Business [Pipeline & Gas Journal]

Company & Association News

Association News

Rosanne Rogers, gas compliance and operations support manager, for Alliant Energy was inducted into the Midwest ENERGY Association (MEA)HallofFameatthe Gas Operations Technical & Leadership Summit. The Hall of Fame program recognizes individuals who have contributed leadership and expertise to the energy industry through MEA events. Rogers, who has attended more than 55 events since 1995, has assisted MEA in many ways over die years, including: chair of the Gas Operations Steering Committee; chair of the Gas Codes & Standards Committee; and class instructor at the Annual Gas Operations Conference, Spring Gas Distribution Summit and Fall Gas Distribution Summit.

The Gas Technology Institute (GTI) has opened the organization's newest office in Pittsburgh, PA. Headquartered in the Chicago suburb of Des Plaines, IL, GTI has field offices across the country; and the new office in Pittsburgh represents GTl's local commitment to the natural gas industry in the Marcellus shale fairway and the surrounding region.

Director of the Pittsburgh office is Patrick Findle, who worked for GTI earlier in his career and has returned to help establish a strategic beachhead for business growth. The GTl PA is located at 800 Old Pond Road, Suite 706 B, Bridgeville, PA 15017; 412-319-7249.

Personnel Changes

Christopher L. Mapes has joined Lincoln Electric as COO and a member of its executive management team. Mapes will be responsible for all of Lincoln Electric 's businesses as well as global product development initiatives. He is a member of the Lincoln Electric Holdings Inc. Board of Directors.

Wood Group's Alliance Engineering promoted Darin Hittle to vice president of Business Development and Marketing. He is responsible for all revenue generation and marketing activities for Alliance's two business units: onshore and offshore.

Darby Equipment settled into recently completed offices immediately adjacent to its manufacturing plant in Tulsa, OK. The new 8,400 square feet building houses engineering, management, accounting and clerical support and features a fully equipped workout facility for all employees. Situated on 32-acres of land owned by the company, the new offices bring the total footage of the overall facility to more dian 50,000 square feet.

After more than 21 years of working at international oilfield services company Expro, Chairman Graeme Courts said he plans to retire. He joined Expro in 1990.

In other news, Expro is establishing a new, purpose-built operating base in Newfoundland, Canada that will support well testing, subsea and DHV services for offshore Newfoundland.

Weld Tooling Corporation named Todd Clouser the new marketing and social media specialist for Weld.com.

In other news, Norm Sted was appointed sales and marketing director for Weld.com. Sted brings over 30 years of welding and business experience from his previous position.

Alliant Energy Corporation approved Patrick E. Allen as a new director of the company.

MESA hired Steve Hart for an inside sales position at their Tulsa HQ location.

The NiSource Inc. Board of Directors elected former ConocoPhillips executive Sigmund L. Cornelius as a member of the NiSource board. Cornelius retired in January from ConocoPhillips where he was senior vice president, finance, and CFO from 2008-10.

AMEC named Andy Sallis to president, AMEC Oil & Gas Americas. He is responsible for Houstonbased project operations, including supervision of the joint ventures of AMEC Black & McDonald in Canada and Paragon Angola in West Africa.

Dan Heintzelman, currently CEO of GE Energy Services, was named CEO of GE Oil & Gas. He succeeds Claudi Santiago who has served as CEO of GE Oil & Gas for the last 12 years and is retiring in December.

The Board of Directors of Cummins Inc. announced the retirement of Tim Solso, the company's chairman and CEO since 2000. Solso will be succeeded by Tom Linebarger, Cummins president and COO. Linebarger previously served as president of Cummins Power Generation and as CFO.

ENGlobal appointed Dennis E, Pisula as senior vice president - Business Development. Pisula will be based in Houston and will report to Edward L. Pagano, ENGlobal 's president and CEO.

Hill International announced the hiring or promotion of five executives to the position of vice president. Stephen C. Briggs joined the Construction Claims Group as vice president and managing director, Robert J. McDonough, of Hill's Marlton, NJ office, joined the Project Management Group as vice president. William A. Mocsan was promoted to vice president and managing director for Hill's Canadian subsidiary, Knowles Consultancy Services, Inc.Keith Strutt was promoted to vice president and executive director with the Construction Claims Group. Peter B. Turton, P.E., joined the Project Management Group as vice president.

Battelle hired Matthew Maiers as an open innovation manager for its energy, environment, and material sciences global business. He will focus on developing new opportunities and industrial collaborations in the field of alternative energy.

Pace Global Energy Services named Tom Ridge, the nation's first secretary of the Department of Homeland Security, to its board of advisors. He is president and CEO of Ridge Global, an international security and risk management advisory firm headquartered in Washington, DC.

Company News, Mergers & Acquisitions

WGL Holdings was recently honored for cultural diversity. WGL Holdings, Inc., the parent company of Washington Gas and other energy-related subsidiaries, has been named one of the 40 Best Companies for Diversity for the fifth consecutive year, according to Black Enterprise magazine. One thousand publicly traded companies and 100 leading global companies with major U.S. operations were invited to participate in the survey. The survey used four key areas: suppliers, senior management, workforce and corporate board diversity as measurements of each company's diversity practices.

T.D. Williamson, Inc. has opened a new office in Perth, western Australia, to offer customers its full range of products and services. Located on St. George's Terrace, it serves as the administrative and engineering services center for all offshore operations conducted in western Australia and Victoria, and for supporting future operations in Papua New Guinea and New Zealand.

Armstrong Forensic Engineers expanded its operations by opening a new office in Austin, TX anchored by Senior Consultant Jason Jupe.

URS Corporation established a new office at 1 15 North 4th St. in Bismarck, ND (58501). The office will offer URS' full life-cycle capabilities to the oil and gas, and pipeline industry.

Santos reached binding agreements to acquire 100% of the outstanding ordinary shares in Eastern Star Gas Limited and the subsequent sale of a 20% working level interest in ESG's permits in the Gunnedah Basin, New South Wales, for A$284 million to TRUenergy Holdings Pry Ltd. Santos will assume operatorship and own 80% of ESG's coal seam gas permits with TRUenergy owning the remaining 20%.

Siemens plans to enter into a joint venture with Russia's Power Machines OJSC to build gas turbines. The joint venture, which is to be based in St. Petersburg, is due to begin operations in the coming months. Siemens will hold a 65% stake in the venture. In exchange, Siemens will hand over its holding in Power Machines of 25% plus one share to the Russian group's majority stakeholder Highstat Ltd.

"The new joint venture will enable us to better serve the growing market for gas turbines, gas power plants and combined cycle power plants in the Commonwealth of Independent States," said Michael Suess, head of Siemens' energy business.

Wärtsilä opened new workshop facilities in Helsinki, Finland that will offer a wide range of workshop services with rapid response times. Services include full workshop operations for engines and propulsion systems, as well as servicing mechanical and electrical equipment onboard vessels of all types. The workshop has its own transport vehicles to secure fast response capability.

Saudi Aramco signed an agreement with Zaff International Ltd., an Industrial Scientific joint venture company and exclusive agent within Saudi Arabia, for the supply of all required gas detection equipment and services from industrial Scientific for the next five years. The agreement includes the implementation of several portable instruments into Saudi Aramco's gas detection program, including the Ventis MX4 multi-gas detector, the MX6 iBrid multi-gas detector, the T40 single-gas detector, and the DS2 docking station.

RigNet, Inc. extended its contract with Hercules Offshore to provide managed remote communications to its global rig fleet. RigNet will provide managed remote communications services to the company's rigs operating in the U. S., West Africa, Middle East, India, Malaysia and Mexico, as well as the inland barge fleet operating in the U.S. Gulf of Mexico.