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Volume 13 • Issue 6 • November 2013


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Our Perspective


Another year - another acquisition!!! You are probably wishing it were that easy, right? Fact is that most business development departments in oil and gas companies have a very tough time identifying good assets to acquire, and they sure have to look at a LOT of data before finding something that will work for the company. This takes time and resources. From the perspective of an individual seeking career advancement, it actually creates a great opportunity to excel and advance. We looked closer at a couple of aspects and are sharing them with you.

Not only in A&D, but this year continued to be a very strong one for the entire job market. Companies all around are seeking talent wherever they can find it. And more often than not it means stealing from the competition. So what would happen if we were to employ a gardener's perspective of planting and growing, rather than a hunter's perspective of a one-sided chase? Our industry needs different views on growing talent so here is one to think about.

All the best for the coming holiday season! 

Your friends at Collarini 


Upcoming Events Back to Top

 

2013 Oil & Gas Environmental Conference

 

Omni Dallas Hotel

Dallas, TX

  December 3 - 4, 2013

NAPE Rockies

 

The Colorado Convention Center

Denver, CO

December 11 - 13, 2013


Employer Tips

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The Garden of Resources

Some of us have green thumbs naturally; for others, well, we just have to work a little harder at growing our gardens. Mine takes very careful planning and vigor, educating myself on the kinds of plants I want to grow, when to plant them, and being relentless with feeding, watering, and weeding. I finally succeeded in a beautiful herb garden grown in large clay pots on and around the deck. Wonderful sage, mint, rosemary, basil, thyme, eleven pots in all! Then there was the trip out of town and a drought...the return to black and withered leaves and, well, there is a story for next season. Starting over with good seeds and good plants and a plan for relentless execution should make for success.

Can you apply the same thinking to growing the human resources you need? I think in many areas of our business it is a resounding "YES!" if we can think about organizing a plan for getting the work done rather than thinking a certain kind of person must do the work. 

What part of a reservoir engineer's work can be done by others? Well, gathering and assembling data, inputting data into spreadsheets for calculating, taking the first and perhaps final stab at decline curves and type curves, posting information on maps, and documenting methodology for reports are some of the ways. All of us know that managing the data is 80% of the effort required to study an asset before making a recommendation. Well, it seems that as reservoir engineers we don't have that much to do! Technicians, especially well-grown ones, can do a great deal of our work and can be professional work partners to us; but they are SO hard to find at the present time.

Likewise, health and safety people are in great need and in short supply. All industries need these people, but oil and gas is fairly specialized. Or is it? Are the skills not transferable? Can we plant an HSE garden? I think so. Can they go from onshore to offshore? Sure.

Finding the right seedlings and having a very good plan are the two elements that will make creation of talent successful. I have it on good authority that for technicians, math ability is key. It can be discerned through testing. And understanding of oil and gas hazards in addition to mechanical hazards can be taught. The biggest factor, applicable to all good employees and all home-grown resources is strong work ethic. And I am sure in the interview process that can be discerned. Now, all we need is a plan and the willingness to take the risk to teach highly capable people, even in groups, the skills we need in our organizations. It is an investment in our organizations and a special one that assures that our business will be conducted as we would like it.

We can keep trying to steal each other's people, but starting a garden could yield long term result!

By Cheryl Collarini


Talent Pool Back to Top

The following biographies are just a small sampling of the kind of talent available in our talent pool of over 21,000 experts.  Please call our placement managers if you are interested in learning more about these professionals, or check out our website for more candidates.

Procurement Professional with a master's degree in marketing and more than 30 years of experience working for mid-sized to large service companies. Expert in negotiations, international supply chain operations and distribution center management, warehouse operations, and cost efficient logistics management, shipping, and receiving. Experienced in procurement management for maritime, offshore, oilfield supplies, industrial, fuel, and specialty items sourcing and distribution. Geographic areas worked include the Gulf of Mexico. Software proficiency in SAP. Language proficiency in English, French, and Spanish.  Ask for PU803.

Project and Construction Manager with a bachelor's degree in chemical engineering and over 35 years of experience working for major E&P, EPC, and engineering firms. Expert in onshore and offshore productions facilities design, planning and execution of oil and gas projects. Experienced in onshore and offshore pipeline design and construction projects, LNG and oil sand facilities projects, construction project schedules, and contractor evaluations, improvement and safety programs. Geographic areas worked include Europe, the Middle East and the US.   Ask for PM415.

Mechanical Engineer with a bachelor's degree in mechanical engineering technology and more than 30 years of experience in the offshore and onshore oil and gas industry. Expert in LNG facilities, offshore platform and subsea pipeline design, and petrochemical operations. Experienced in large scale project management, static equipment and piping analysis, and full life cycle facilities engineering and construction from FEED through mechanical completion and client acceptance. Geographic areas worked include the Gulf of Mexico, Malaysia, Singapore, Algeria, Korea, Indonesia, and Japan.   Ask for F1722.

Subsea Engineer with a bachelor's degree in mechanical engineering and more than 20 years of domestic and international experience with engineering firms and operating companies. Experienced in design and construction including HPHT, subsea pipeline and rigid riser design in water depths from zero to 10,000 feet, subsea manifolds, subsea isolation valves, and subsea high-integrity pressure protection system structure and piping design. Additionally experienced in floating production system interfaces, flexible risers and pipe, rigid reeled pipe-in-pipe and towed pipeline bundles. Software proficiency in Primavera, MathCAD, LUSAS, ANSYS, FS2000, and AutoPIPE.  Ask for F527.

Senior Business Development Manager with over 25 years of experience working for mid-sized and large oil and gas service companies. Expert in international market development and negotiations, and leading teams to exceed corporate goals. Experienced in global mergers and acquisitions, consolidations, and domestic and international new business establishment. Strong strategic planner with business analysis skills, with an established network within the global oil and gas industry. Geographic areas of experience include Europe, Africa, the Middle East, Asia and the US. Language fluency in English, Norwegian, German, Persian and Hindi.   Ask for M601.

Structural Engineer with a PhD in ocean engineering and over 25 years of experience working for large EPC and engineering firms. Expert in design and conversion of subsea and offshore floating production systems. Additionally experienced in the design of drilling modules, HSE support, semi-submersible platforms, pipeline installations, and diverse subsea equipment installation projects. Licensed Professional Engineer in the state of Texas. Served as expert advisor to the US Secretary of Energy and chaired for the API Committee on wind load specifications. Geographic areas of experience include the Gulf of Mexico and Asia. Software proficiency in ANSYS, SACS, MORA, FLEXCOM, and AQUA.  Ask for MD52.

Geophysicist with a PhD and over 30 years of experience working for major and mid-sized E&P companies. Expert in exploration and production geophysics including advanced modeling, interpretation, and processing of seismic data, and 3-D design and operations. Experienced in project management, research and development, interactive workstation applications and support, prospect evaluation, and the application of geophysical technology to the solution of exploration problems. Geographic areas worked include the Anadarko and Arkoma Basins, Louisiana and Texas onshore, and the Gulf of Mexico shelf, upper slope, and deepwater. Software proficiency in SMT and Landmark.   Ask for GP341.

Geoscience Manager with a bachelor's degree in geology and over 20 years of experience working for a major E&P company and 10 years with a reservoir engineering company. Expert in leading multidisciplinary teams in exploration, development, and acquisitions. Experienced in integrating geological data, 2-D and 3-D seismic interpretations, engineering data and risk assessments. Geographic areas worked include offshore and onshore US, Latin America, and central Asia.   Ask for G2151.

Geoscience Technician with a bachelor's degree in systems engineering and 12 years of experience in geoscience technology and database management. Experienced in geological database creation and administration and database modeling and tuning, with a strong ability to manage multiple projects. Software and hardware proficiency in AutoCAD, Map ArcGIS, Esri, SMT, Aries, PHDWin, MS Access, Oracle 9i Database Administration, and MySQL data warehouse.   Ask for TG858.

Geologist with a bachelor's degree in geological sciences with a minor in mathematics and ten years of experience working for oil and gas companies. Experience includes structural subsurface mapping, isopach mapping, cross sections, and well log correlations to determine reservoir geology for drilling, recompletion, and reserve purposes. Geographical experience includes Texas, New Mexico, Colorado, and Utah. Software proficiency in Esri ArcGIS, ArcMap, Landmark GeoGraphix, OpenWorks, PETRA, and AutoCAD.   Ask for G2207.

Development Geologist with a master's degree in geology and 21 years of experience, including five years with a major oil company and one year with a government agency. Experience includes wildcat and development prospect generation, farm-in and outside generated prospect review, property evaluation, geologic review for field studies, and wellsite geology including log-run supervision and lithology check from cuttings. Geographic areas of expertise include south Louisiana, the Gulf of Mexico, Mississippi, Alabama, and Texas.   Ask for G1456.

Drilling Engineer with a bachelor's degree in petroleum engineering and 32 years of experience working for major and small operators. Experienced in drilling design and execution, horizontal drilling design, field supervision operations, HSE, project management, and production engineering. Geographic areas worked include Texas, Louisiana, the Gulf of Mexico shelf, Permian Basin, Utah, and California. Registered professional engineer in the state of Texas.   Ask for D522.

Drilling Engineer with a bachelor's degree and 29 years of experience working for national oil companies, service companies, and as a consultant. Experienced in well design, completion design, AFE creation, health and safety compliance, and cost control oversight. Additionally experienced in rig supervision, well monitoring, well control, well logging, pore pressure evaluation, formation analysis, and petroleum geology. Geographic areas worked include the Gulf of Mexico, Nigeria, offshore Egypt, the Red Sea, the Gulf of Suez, and the Middle East. Software proficiency in Landmark software and various proprietary drilling software packages. Certifications include IWCF Drilling and Workover Supervisor, MMS Drilling, Completion, and Workover Supervisor; H2S Safety, and BOP.   Ask for D15.

Reservoir Engineer with a PhD and over 30 years of experience with a major oil company, service companies, as a university professor, and as a consultant. Experienced in reservoir engineering, reservoir simulation, well test analysis, formation evaluation, reserves estimation, completion work, and production optimization. Geographic areas include the Gulf coast, west Africa, Algeria, South America, southeast Asia, and the North Sea. Software proficiency in ECLIPSE, VIP, GEM, STARS, EXODUS, OFM, MBAL, PROSPER, GAP, PVTP, Saphir, PanSystem, RTA, ARIES, and Crystal Ball. Licensed Professional Engineer in the state of Texas and Nigeria.   Ask for R32.

Reservoir Engineer with a bachelor's degree in petroleum engineering and 12 years of oil and gas industry experience working for an international exploration and production company. Experienced in EOR projects, reserves estimation, simulation techniques, preparing field development plans, reservoir characterization, and production forecasting. Geographic area worked is Venezuela. Software proficiency in ECLIPSE, PIPESIM, WellFlo, OFM, PanSystem, PHDWin, ARIES, Bentley MicroStation, and MBAL. Language fluency in Spanish and English.   Ask for R1090.

Reservoir Engineer with a bachelor's degree in petroleum engineering and over 30 years of oil and gas industry experience working for majors and mid-sized to large independents. Experienced in reservoir performance evaluation, reservoir simulation, economic evaluation, acquisition analysis, 3-D seismic prospecting, PTA/RTA analysis and secondary recovery techniques, and production engineering. Geographic areas worked include the Haynesville shale, Mississippi Lime, Oklahoma, Kansas, Texas, Kentucky, and Michigan. Software proficiency in Peep, ARIES, Prophet, Fekete WellTest, Fekete Harmony, Saphir, and PanSystem. Licensed Professional Engineer in the state of Texas.   Ask for R1089.

Review thousands of talented people in more than 30 upstream disciplines at

www.collarini.com


Career Advice

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Oil and Gas Asset Acquisition

There are only so many different ways to grow an oil and gas company, and it takes a concentrated effort to achieve the next level of success. The largest companies have the funds and the stamina to grow through true exploration by trying to find large reserves in new areas to "feed" their huge organizational structures. Many companies, however, grow by looking for new opportunities in known fields that have previously been developed.

Judging by current activity levels, it appears that the appetites for companies to grow by strategic acquisitions are huge. How do you successfully acquire new assets in a crowded field of competitors? Companies look at 100 or more potential acquisitions before finding and closing on one that is the right fit. That points to a lot of work going nowhere before success comes!

The flip side to this challenge is the opportunity for individuals seeking to advance their careers by focusing on acquisition activities. The more expert knowledge a company can employ to screen data, the higher the chances are to complete a lucrative transaction. It is no surprise, therefore, that the employment market for evaluation experts is strong. Here are some specific areas for those interested in distinguishing themselves in a crowded field:

  • Evaluation of acquisition targets requires technical and financial expertise. If you have a technical background that can provide a segue into evaluation work, then additional financial, legal, commercial, and regulatory knowledge will not only be helpful but also might be a prerequisite if your employer is counting on fewer people to complete the acquisition. Investigate your employer's readiness and staff level to help you understand how and where you might be able to help.
  • Large acquisitions will have an impact on a company's "book performance" as the transaction is absorbed into the reporting structure. If you have only a limited understanding of accounting processes, this may a good time to hone up on accounting principles and the impact IRS, FASB, and IASB rules might have on the company's performance post-transaction.
  • Many, if not most, transactions comprise a combination of equity, cash, ownership swaps, primary and secondary financing, or funds from the sale of stocks. If you do not have a good understanding of how these mechanisms work, then additional training might put you in a position to help during transactions.
  • Domestic transactions are fairly straight forward, where the rules and laws are well understood. If your company has a strategic interest in international activity, or if a network is available to work with international partners, then contract negotiations can become more intricate. This is a good area in which to gain expertise if you are interested in differentiating your skills from others.
  • Very often, successful acquisitions will take a company outside its previous production comfort zone. New locations require local knowledge of logistics, existing or new facilities, environmental details, transportation structures, and marketing networks. Your career could get a boost if you can prove that you know regional circumstances and have the knowledge to help your current or future employer.

These are just a few areas with career development potential in this hyperactive market. Strong acquisition activity in our industry could be a boon for your career!

Good Luck.

 


About Us Back to Top

Connecting the Industry's Experts...

Collarini Energy Staffing Inc. is a full-service agency specializing in the placement of energy and EPC personnel and including the disciplines listed below (other supporting personnel are managed upon request):

Accounting and finance personnel
Administrative and clerical personnel
Business analysts
Civil and architectural engineers
Data Management
Drilling engineers
Drilling operations supervisors
Energy trading professionals
Executives
Facilities engineers

Geologists, geophysicists, and petrophysicists
Health, safety, and environmental personnel
Human resources personnel
Instrument and electrical engineers
IT professionals
Land, legal, and supporting personnel
Marine engineers and naval architects

Materials and corrosion engineers
Mechanical engineers
Operations supervisors
Pipeline, riser, and subsea engineers
Process engineers
Procurement personnel
Production engineers
Production operations supervisors
Project managers and support personnel
Quality control and inspection personnel
Reservoir engineers
Sales and marketing professionals
Technical writers
Technicians, drafting and graphic
Technicians, engineering and geoscience

Guiding Careers to the Next Level...

Collarini Career Management applies its deep understanding of the career paths of technical professionals in the E&P and EPC communities to help companies and professionals build successful organizations and careers. We leverage Collarini's unique combination of industry knowledge and technical expertise to guide companies and individuals during transition, training existing employees for high performance, and designing customized technical training plans for companies and individuals.


Contact Us
10497 Town and Country Way,
Suite 950
Houston, Texas 77024
832.251.0553

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