Krzys, the panel included Holland & Hart partner Evan Randall, Cantafio Edington president and managing partner Ralph Cantafio, University of Denver visiting faculty member Patrick Fitzgerald, who leads the University of Denver’s Energy Land Management Certificate program, and TransCanada’s Andrew Craig, land manager for the long delayed Keystone XL pipeline.
The panel experienced strong discussion regarding TransCanada’s project as news broke earlier in the day that the company’s request to suspend permit review was denied. (President Barack Obama rejected the company’s Presidential Permit application two days later on Nov. 6.)
Following the panel was a welcome reception and award banquet dinner, where the first annual Pipeline Leadership Award was presented to Shafer, whose distinguished leadership qualities in heading NiSource’s 20-year, $20 billion capital improvement program earned him the honor.
RELATED: NiSource’s Chuck Shafer Receives Inaugural Pipeline Leadership Award
“We’re proud to present the inaugural Pipeline Leadership Award to Chuck Shafer who has led NiSource’s impressive accomplishments in the oil and gas pipeline industry,” said Bernie Krzys, publisher and CEO of North American Oil & Gas Pipelines.
The Pipeline Leadership Award was created to honor leadership initiatives and advances in the construction, operation and maintenance of oil and gas pipelines, including innovations in the construction process, design, procurement, contract administration, management, labor relations, training and safety that improve the global pipeline industry.
“We had many nominations for the Pipeline Leadership Award, but one candidate stood above the rest,” said Mark Bridgers, principal, Continuum Advisory Group. “Chuck Shafer and his team at NiSource really represent the ideal we set out to honor with this award by driving transformation and innovation in the pipeline industry through people, process and practice.”
Day 2 of the conference featured three panels that received strong audience participation.
The North American Pipeline Infrastructure and Falling Oil Prices Roundtable discussion was moderated by Bridgers and included Bentek Energy senior analyst Jeff Moore, Black & Veatch consulting director Rick Porter and GE Oil & Gas midstream director Daniel Loero. A main topic of conversation was where the “price floor” will be and when the industry can expect prices to rise again. One major driver of new construction, the panelists said, was Mexico, where the government has opened up foreign investment in energy infrastructure. The panelists agreed that prices are still likely to fall more before going back up.
The Pipeline Construction Productivity and Collaboration Panel was moderated by Mike Prior, senior strategic advisor at Michels Canada, and included Miller Pipeline vice president Scott Miller, Michels Pipeline Construction senior vice president Bob Osborn, John Deere product manager Mark Oliver and Midwestern Mfg. executive vice president Joe Beffer. The panelists focused on strategies to improve productivity by collaborating with stakeholders and building partnerships between owners and contractors and between equipment manufacturers. The panelists said that such changes within the industry are often met with skepticism.
“I don’t think there’s a single person in here that likes change,” Miller said. “We always here, ‘That’s how we’ve always done it.’ But it’s getting those people to realize it’s not always going to be
that way.”
The Crisis Management Response and Stakeholder Engagement Panel was moderated by Brad Kramer, managing editor of North American Oil & Gas Pipelines, and included Tallgrass Energy damage prevention coordinator Jennifer Reams, OSHA Compliance Services safety advisor Paul Andersen and Arizona State University engineering professor Dr. Samuel Ariaratnam. Much of the discussion focused on the events following the 2010 PG&E gas pipeline explosion in San Bruno, California. Panelists agreed that companies need to be proactive in maintaining safety and engage stakeholders to improve training practices.
Other speakers included Blair Morgan, president of Innovatia Inc., who discussed process safety in oil and gas transportation using software and technology; and Jim Chiarello, director at Pathfinder LLC, who discussed project execution and maintaining regulatory compliance.
The Pipeline Leadership Conference was organized by North American Oil & Gas Pipelines and Benjamin Media Inc., in partnership with Continuum Advisory Group and in cooperation with the Franklin L. Burns School of Real Estate and Construction Management at the Daniels College of Business at the University of Denver. The presentation program was coordinated by the conference Program Committee, which included Prior, Welded Construction executive vice president Don Thorn and EnSite USA president Buster Gray.
The conference was supported by Founding Sponsors Miller Pipeline, Minnesota Limited LLC and John Deere, as well as Michels Corp. (Lunch Sponsor) and Innovatia Inc. (Coffee Break Sponsor). The event also received backing from 14 Supporting Associations: the American Public Gas Association (APGA), Clarion Technical Conferences, the Colorado Oil & Gas Association (COGA), the Construction Innovation Forum (CIF), the Construction Labor Market Analyzer (CLMA), the Construction Users Roundtable (CURT), the Distribution Contractors Association (DCA), the International Pipe Line & Offshore Contractors Association (IPLOCA), the Lean Construction Institute (LCI), the Midwest Energy Association (MEA), the Northwest Gas Association (NWGA), the Pipe Line Contractors Associate (PLCA), the Pipe Line Contractors Association of Canada (PLCAC) and the Power & Communications Contractors Association (PCCA).
Tags: Bentek Energy, Black & Veatch, Continuum Advisory Group, December 2015 Print Issue, GE Oil & Gas, John Deere, Michels Canada, Midwestern Mfg., Miller Pipeline, Minnesota Limited LLC, New Century Software, NiSource, Pathfinder LLC, Tallgrass Energy, TransCanada
