13 minute read
members in motion
Vital point for knowledge sharing and thought leadership around issues facing industry along the Gulf Coast.
GULF COAST GROWTH SHOW
Latest news and updates in the petrochemical, manufacturing, transportation, and workforce related industries. KEY OUTCOME/2022: 33 Podcasts produced in 2022 Quarterly Newsletter • 10,000+ recipients - highlight members, partners, news/ events, upcoming classes/workshops, and resources our office/partners provide.
WEBSITE
2022 had us working hard on a major upgrade to the Economic Alliance website. Be on the lookout for its unveiling in 2023. • Enhanced presence of Economic Alliance activities/impact, calendar of events and registration. • Message - The Houston Port region is the most influential production corridor and trade port in the World.
THANK YOU
I think you would agree the Economic Alliance represents a significant voice and as a group we are making a difference to provide a positive business climate in the Houston Port region as well as foster growth in the region. It’s the individuals, our members/companies, partners, municipalities, that convene and do the work to advance the Houston Port region globally. • There is not an organization in Houston, let alone the state of Texas, that makes as much of an impact on its footprint when you combine our initiatives of Economic Development, Public Policy, Transportation Infrastructure, Workforce Development and Quality of Life.
Economic Alliance will continue in 2023 to formulate activities and initiatives to:
• Expand your immediate circle of acquaintances and begin meeting new people in adjacent circles — and beyond. • Provide formats for your business to be recognized as an active member of a world class team in the Houston Port region. • Align members with strategic initiatives that are making an impact on our regional economy and residents. • Gain knowledge, share information and convene industry leaders. • Utilize relationships and established communication channels to have issues heard. Our mission at Economic Alliance is simple – to support our members and grow a vibrant regional economy. Thank you for your support in 2022, your efforts make our region the most sought-after destination in the entire world for petrochemical, manufacturing, maritime and logistics operations.
chevron pasadena refinery - lto project
pasadena's vote of confidence
"Our mission is ‘safe, reliable, profitable operations,’ and this project checks all those boxes,” general manager Tim Sutherland says of the Light Tight Oil (LTO) project. The project, which recently received regulatory approval, will increase the amount of crude oil that can be processed at our Chevron Pasadena Refinery in Pasadena, Texas. The ability to process more crude oil at the facility will expand Chevron’s Gulf Coast refining system and help supply a portion of our retail market in Texas and Louisiana.
WHAT IS LIGHT TIGHT OIL?
Tight oil is a type of crude oil produced from shale. In the case of our LTO project, we plan to use tight oil sourced from the Permian Basin, which is located in western Texas and southeastern New Mexico. Processing more Permian crude oil will support Chevron’s focus on delivering affordable, reliable, ever-cleaner energy in the United States.
WHY IT MATTERS
The LTO project will increase the processing capacity at the facility by almost 15% to 125,000 barrels per day. In addition to increasing capacity, the project will add jet fuel to the facility’s portfolio, decommission certain units, reduce process safety risks and lower the permitted emissions of the refinery.
HOW IT STARTED
Since purchasing the Pasadena Refinery in 2019, Chevron has invested in the facility’s people, processes, systems and equipment.
HOW IT’S GOING
Chevron Pasadena provides a strategic location along the Houston Ship Channel to process Permian crude oil. The refinery offers more than 5 million barrels of crude oil storage capacity and access to a dock, numerous pipelines and a product blending center. Approximately 600 direct employees and contractors work at the facility. an investment in the future
Safety and environmental benefits
• Reduces permitted emissions • Improves process safety • Removes historically unreliable units
Facility value improvements
• Increases processing capacity of lighter crudes to 125,000 barrels per day • Adds product flexibility
BGE, INC. NEW HIRES
Ali McLeod, Director, Environmental Services
Ali MacLeod, PhD, joined BGE Inc.’s Houston office as Director, Environmental Services. Ali leads the effort to continue building the environmental services area of BGE’s business, including air quality, remediation, sustainability, and carbon capture and sequestration. She has more than 26 years of building and leading teams for environmental assessment and remediation projects. Her expertise includes client advocacy, client management, stakeholder engagement, strategic funding and planning, and regulatory strategy and negotiation. Ali has a PhD in Environmental Hydrogeochemistry and a Master of Science degree in Hydrogeology from University College London. She also has a BSc in Geology and Applied Geology from Glasgow University. Ali is an active member of the Women’s Leadership Committee of the Economic Alliance. Outside of work, Ali enjoys spending time with her children and loves to hike.
Aaron Hebert, PE, MBA, Senior Project Manager Aaron Hebert, PE, MBA joined BGE Inc.’s Houston office as senior project manager in the Environmental Services department, where he manages air permitting and air quality compliance projects, supporting chemical, manufacturing and other industry clients. Aaron has more than 25 years of experience working on air quality and environmental projects, both from a traditional consulting standpoint as well as from the client/industry standpoint. Aaron has a Master of Business Administration degree from the University of Houston Bauer College of Business. He also holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Chemical Engineering from Lamar University. He is a licensed engineer in Texas. Outside of work, he enjoys spending time with his family traveling, going to the beach and camping. He also likes to exercise and attend concerts.
CITY OF DEER PARK WELCOMES
The City of Deer Park welcomes incoming Assistant City Manager (ACM) Sara Robinson as they wish former ACM Gary Jackson congratulations on his retirement from a fifteen-and-ahalf-year career with the City of Deer Park.
With a Master of Business Administration (MBA) and an undergraduate Bachelor of Business Administration, in Accounting and Finance (double major) at the University of Houston, C.T. Bauer College of Business, the City of Deer Park is fortunate to have a Houston local as their incoming ACM.
Robinson is a Certified Government Finance Officer (CGFO) and currently serves on the Texas City Management Association (TCMA) Board of Directors, Urban Management Professionals of Southeast Texas (UMPSET) as the Vice President/Treasurer, and the Government Finance Officers Association of Texas (GFOAT).
AEROSPACE TECHNICAL COURSES
San Jacinto College is the official education training partner for the Houston Spaceport. The EDGE Center offers pathways to exciting careers in aerospace and other industries.
PROGRAM TRACKS
• Aerospace Structures Technician • Aerospace Quality Technician • Composites Technician • Electrical/Electronics Technician • Manufacturing Technician
An Equal Opportunity Institution
COASTAL ICE INNOVATES TO MEET INDUSTRY NEEDS
Coastal Ice & Water is an ice and water company by name. Yet, through sustainable practice, Coastal Ice & Water is a Sustainable Hydration provider, Safety partner and Community advocate. Customers engaged in sustainable practices partner with Coastal Ice to eliminate plastic bottles from job sites through 55-gallon RefreshR water kiosks placed throughout plants. When plastic bottles are necessary, Coastal Ice can collect and recycle bottles into advanced manufacturing feedstocks. “We listen to our customers’ needs and partner on solutions,” said Scott McAlister, Coastal Ice & Water president. As a hydration safety partner, Coastal Ice introduced safety moments. Presentations by Olympic boxer Termite Watkins motivated plant employees to “Keep their Guard Up” in safety efforts. McAlister donated tickets to employees to attend Watkins-promoted boxing matches featuring boxers from underserved communities.
Olympic boxer Termite Watkins encourages Marathon employees to be safety champions by keeping their guard up. Coastal Ice & Water sponsored the motivational safety presentation.
EXXONMOBIL PRESENTS UNITED WAY WITH HONORARY CHECK
ExxonMobil Baytown Area presented the United Way of Greater Baytown Area and Chambers County with an honorary check totaling $1.2 million. This check represented the generosity of ExxonMobil Baytown Area employees and annuitants and marked the end of their annual campaign. ExxonMobil is a proud supporter of United Way and its efforts to make the Baytown community a better place. This year’s campaign marks the 22nd year in a row ExxonMobil has topped the $1 million mark in donations.
EAST HARRIS COUNTY EMPOWERMENT COUNCIL
East Harris County Empowerment Council recently partnered with Comerica Bank to host "Males, Money and More" at San Jacinto College Generation Park. "Males, Money and More" is a financial literacy class presented to over 220 eighth graders attending Channelview ISD.
In addition to Comerica Bank employees, other financial institutions and advisors served as volunteer instructors and speakers. This was a first-time event, and judging by the enthusiastic response it was a success and worth hosting again. EHCEC is proud to host collaborations like this that raise the expectations in our community. Look for similar classes to follow in 2023
EXCARGO DRAYAGE & TRANSLOADING
We are full of joy and gratitude to be spending the rest of the year giving back to our team, our customers, and our community. Our initiative Excargo Cares partnered with the Houston Pilots to make over 300 gift boxes for Seaman at anchor during the holidays! Additionally, on behalf of our customers, vendors, and industry partners, we sent a $5,000 donation to The Ocean Cleanup, a nonprofit organization aimed at developing and scaling technologies to rid the world’s oceans and rivers of plastic. The Ocean Cleanup is partnered with Maersk to execute their mission. Thank you to our customers and team for an outstanding year. Upwards and Onwards to 2023!
HOUSTON WILDERNESS
Through a multi-partner collaboration of private and public landowners, the Houston Wilderness (HW) Houston Ship Channel TREES program has planted over 30,000 trees in the ship channel area since 2019, with a goal of 1 million trees planted along the 25-mile by 2030. HW is able to provide thousands of native trees and volunteer planting groups free of charge to interested landowners through a variety of corporate and federal grants. Industrial open space areas are all eligible for large-scale tree planting projects. This fall, HW planted 10,000 native trees on ship channel properties – including 7,000 on open spaces at several Kinder Morgan terminals - helping with their natural carbon sequestration goals and adding beneficial ecosystem services, such as water and GHG absorption and erosion control.
LIVE OAK BANK
Wendy Ghormley has joined Live Oak Bank to expand a lending team with 35 of the top SBA lenders in the country, focused on providing SBA financing across all industries nationwide.
Live Oak is the #1 SBA 7(A) Lender by dollar amount for FY 2022.* In Wendy’s new role as vice president of small business lending, she will be focused on providing capital for business acquisition and owner-occupied real estate nationwide with loans backed by the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA). Live Oak also offers a combination financing solution for loans that exceed $5 million. To learn more about Live Oak, visit the website here.
* 1. The data supplied by the SBA reflects 7(a) highest dollar volume during FY 2022.
PULIDO TRANSPORT
Pulido Transport, an asset-based bulk liquid carrier, is proud to announce the addition of Peniel Lim as Vice-President. Peniel will primarily focus on leading the Company’s efforts in the transportation of bulk liquid chemicals in addition to providing strategic and operational guidance to senior management. Most recently, Peniel managed financial assets with Kindred Capital. Previous to that, he had a successful career with ExxonMobil Chemical for over 13 years in roles such as Global Business Development Advisor, and Global Supply Chain Raw Materials Planner, Americas Supply Chain Advisor, Senior Chemist for Refining & Supply, and Senior Researcher for ExxonMobil’s Next Generation Projects. Peniel has an MBA from Drexel University (2011) and Ph.D. in Chemistry from Texas A&M (2006). We look forward to using his technical and business acumen as we continue executing our mission statement to “safely pickup on time and safely deliver on time every load” for our bulk liquid customers.
SAN JACINTO COLLEGE - NEW MASCOT
At the San Jacinto College Fall commencement ceremony on December 9, the College announced a new mascot. Earlier this year, San Jac began the process of selecting a mascot to represent the College. Employees and students from all campuses and work areas representing the College’s diverse community of stakeholders sought suggestions for a new mascot. More than 1,700 people submitted more than 50 ideas. The committee narrowed it down to two for our community to vote on, and more than 6,200 votes were received. The College will always have a place in its hearts for its three historic mascots. However, San Jacinto College has grown to five campuses, and the time had come for one mascot to be part of all the milestones and growth that it will have in the future. To view the announcement video, visit https://bit.ly/3hA5eV9.
SHELL DEER PARK CHEMICALS IN COMMUNITY
Shell Deer Park Chemicals hosts women business
owners to promote supplier diversity. Addressing the need to increase the number of diverse suppliers in the energy industry, Shell Deer Park Chemicals recently invited 40 women business owners associated with the Women’s Business Enterprise National Council (WBENC) to spend an afternoon at the site to learn about the industry and how to best position their companies as potential suppliers. WBENC certifies women-owned businesses across the U.S., enabling access to the education, support and tools they need to grow and succeed. Shell is a co-sponsor of the WBENC Energy Executive Program, which helps strengthen industry knowledge and relationships, increases competitive advantages and adds capabilities to become an integral part of the global energy supply chain. “Shell wants to engage with women-owned businesses and see how we can help develop their companies and ultimately be a source of business opportunities,” said US Gulf Coast Supply Chain Manager Todd Arnold, who led the effort to organize the event with WBENC Senior Director Lindsey All. “We would not have been able to accomplish this without the unbelievable support from the site, from volunteers serving as tour escorts through our facilities to the senior leaders who participated in the panel discussions.”
Shell Deer Park Chemicals hosts Make-A-Wish
reveal event and it's off to Disney! The partnership between Shell Deer Park Chemicals and MakeA-Wish Texas Gulf Coast and Louisiana brought another wish to life recently when they revealed to 14-year-old Paulina – who courageously fights acute lymphoblastic leukemia – that she will have her Disney dreams fulfilled with a trip for her and her family to Walt Disney World in Florida.
(from left): Shell Deer Park Chemicals General Manager Nate Levin, US Chemicals/ Manufacturing Finance Manager Kathy Rauch, and USGC Business Manager Marla Kline (not pictured: USGC Chemicals & Products Senior Vice President Emma Lewis).
