PESA’s Emerging Leaders Committee, which began in 2006, held one of their signature events, Oil & Gas 101 on May 20-21. This event helps to achieve the goals of the Emerging Leaders Committee by giving the “big picture” view of the entire service sector and energy industry.
Oil & Gas 101 is a shared-knowledge platform where PESA members provide industry overviews and production innovations in existing and emerging technologies. The wide array of informational and relevant presentations ranged from Environmentally Friendly Drilling (EFD) to Rig Systems and Drilling the Well to Supply Chain and Policy Watch.
PESA, in partnership with USO Houston, created an opportunity to support veterans in our industry, working closely with the USO and member companies to sponsor transitioning military personnel at Oil & Gas 101 free of charge. Participants received a certificate of completion for use in their civilian job search. A grateful veteran made this comment, complementing the support from PESA and the USO,
“The course enlightened me on how the industry works. Thanks for providing retiring and transitioning military a seat. In addition to learning the industry vocabulary, I was able to talk with those in the industry which was tremendously helpful.”
Others who attended the seminar commented afterwards about the high level of speakers. “The speakers were excellent. They provided a realistic look at the industry, why things have happened and what to expect,” said an attendee.
The biannual PESA Oil & Gas 101 course provides an overview of the exploration, drilling and production phases of oil and natural gas, as well as presentations on related subjects including energy economics and refining. Corporate Sponsor, Oceaneering’s Senior Vice President, Chuck Davison, who has worldwide P&L responsibility for Oceaneering’s Subsea Products Group stressed the importance of leadership. His Subsea Products Business Segment group includes Subsea Distribution Solutions, Flow Control Solutions and Specialty Connection Solutions and is focused on value creation, simplification, standardization, cost deflation and efficiency programs. “Productivity is the lifeblood of our industry,” stated Davison.
Another positive response from attendees for Oil & Gas 101 was how well the seminar helped to examine and explain the complex issues in today’s global energy markets. “I found it very useful to humanize the industry and to go into more depth about how the industry works and dispel myths about the industry,” said one attendee. While another specifically addressed hydraulic fracturing by saying, “The misconception of fracking is something no one takes the time to explain and I would otherwise not know if I hadn’t come to this seminar.”
The event’s keynote speaker was James K. Wicklund, Managing Director Energy Research, Credit Suisse, whose awards and recognitions include No. 1 rankings in Institutional Investor, Greenwich Surveys and the Wall Street Journal’s “Best on the Street”. He is also a member of the Society of Petroleum Engineers, Society of Exploration Geophysicists, executive board of the National Ocean Industry Association, editorial board of Offshore Magazine and Dallas Petroleum Club. Wicklund feels that oil and gas exploration and production for private companies is the best in the U.S. with abundant resources and people owning mineral rights and wanting to get in on the action.
“Operating in the U.S. is ten times easier than anywhere else in the world,” he said. And he also added that American oil production needs to resist further growth in order to bring the global supply and prices back into balance. A key for oil producers and supplies will be in using innovation and technology to improve production efficiency, while exploring new technologies for the future.
In the history the oil & gas industry, the need to be lean and agile has never been more urgent for equipment suppliers. As new business models and technologies emerge and relentless market changes continue economics of speed will define the leading manufacturers of the future. Success will be determined by how quickly you respond to changing markets to get the competitive edge.
The following Companies contributed subject matter expert for the Oil & Gas 101 Training:
Baker Hughes, Nick Clem, Director of Unconventional Completions – North America and Ganesh Subbaraman, Engineering Manager Technology – Completions Services – Completions and Flow Equipment
Cobalt International Energy, Inc., James Geary, Sr. Exploration Geologist – Geology and Seismic
Credit Suisse, James K. Wicklund, Managing Director – Energy Research – Keynote Speaker on Energy Markets
DistributionNOW, Brad Wise, Vice President, Marketing & Business Development – Supply Chain
FMC Technologies, Inc., Charlie Weakly, Field Development Manager – Major Tenders – Subsea Drilling and Production
Halliburton, Robert Moran, Vice President, Government & External Affairs – Policy Watch
HARC and Environmentally Friendly Drilling Systems (EFD) Program, Andra Wilcox, Energy Production – Environmental and Societal Issues of Oil & Gas
NOV, Karl Appleton, VP Marketing & Strategic Planning – Rig Systems and Drilling the Well
Oceaneering, Chuck Davison, Sr. V.P., Subsea Products – Opening Address
Sinclair Group, Steve Jacobs, Sr. Vice President – Oil & Gas – History of the Industry and Emerging Technology
Teledyne, Amar Thiraviam, VP, & Emerging Leaders Committee Chairman – Program Overview
Viking Oil Tools, Wes Heiskell, President & CEO, Viking Oil Tools – Well Intervention and Well End-Of-Life
Wood Group Mustang, Chris Doss, P.E., Process Engineer, Downstream – Refining
