Oilfield PULSE February 2015 by Leadstone Group Inc.

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FEBRUARY 2015

contents

FEATURES

14 18

The Fox Creek Earthquake Someone tell Brian Mason science is already on it

Plains Perspective The best training ground for industry - there is just no replacement for the hands on training

24 50

Layoffs Something both sides despise

Client Relationship Management

24 26

Leverage your CRM software to help you work

smarter, not just harder

56 58

Oil & Gas Equipment Coverage How to control insurace costs with sliding oil prices

One Aim Cycling Team

Among the more than 100 riders on the One Aim team, you will find countless stories of lives that have been transformed

58 ABOUT THE COVER

V DAY 10 Great Valentineâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Day Ideas

Ka-Blam Consulting is filling an industry need with their weekly, affordable SAGD courses and oilfield tours Cover By Kyle K. Fujita

OilfieldPULSE | FEBRUARY 2015

YOUR GLOBAL

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OILFIELD STAFFING SOLUTION

WELLSITE SUPERVISION Pajak maintains a certification database that allows us to ensure that a supervisorâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s tickets are always current before they go out on any job. Pajak senior technical staff are available on a 24 hour/day back-up to all supervisors and engineers.

PROJECT MANAGEMENT We provide experienced, dependable project management staff to oil & gas sites around the globe. Our team knows how to get the job done, and is insured, certified, and be IRP (industry recommended practices) #7 and IRP #16 compliant.

WORK FOR US We are constantly searching for highly qualified, safety conscious individuals to expand and maintain the companyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s high standards. We provide the very best in field supervision and project management to the oil and gas industry. Apply With Pajak PAJAKENG.COM | 403-264-1197(24HOURS)

FEBRUARY 2015

contents DEPARTMENTS

12 22 23 34 40 44 46

CEO Message Bid Requests to Improve Your Bottom Line!

Inflatable Buildings

Saving money for oil and gas companies

Humour Felling a bit testy?

Kinetica Ventures Helps Alberta oilfield entrepreneurs

Calgary Women in Energy The multi-generational workforce

Hashtags What they can mean for your event

Valentineâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Day with Sunterra

Some cooking options for duos or singles

44 52

How Active are You?

And a couple of great soup recipies

OilfieldPULSE | FEBRUARY 2015

ADVOCATE

STABILIZE

PROBLEM SHALES

AND REDUCE

COSTS

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Subscriptions@OilfieldPULSE.com TELEPHONE 1-403-537-6560 TOLL FREE 1-866-883-8848 For advertising inquiries or editorial submissions please contact: Production@LeadstoneGroup.com

CEO KEVIN TURKO | Kevin.Turko@LeadstoneGroup.com

PUBLISHER/VICE PRESIDENT SALES DAVE O’CONNOR | Dave.OConnor@LeadstoneGroup.com CREATIVE DIRECTOR KYLE K. FUJITA | Kyle.Fujita@LeadstoneGroup.com

MANAGING EDITOR ANDREA TURKO | Andrea.Turko@LeadstoneGroup.com

CONTRIBUTING EDITOR AMANDA LEE | Amanda.Lee@LeadstoneGroup.com

CONTRIBUTING EDITOR BARB LEE | Barb.Lee@LeadstoneGroup.com

NATIONAL ACCOUNT MANAGER CHAD CARBNO | Chad.Carbno@LeadstoneGroup.com

DIRECTOR - CLIENT RELATIONS KAREN KEITH | Karen.Keith@LeadstoneGroup.com FINANCE & ADMIN JEANNIE YIP | Finance_Admin@LeadstoneGroup.com

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66 PLAINS FABRICATION For advertising inquiries or editorial submissions please contact: Production@LeadstoneGroup.com

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The entire contents of this publication are copyrighted. Any unauthorized reprint or use of this publication is prohibited. No part of this publication may be reproduced in whole or in part without the written permission of the publisher. Disclaimer: The messages expressed in this publication do not represent the views of Oilfield PULSE, Leadstone Group or affiliated companies. Publication Number: 42420518

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CEO MESSAGE

THE

NEW REALITY BID REQUESTS TO IMPROVE

YOUR BOTTOM LINE!

So how is your company going to cut costs in the face of falling oil prices? Is this a temporary blip on your radar screen or a new reality for oil and gas companies on both sides of the border? This past month, I spent more than a few hours with executives and operations contacts from companies in our Oilfield HUB online business community asking them these very questions. Naturally, most of these conversations started out with sharing our personal opinions on demand versus production levels, what got us here, and always ended in a very lively debate as to how long it will take before prices might recover to more favourable levels. This invariably also led to more solemn discus sions on what each of these companies were contemplating from a cost-cutting perspective to capital budgets and operations for the remainder of this year, and perhaps beyond. No one really wanted to speculate beyond 2015 fiscal budgets, as there

OilfieldPULSE | FEBRUARY 2015

seems to be a universal belief or, perhaps better put, a heck of a lot of hope that oil prices would inch back up to more sustainable levels as the year unfolds and, particularly into the early part of 2016. Thankfully, several of these companies have worked closely with their bankers and had some prudent hedging strategies and programs in place for a major portion of their production volumes. So the immediacy and need for serious cost-cutting measures is still a few months away. Kind of a wait and see attitude, while they trepidatiously watch the world stage play out in front of us all over the coming months. But that said, cost-cutting is now front and center on everyone’s mind. Slashing capital budgets, curtailing existing drilling programs, and potential staff/contractor reductions are all being contemplated or are already in motion. The next obvious cost-cutting focus then shifts to the service and supply companies who exploration and production companies rely upon for the lion’s share of their field operations. We have already heard some operators are taking an across the board approach with all of their preferred vendors. They are

demanding each supplier cut their prices either by a defined or imposed percentage, or requesting an immediate response with a revised pricing structure for future projects or as part of an existing managed services agreement. The across the board approach is a quick and easy tactic from the operators standpoint but is often met with mixed results by their preferred vendor community. Some suppliers capitulate immediately and agree to reduced prices, others are dragged along disgruntledly as previous quoted prices were felt to be more than competitive, while others simply walk away from the business as profit margins are too thin, or even non-existent, at the price levels being sought. In each case, relationships are strained and future business dealings are placed in jeopardy. Other operators are taking the bid request approach for all future service, supply, and rental

Trouble is, the way the industry works at higher oil prices comes back to haunt everyone when free falling oil or gas commodity prices hit the markets. When prices are high, activity is rampant, and capital budgets are flowing. Many operators just don’t take the time to constantly, or even occasionally, validate the reasonableness of the quoted prices for their services, supplies, and rentals. How often do you hear an operator say, “This is the guy we’ve always used,” or “This is the company that does all of our xxx work.” Not saying this is totally a bad thing, but when there are very few, or no, checks and balances in place to ensure prices are competitive, then resulting costs perhaps need to be challenged irrespective of the current price of oil. Many operators are simply not equipped, nor have the systems in place to function in this fashion.

Preferred vendors realize they may have to cut their prices in this new or temporary reality, so the bidding process take on a heightened level importance in each and every deal. requirements as a means to ensure they are getting the best possible deal from all of their preferred vendors, and in particular, their long-time go-to vendors in each of the major product and service categories. The cost-cutting ball is tossed over to their list of preferred vendors and potential new suppliers through bid requests and sourcing inquiries before orders are awarded to the successful bidder. This is viewed as a far less obtrusive approach by the service sector, as the ‘may the best man win’ mentality tends to come to the forefront in everyone’s mind. Preferred vendors realize they may have to cut their prices in this new or temporary reality, so the bidding process takes on a heightened level of importance in each and every deal. At least in this scenario, the decision is squarely in their camp as to what prices should be quoted for the new or additional business. No one likes the idea of bidding on business with existing customers, but then again, no one likes $45 oil either!

Either in good times or bad! Yet we are seeing more and more operators of every size adopting more aggressive supply chain policies and procurement procedures. Core to these new initiatives are bidding processes and tools like Oilfield HUB, which require little to no additional overhead to easily make this happen. Everyone’s hand is being forced in this new reality. Regardless of the cost-cutting approaches you decide to adopt, at minimum, you should consider how an ongoing program of issuing bid requests and better managing your supply chain, can go a long way to improving your cost efficien cies and bottom line!

Kevin Turko CEO LEADSTONE GROUP 403.537.6561

OilfieldPULSE | FEBRUARY 2015

CURRENT EVENTS

THE

FOX CREEK EARTHQUAKE SOMEONE TELL BRIAN MASON SCIENCE IS ALREADY ON IT

OilfieldPULSE | FEBRUARY 2015

Alberta NDP MLA Brian Mason is calling for a “robust, science-based examination” after the 4.4 magnitude Fox Creek earthquake Jan. 22, which may be linked to hydraulic fracturing in the area. That examination is already underway, as Beacon Energy News reported Friday. Mason, the MLA for Edmonton-Highlands-Norwood, issued a press release Tuesday in which he claimed, “According to experts, it seems very likely that this earthquake was linked to fracking activities in the immediate area.” In fact, experts never made that claim at all. A media representative of the Alberta Energy Regulator issued a statement that said, “The location of the earthquake is consistent with being induced by hydraulic fracturing operations. The occurrence of a cluster of earthquakes preceding the larger earthquakes suggests that it is an induced earthquake. It is, however, impossible to definitively state that it was not a naturally occurring event.” With all respect to the hard working media staff of the AER, they are not experts on earthquakes. Those would be seismologists, the folks with PhDs behind their names. Like Dr. Todd Shipman, the scientist at the Alberta Geological Survey I interviewed about the Fox Creek earthquake, which occurred 33 kilometres west of the small community 268 kilometres northwest of Edmonton. When Mason said in his release that “it is imperative that Alberta Environment and the Alberta Energy Regulator move quickly to develop the required investigation, using the best science and the best independent experts,” surely it was Dr. Shipman he had in mind. What Dr. Shipman told me is that the research has already been started. The seismology data has been collected by the AGS sensors. And a request has been sent to the service company for the fracturing data – dates and times of pumping, volumes, locations, etc. Dr. Shipman and his team will then compare the seismology data to the fracturing data and look for correlations. If the correlation between the data

sets is strong, the scientists can say there is a strong probability the 4.4 Fox Creek earthquake was caused by fracturing. If the correlation is weak or non-existent, the probability fracturing caused the tremor, which was felt at surface by residents of Fox Creek, is low. But as Dr. Shipman explained in our interview, scientists cannot say with absolute certainty that fracturing caused an earthquake. TheFox Creek earthquake is of interest because it is stronger than quakes usually associated with fracturing.

NDP MLA Brian Mason.

A 2012 study by the BC Oil and Gas Commission recorded 272 microearthquakes in N.E. BC that were strongly correlated to fracturing activities. The majority of the earthquakes registered between 2.3 and 3.1 on the Richter scale. A few were as strong as 3.8, and one was felt as a slight tremor at surface. None were as high as the Fox Creek earthquake, which Dr. Shipman suggests may be evidence the earthquake was naturally occurring and not caused by fracturing at all. OilfieldPULSE | FEBRUARY 2015

CURRENT EVENTS Until the data-crunching and analysis is completed, we – and that includes Brian Mason – should not be rushing to conclusions. That said, the Fox Creek earthquake raises legitimate concerns that fracturing may be causing more earth quake activity than was previously thought. In which case, Alberta should follow the example of British Columbia. The 2012 report made seven recom mendations, including investing in more testing tech

The BC report made clear that fracturing presented no danger to shallow aquifers and water sources at or close to the surface. Based on that report, there would appear to be no reason to think that fracturing-induced earthquakes are an immediate threat to human health or property in the Fox Creek area or elsewhere in Alberta, where more than 174,000 wells have been fractured since the 1950s. Hydraulic fracturing injects fluids deep under ground to crack or fracture oil and gas-bearing rock. Once the rock is opened by the fluid pressure, proppant (usually sand or ceramics) is introduced into the fluid to prop open the fractures. This allows hydrocarbons to flow to the wellbore. Mason asserts in his release that earthquakes “are serious threats to life and property.”

The BC report made clear that fracturing presented no danger to shallow aquifers and water sources at or close to the surface.

Dr. David Suzuki has made exaggerated claims about fracturing-induced earthquakes in NE BC. nology, conducting more studies to better identify preexisting faults, and drafting better reporting procedures. In other words, improve the science and data collec tion in areas where hydraulic fracturing is taking place. For instance, Dr. Shipman says it takes a month or more for service companies to provide him with their data. Perhaps the AER could compel the fracturing crews to get the numbers to the scientists a few days after requested, thus speeding up the data-crunching?

OilfieldPULSE | FEBRUARY 2015

Well, yes, if Alberta was California that would be true. But it isn’t, and politicians like Mason and political activists like David Suzuki should stop exaggerating the threat posed by fracturinginduced earthquakes, which are almost always minor and, based on what we know at present, pose little threat to life and property. But do we know enough? Probably not, which is why Mason should be call ing for more resources for the Alberta Geological Survey so it can expand its research and arrive at a clearer picture of the threat – if any – posed by fracturing-induced earthquakes. By Markham Hislop PUBLISHER BEACON NEWS AND BEACON ENERGY NEWS

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OilfieldPULSE | FEBRUARY 2015

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THE BEST TRAINING GROUND FOR

INDUSTRY

In my previous article, I discussed training in general terms, and we talked specifically about training on the shop floor. Often, we get too focused on tradespeople. We do train tradespeople, but there are other very important professions that contribute to making a project successful. We employ drafting people, project managers, quality control, engineers, administration, document control, and others. It is important to remember it takes a concerted effort to make both small and large projects alike happen on time and on budget. If you talk to people in our industry, they will tell you they look for individuals with plant experience. They would rather hire a person from a manufacturing background than someone who has spent his/her time simply behind a desk. If you are a drafting professional or a project manager who works at a manufacturing plant, you actually get hands on training. The function of drafting or project management may not change, but there is a major difference between understanding and getting to see firsthand what youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re building. Many in the industry feel we would be further ahead if everyone had this type of hands on experience and training. Of course, our doors are always open to tours and we work very closely with engineering companies and end users who do come through our facility, but there is just no replacement for the hands on training our shop floor provides. If the next iteration of the Canada Alberta Job Grant were structured a little differently to include on-the-job training at a facility like Plains, we could do more meaningful training that

OilfieldPULSE | FEBRUARY 2015

PLAINS PERSPECTIVE had real value to building the workforce. This is not to say the training provided by schools and other businesses does not hold value, it very much does. These are major partners in the building of a skilled workforce. What would have a greater impact is if those companies that were willing to train could receive some form of tax benefit. We are willing to play a major role, but without governmental assistance, it is difficult to afford to continue with the on-the-job training which we currently provide. It is logical to utilize those of us who are willing to train, those of us willing to call on our years of experience, those of us who will be moving into retirement soon - to train the next generation. At the current rate of training, we are going to miss the boat. We need a genuine effort from government and other industries to reduce the knowledge gap. It is only through maximizing the years of experience available

If we invest now, we reap the benefits of having the luxury of more time that we will even stand a chance. We are building a generation who will only understand pieces of what they are building. They are not getting the whole picture. They may understand the basic function of their chosen profession, but true knowledge and background can only be built by learning from those who have spent years on the job and are willing to pass on this knowledge. Now don’t misunderstand, this is a two way street. There is much to gain from having a fresh set of eyes and the great questions as to why things are done a certain way and possible improvements. Now, I don’t want to call us “old”, but we’re not getting any younger. Succession may be a hot topic for people to talk about, but no one has come up with a magic bullet to hand over this information. It is going to take time and this is where our friends in the educational institutions could help those of us willing to train. If we could manage to combine those of us willing to train (with years of knowledge to share) working with

OilfieldPULSE | FEBRUARY 2015

those who are trained to teach, I couldn’t think of a better solution to this problem. There are many ways we could brainstorm a solution, but there are a few necessary requirements: a government willing to create a taxable benefit that works, an industry willing to train, and a school system prepared to work collaboratively with industry to provide assistance and support. We are going into a time of uncertainty. When oil prices have fallen previously, we did not properly invest in the next generation, and this has left us with a deficit when it comes to younger skilled and trained people. The benefit of our industry going into a slower period is we could take advantage and get more training done than ever before, but that is going to take some investment. It is always difficult to convince companies this is the right this to do when times are hard, but it is also the best time to make this type of commitment. The best way to learn is by watching, listening, and having an experienced person guide and teach you the tools of whatever trade you have chosen to pursue. It is time to take this opportunity to pass our knowledge to the next generation. We just need to add enough voices to the chorus to make sure we are being heard. It may be counterintuitive to some to invest when companies are going through a slower period, but the underlying theory is to ‘buy low and sell high’. If we invest now, we reap the benefits of having the luxury of more time and the ability to focus more experienced people to help those who need their experience the most. It is easy to see the silver lining in this scenario, and there is a generation of young people who can benefit from this. Our media seems to be focused on the negative, but as a business person I have learned to see opportunity where others see problems. I know that many in industry see this same opportunity. Industry and educational/vocational institutions need to focus on additional training during tough times for incalculable benefits in the future.

Chester Nagy PRESIDENT PLAINS FABRICATION

DENARII WELL SERVICING IS OPEN FOR BUSINESS ON THE HUB

lease join Leadstone Group in welcom ing Denarii Well Servicing to the Oilfield HUB online business community! Denarii Well Servicing is an energy services company located in Camrose, Alberta, focused on finding innovative and creative solutions to their clients’ challenging projects. Since 2003, Denarii has been doing just that, providing clients with unique well servicing solutions. Adding to the HUB’s extensive company listings and product / service database, Denarii specializes in completions, workovers, abandonments, rod jobs, and pump repairs. Whatever the problem, no project is too large a challenge for Denarii. Led by Mike Dowker, and built around a love of rigs, Denarii believes in doing a job right the first time around, without over complicating things. It’s about working with clients, bringing innovation, smarts, and resourcefulness in finding a solution that’s ethical and can be completed in a safe manner. In their 20,000

square foot Camrose facility, Denarii has the flexibility to safely modify their rigs to fit with their clients’ requests, making for a more effective and streamlined project. Through a combination of unique back grounds, education, and experience, Denarii focuses on developing the right crews to work on client projects, while implementing safety guidelines and policies each step of the way. Safety, innovation, tenacity, and collaboration make up Denarii’s combination for delivering results to their clients. To learn more about how Denarii’s creative solutions can benefit your next well servicing project, or to connect with Mike Dowker and his team, contact Denarii at: 780-608-7637 or visit their HUB microsite at: http://hub.oilfieldhub.com/p/DENARII

OilfieldPULSE | FEBRUARY 2015

TECHNOLOGY IN THE FIELD The Extreme Dome, Grande Turtle DT, & the Air Roof

INFLATABLE

BUILDINGS SAVE MONEY FOR OIL & GAS INDUSTRY Inflatable buildings can be filled with foamed concrete to create durable permanent structures

Calgary inventor is introducing inflatable buildings he says will help oil and gas crews out in the field, especially in remote areas where buildings are hard to come by. Dieter Krohmer is the principal behind Advanced Technology Structures Ltd. Khromer says the Canadian oil and gas market will be a key focus of the new venture. “The buildings can be used in any field condition. Whether it’s for a warehouse or a vehicle storage or men shelters,” he said in an interview. “One of the structures that we are currently deploying is for a pipeline coating company, and they’re using it as an outbuilding to cure their epoxy pipes, rather than tying up floor space.” Krohmer says ATS inflatable buildings differ from the typical “soccer-dome” because they are designed with a “confined tube system.” “Imagine some tire tubes there that are attached to one another and inflated, potentially looking like an air mattress, in the shape of a building,” he said. “That building could look like a Quonset hut or it could take any kind of shape the customer wants.” The buildings are inflated in 15-20 minutes (more for larger buildings) using a simple fan unit provided by ATS. The fan automatically adjusts the air pressure settings for the required temperature, ensuring the building doesn’t get soft over time. The inflatable buildings can become permanent by filling the tube system with a “foamed concrete.”Krohmer says he is finishing the design for

OilfieldPULSE | FEBRUARY 2015

By Advanced Technology Structures

the foam injection system and plans to have a test unit ready for deployment in January. Advantages of filling the building with concrete include higher insulation values (potentially as high as R40), greater permanence, lower cost of transporting materials to remote sites, and much quicker erection times than conventional construction (typically two to three days). OTHER APPLICATIONS FOR THE INFLATABLE BUILDINGS INCLUDE: • Housing workers and equipment during marine oil field remediation • Frack tank covers (hexagon configuration that can be expanded indefinitely to cover any kind of a frack tank. Unique anchoring system) • Buildings over top of small oil tanks for sandblasting and coating • Welding tent • Vehicle garages • Pipeline welding and inspection tents The young company has some demonstration inflatable buildings in the Alberta market, but Krohmer says they are just gearing up to introduce the product in a big way to oil and gas producers and service companies.

By Markham Hislop PUBLISHER BEACON NEWS AND BEACON ENERGY NEWS

HUMOUR

FEELIN’ TESTY A

firefighter was working on the engine outside the station, when he noticed a little girl nearby in a little red wagon with little ladders hung off the sides and a garden hose tightly coiled in the middle. The girl was wearing a firefighter’s helmet. The wagon was being pulled by her dog and her cat. The firefighter walked over to take a closer look. “That sure is a nice fire truck,” the firefighter said with admiration. “Thanks,” the girl replied. The firefighter looked a little closer. The girl had tied the wagon to her dog’s collar and to the cat’s testicles. “Little partner,” the firefighter said, “I don’t want to tell you how to run your rig, but if you were to tie that rope around the cat’s collar, I think you could go faster.” The little girl replied thoughtfully, “You’re probably right, but then I wouldn’t have a siren.”

OilfieldPULSE | FEBRUARY 2015

TIHEM CONSULTING

OilfieldPULSE | FEBRUARY 2015

LAYOFFS SOMETHING BOTH SIDES DESPISE

feel like I have earned my grey hair, and I view it as a badge of honour. When I look in the mirror now I realize I am entering a new phase which seems to be watching the grey hair disappear. Reflecting on the news headlines of the day, I thought a good topic would be the unfortunate reality of having to lay people off. Personally, I would rather have a root canal than to layoff an employee. I have come to accept part of my function as a manager is to let people go (laying-off/firing). Poor performers must be given an opportunity to succeed. You need to give people a chance, which means: 1 being clear and honest about the problem, 2 setting clear goals that must be accomplished with an open door to help if needed, and 3 a clear and definitive timeline of when the goal(s) must be met. Once you have given the person the opportunity and the timeline, it is up to them to succeed or fail. If they fail, then you need to make the final decision. It is never easy, but this is the role. Take it or leave it! I have never enjoyed firing people, mostly those failures are mine. I hired the wrong person and I didnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t set them up to succeed. Laying people off, however, is my biggest nightmare. The people who work for me rely on me just as much as the company I work for relies on me to be a savvy businessperson that looks for trends, improves the bottomline, as well as focusing on diversification and bringing in new customers. Sitting in a room with a good employee and telling them I havenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t been able to bring in enough work is horrible. Most companies realize you invest in your employees as they are trained. Therefore, rather than waste an investment, we try to do everything in our power to retain staff regardless of the economic situation. We always cut everything else until we are well into the bone before we look to lay people off.

OilfieldPULSE | FEBRUARY 2015

This is a difficult area to mentor companies through. I can’t tell you what is right or wrong because I don’t think any company, no matter how profit driven, takes this situation lightly. I am sure the ideas I am about to present are things you have already thought of, but I wanted to share some alternatives we have used in the past to avoid layoffs. On several occasions, I have worked with my competitors to share employees. Just because you are slow doesn’t mean your competitors are. It takes a handshake to ensure your employees are not stolen, and that is not to say the employee will want to come back after your business returns to normal, but I have reached agreements with

Reducing hours is my preference instead of reducing wages. Often companies reduce wages and then “forget” to increase them at the right time. both competitors and employees allowing them to continue working with the end goal of returning to work for me. I have also taken in employees, under the same circumstance. Companies may be competitors, but we all value our employees and these types of arrangements can be made. The key to this arrangement is total openness and honesty about the situation. It will take a leap of faith or trust, but I have seen this work incredibly well and have not experienced any issues as a result. Reducing hours is my preference instead of reducing wages. Often companies reduce wages and then “forget” to increase them at the right time. When business picks up and an employee’s wage is still reduced, it can affect company morale immediately and can have an impact on your corporate culture. Also, it is paramount when work returns to normal, that you celebrate and profusely thank your entire staff. I mean you have

OilfieldPULSE | FEBRUARY 2015

to go over the top – a simple handshake will not do the trick. Companies often get right back into the swing of things and forget to sincerely and deeply acknowledge those who sacrificed their incomes. If this is set up right, the people affected end up with a 4-day work week and in extreme cases a 3-day work week. There is potential risk, because the person will probably look for another job, but if you speak with your staff, you will probably find a percentage will be financially able to reduce hours in this way and may even be very happy with this type of arrangement. It takes knowing or getting to know your people to make this work best. Helping them find another job before you lay them off. WHAT??? I know - that just seems insane, and this will not work if you need to lay-off a lot of people. I get that you’re not an employment agency. What I can guarantee you is if you help your employees to this degree, you will certainly lose some. I mean that is the intention, right? Let me say when things turn around and when your ad goes back in the paper, don’t be surprised to find how loyal people are to your company when you go to great lengths to ensure their financial safety. I have only done this for a few key employees and those people still work for me today. I didn’t have to lure them back. In the end, they came to me. I didn’t have to seek them out. Alberta is getting beaten up a bit in the media right now. It seems as if we are expected to take it on the chin. Our companies are resilient and deeply rooted in our communities. I have lived here my entire life and I have seen this economic cycle many times. Each time it feels as if it will last forever and inevitably the economy comes around. The world envies us, which is why they love to take a swing at us whenever they get the chance. This is the strongest province in Canada and the best place in the world to live if you are an everyday average Joe/ Joanne. I wish you all the best in your endeavours to get through what will amount to a blip on the radar screen when we look back and reminisce. Don’t let the media get you down. T.J. Ross TIHEM CONSULTING TIHEM.INFO@GMAIL.COM

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FEATURE

LESSONS LEARNED KA-BLAM’S NEW SAGD PROJECT CERTIFICATE PROGRAM - AFFORDABLE & OFFERED WEEKLY Having over 20 years of SAGD Project experience in mature oilsands plays, Chris Gabrielson, President of Ka-Blam Consulting, and Darcy Kritzer, have identified two needs in the oil and gas industry. They spent many months developing frequent, affordable SAGD Courses and Oilfield Equipment Tours. These solutions will increase qualified personnel, improve costs, safety and communications, and at the same time, provide people an opportunity to maximize their potential. SHORTAGE OF FREQUENT, AFFORDABLE SAGD PROJECT TRAINING There is a significant difference in the way we need to approach conventional oil and gas projects versus thermal oilsands projects. In thermal oilsands projects, there is a unique methodology, terminology, and project structure that cannot be learned from working on conventional oil and gas projects.

OilfieldPULSE | FEBRUARY 2015

However, with proper training and knowledge sharing, people who have worked on conventional oil and gas projects can quickly adapt to thermal oilsands projects. Proper thermal oilsands training will increase company safety performance, improve communications across business functions, and increase the supply of qualified people required to fill the personnel demands of the thermal industry. SHORTAGE OF PERSONNEL FAMILIAR WITH OILFIELD EQUIPMENT Over the years, Gabrielson recognized a change in the oil and gas industry. “The change I see is that it’s much easier for people to work in a Calgary office and manage field personnel and equipment without having worked or seen the equipment they are responsible for making decisions on,” he said. Typically in past generations, if you worked in Calgary in a field planning or supervisory role, you probably “worked your way up” from the field. The field was the ultimate training ground for preparing people to work in Calgary and oversee field personnel and equipment. This was the best case scenario, because now a project has experienced people both in Calgary and the field who know the equipment.

“Are you properly trained in SAGD Projects?“ “Yes, I have the SAGD Project Certificate”

OilfieldPULSE | FEBRUARY 2015

WHO WILL BENEFIT FROM THESE COURSES? OIL COMPANIES: • existing and new employees • request vendors take it • student rotations/new grads, ECD’s • employees switching internally to the SAGD business unit •

all groups and types of disciplines benefit – geologists, geophysics, construction, drilling, completions, production, safety, procurement, technicians, etc.

• wanting access to completions and workover knowledge experienced in mature plays

SAGD

THERMAL TRAINING COURSES DAY ONE:

THERMAL PROJECT OVERVIEW (SAGD EMPHASIS) A great mandatory course for oil companies and vendors to send new hires or existing employees who will be or are currently involved with a SAGD Project. Before someone is put to work on a project simply call Ka-Blam and book the seats. It’s frequent and affordable to meet any of your training demands. It will free up meeting rooms and eliminate needing to use existing employees as instructors. Once someone completes the course, the person and the company can feel confident they received thorough SAGD Project training and have the certificate to prove it. Vendors can inform their clients their employees are SAGD Project trained. The person taking the course can go from zero ther mal knowledge, and by the end of the course, they are a valuable contribution to any thermal project. The course is conveniently located in downtown Calgary but the dates and locations are customizable to meet your needs.

WELLSITE SUPERVISORS: • with no SAGD experience and wanting to apply for SAGD jobs • with little experience and wanting to expand skillset VENDORS: • gaining a competitive advantage over competition

THROUGH THIS COURSE YOU WILL BECOME FAMILIAR WITH: • Bitumen Properties • Bitumen Recovery Methods • Common Thermal Oilsands Terminology • SAGD Process Explained • Thermal Pads - pad layouts, pad components, subsurface drill patterns • Basic Wellbore Construction

• for salespeople/technical employees to relate better with SAGD clients

• Well Pair Purposes

OTHERS:

• Wells Encountered in a Thermal Project delineation, observation, water source, water disposal, other

•

students, graduates, media, or anyone wanting thermal knowledge such as to broaden job opportunities and gain an advantage in today’s competitive job market

• Steam Chambers - shape, monitoring

• Central Processing Facility - Facility Components explained • Common Business Functions Encountered Within a Thermal Project and Their Purposes • Pass-Around Material - oil sand, slotted liner, bitumen

OilfieldPULSE | FEBRUARY 2015

DAY 2:

SAGD COMPLETIONS AND WORKOVERS Day Two is a technical course great for oil companies and vendors involved in Completions and Workovers for SAGD Projects. It was created from a superintendent or wellsite supervisor’s perspective. It’s very insightful for vendors who have employees working on, or about to work on well pads. All participants receive a ‘Certificate of Comple tion’ which is an indicator to the industry the person has received proper thermal training. THROUGH THIS COURSE YOU WILL BECOME FAMILIAR WITH: • Typical process if a well goes down to perform a workover

• BOP Requirements • Surface Wellhead Corrosion Challenges • Kill / Workover Fluid • Common Tubing and Handling Equipment • Multiple Tubulars in One Wellbore / Tight Clearances • Thermal Expansion of Steel • Encountering deformed casing, tubing, coil tubing • Common Fishing Techniques • Common Vendor Equipment • Pass-Around Material ESP Cable, Conax Fitting, Thermocouples, Fiber Optics, VIT Insulator, Mid Joint Clamps, Cross Coupling Clamps, Coil Tubing, Gas Lift Nozzle, Bubble Tubes

• Vendor Travel - highway 63 & 881 • Pad Congestion - pad spacing constraints, sharing the pad with other groups • Completions Equipment Spacing • Common Injector wellhead and downhole configurations • Vacuum Insulated Tubing (VIT) • Common Producer wellhead and downhole configurations - Gas lift, ESP, PCP

COURSE REGISTRATION

IS A USER-FRIENDLY 3 STEP PROCESS:

1 Identify the weekday that works for you or your group. 2 Call Amber at 780-898-1445 and book over the phone. Credit cards are accepted. 3 Obtain a Certificate of Completion and maximize your potential. DAY ONE ONLY: $395 | DAY TWO ONLY: $550 | OR BOTH FOR $895 All course details can be found at www.kablamconsulting.com

• Downhole Instrumentation and Monitoring • Capillary Lines and Clamping

OilfieldPULSE | FEBRUARY 2015

IDENTIFY THE INDUSTRY NEED:

OILFIELD EQUIPMENT TOURS

abrielson is working to improve equipment awareness in the Calgary workforce. “If people are going to be working in Calgary and not coming from the field as much anymore, then we must setup a service for those people to see and learn about equipment,” he said. Vendors have equipment viewing options, but it’s very selective, meaning they typically will take clients or potential clients to see oilfield equipment. What about the rest of the people who want to see oilfield equipment? How do people from provinces or countries who do not have an active oilfield see and learn about equipment? What about those people who come to work in Alberta and want to work in the oilfield but don’t know which equipment or company? How do existing students or new grads get to see equipment? Ka-Blam is now offering affordable Oilfield Equipment Tours that are open to the public (18yrs +). Give them a call and book your seat on one of their guided tours if you currently work for an oil company and hear about types of oilfield equipment but have never seen it, you want to take on a new role that requires you to be familiar with certain equipment, or maybe you’re just curious what fracturing equipment looks like. Ka-Blam has exclusive permission from preferred vendors to see and learn about oilfield equipment. Ka-Blam will provide the tour guide, shuttle, and the equipment. Leave all the planning to Ka-Blam and just bring your excitement and questions. TOUR REGISTRATION IS A USER-FRIENDLY 3 STEP PROCESS: 1 Check www.kablamconsulting.com for the oilfield packages and dates available. 2 Call Amber at 780-898-1445 and book over the phone. Credit cards are accepted. 3 Enjoy a stress-free day seeing and learning about oilfield equipment.

OilfieldPULSE | FEBRUARY 2015

KA-BLAM

HISTORY “For the companies that we work for, they understand first-hand the benefits of genuine, experienced, smart, hard-working people working on their projects,” said Gabrielson. Gabrielson started his career in the 1990’s in oil town Drayton Valley, Alberta. Over that period, he worked with several oilfield vendors including well servicing rigs and drilling rigs. In 2001, Gabrielson supplemented his field experience by enrolling in college. He studied geological engineering technology and graduated in 2006 with a Petroleum Engineering Technology Diploma. Throughout school, he worked on service rigs and alongside wellsite supervisors over the weekends and holidays. Moving to Calgary in 2006, Gabrielson worked for an integrated oil and gas engineering firm and was responsible for undertaking both engineer and superintendent roles, while managing con ventional, unconventional, and SAGD projects across Canada. In 2009, Gabrielson left his employer and started Ka-Blam Consulting Inc. as an independent consulting company. Amber Sommer, Gabrielson’s fiancée, started working full-time for Ka-Blam in 2013, and the business transitioned to an oil and gas engineering and consulting firm. “Amber has the perfect experience for a company like this,” he said. “In the past, she worked for oilfield vendors in human resources and accounting roles for Canada and U.S. She knows human behavior and knows the oil patch, so coupled with my technical experience, we can match up office and field consultants to meet and exceed the client’s expectations.” Sommer manages the office and is responsible for coordinating Ka-Blam’s consultants for oil and gas clients and maintains the HSE program policies and procedures. Gabrielson continues to be a consultant for oil

and gas clients, and both he and Sommer work together to select and supply consultants to existing and new clients. Gabrielson and Ka-Blam’s consultants have superior safety performances and have worked on over 2,000 oil and gas wells of all types across Canada. They also have provided services on international projects, in areas like Bulgaria and South America. It varies year to year, but on average, the clients’ total budgets managed to exceed 50 MM per year. Since then, Grabrielson has been acknowledged for Operations and Business Excellence and is an active member of the Canadian Heavy Oil Association (CHOA) Drilling and Completions Sub-Committee.

KA-BLAM ENGINEERING AND WELLSITE SUPERVISION

• Supply superintendents to oversee operations and offer technical and operational support • Supply wellsite supervisors • Job cost control and tracking POST JOB REPORTING • Review and approve vendor invoices • AFE vs actual cost comparisons and supplementals (if required) • Lessons learned for continuous improvement • Post-mortems (identifies reasons for problems encountered) • Give presentations outlining project outcomes and performance • Regulatory submissions

OTHER • Personnel for drilling, pipeline and facility, environment and safety, geology, reservoir, production • Technical courses and presentations

OIL AND GAS INDUSTRY EXPERIENCE: • Thermal projects – SAGD injector and producers, water source, disposal, observation, caprock integrity testing • Salt cavern storage, injection, and disposal wells • Shale gas / tight formation • Natural Gas – dry, wet, sour, coal bed methane (CBM) • Conventional oil – light, medium, heavy • Remote and wildcat statuses

• Wellfile reviews - acquisitions, inactive wells, suspensions, abandonments, problem wells, benchmarking HSE AND CONTRACTOR SELECTION IS AN IMPORTANT ASPECT OF KA-BLAM’S BUSINESS. BELOW ARE SOME REPRESENTATIONS OF THEIR HSE MINDSET: • Corporate HSE program • Contractor skill competency assessments • Pre-Screening of contractors for safety tickets, insurance, and WCB

SERVICES OFFERED:

• Regular field visits

HIGH LEVEL PROJECT OVERVIEW

• Corporate monthly safety meetings

• Identify your project purpose, schedule, and expectations

• Ongoing tracking of contractor certification compliance

• Assign appropriate consultants to the project

• Supply contractor close to your project for journey management

DETAILED PROJECT PLANNING • Well design (production strategy, artificial lift selection, tubular design, perforation and stimulation design, wellhead selection, production testing design, and more) • Vendor qualification and selection • Risk assessment and mitigation • Well work programs and AFE’s for budget approvals

• Confirm contractor knowledge of all regulatory standards Chris Gabrielson PRESIDENT 403-969-1136 KABLAMCONSULTING@SHAW.CA

Amber Sommer

PROJECT EXECUTION

OFFICE MANAGER 780-898-1445 KABLAMCONSULTING.ADMIN@ SHAW.CA

• Schedule and coordinate the field work

WWW.KABLAMCONSULTING.COM

OilfieldPULSE | FEBRUARY 2015

BUSINESS SENSE

KINETICA

VENTURES HELPS ALBERTA OILFIELD ENTREPRENEURS

inetica Ventures is a post-incubator “accelerator” that supports Alberta innovators. Alberta oil patch innovators are about to get another helping hand up as the Alberta and Canadian governments step up funding for Kinetica Ventures, a post-incubator program headquartered with Calgary Innovates. One of the best kept secrets in Canada is the size, innovativeness, and export-orientation of the Alberta oilfield services and manufacturing sectors, which generate billions in annual revenues and employ tens of thousands of highly skilled workers. In 2013, 1,852 companies in the sector generated $13.5 billion of revenue and employed 45,505 people, according to figures provided by the Alberta government. Those firms exported a very healthy $3.5 billion of goods and services. There are two types of innovator, according to Kevin Frankowski, Kinetica’s leader. The first is the “garage entrepreneur” who works in the industry, has technical expertise, and thinks he (or increasingly, she) has a solution to a problem. The sector is dominated by companies of this type. And Alberta is very good at generating a lot of them. The second is a university or industry researcher who has developed a new technology in the lab or the field and think it’s ready for prime-time. Some of those entrepreneurs are part of the Calgary Innovates incubator, which helps entrepreneurs who walk in the door with a good idea but not much else. Once they have a business plan, start up capital, maybe a functioning prototype,

OilfieldPULSE | FEBRUARY 2015

they’re ready for the next step, which is Kinetica. “Incubators being basically very early stage startups. And accelerators sort of later stage startups. Further down the maturation path,” Frankowski said in an interview. Kinetica was soft launched last summer and cur rently supports 10 companies. Some are working on greenhouse gas technologies, either capturing carbon or reducing GHG emissions. Another company is developing an additive for drilling fluids, while another is developing a very fast, lowcost, and accurate technology for hydrocarbon leak detection in pipelines and tanks, says Frankowski. But once the products are ready for the market, the companies face special challenges establishing themselves in the oil and gas market, where producers are risk-averse and technical failures can cost millions of dollars. “There’s a fair amount of de-risking that needs to occur. External third party technology validation. Testing your pilot sites, that sort of stuff,” said Frankowski. Then there is the “implementation gap” between having a product that works and having customers. “There’s this gap of having no customers because no one’s willing to try it [the new product]. So we help with that,” said Frankowski. The Government of Alberta will partner with the federal government’s Canada Accelerator and Incubator Program (CAIP) to support Innovate Calgary and its Kinetica Ventures program. As part of a twoyear funding commitment the Alberta Government will

provide $500,000 per year to Kinetica Venture. The Kinetica Venture program is also supported by the federal Canada Accelerator and Incubator Program. “The Alberta government is facing serious fiscal challenges with the falling price of oil and it is impor tant that we continue to support innovation in Alber ta,” said Don Scott, Alberta minister of innovation and advanced education in a press release. “Our support of the Kinetica Ventures program gives entrepreneurs and investors increased capacity to commercialize their ideas while helping to grow and diversify our economy.” These investments by Alberta and its partners through CAIP will allow business incubators to provide more of the services that guide market-oriented, in novative companies along the road to product com mercialization. Initiatives supported through Kinetica

Calgary-based Quantum Downhole Systems is an example of a home-grown Alberta oilfield technology and services company.

Kinetica was soft launched last summer and currently supports 10 companies

By Markham Hislop PUBLISHER BEACON NEWS AND BEACON ENERGY NEWS

Photo: Alberta Government

can add value in the energy industry by improving pro cesses, enhancing productivity and creating new ap plications of existing or novel technologies to enhance overall competitiveness, said Peter Garrett, president of Innovate Calgary in a press release. “Kinetica’s mandate is to better understand the energy industry’s key innovation challenges, identify researchers/entrepreneurs and startups with promising technology solutions, and then help accelerate commercialization through collaboration with industry and investors,” said Garrett. “We are excited to partner with Alberta Innovation and Advanced Education to deliver world-class energy innovation from Alberta.”

Don Scott, Alberta minister of innovation and advanced education. OilfieldPULSE | FEBRUARY 2015

SEASONAL

GREAT VALENTINE’S DAY IDEAS

Love is in the air. Everyone notices the swift change in Hallmark seasons everywhere you go. The focus quickly changes from Christmas to Valentine’s Day, and for the average person, it’s hard to keep up. Valentine’s Day is that lovely (pun intended) reminder that if in a relationship, impending duties are ahead. If not in a relationship, it’s a day we try to get over with as quickly as possible. Love struck teens relish in the day, new couples feel the pressure to flex their romantic muscle, and long time spouses dread, or more commonly, forget the obligatory chocolates, flowers, and jewelry. Truth is, this “holiday” is catered for women and designed to make men sweat, but it doesn’t have to be. This year, Valentine’s Day doesn’t have to be so predictable. Here are some unique ideas to celebrate your significant CONTINUED other in honour of Saint Valentine.

OilfieldPULSE | FEBRUARY 2015

SEASONAL CONCERT TICKETS Everybody likes music. It’s like oxygen. You can’t help but breath it in, and you can’t help but enjoy some types of music. This gift idea can be a romantic one if the two of you have shared memorable moments listening to a certain band together. Or, maybe you want to show how devoted you are to yours truly, and you find one of their weird, niche singers is coming to town and get them tickets to that. You’d be surprised how many great singers fly under the radar and frequent our city. Enjoy a night out together and listen to some great music. COFFEE TABLE BOOK A coffee table book doesn’t have to be as bleak as it sounds. You’d be amazed how many interesting and eye catching ones are out there. Find one that solely encompasses their hobby, whether it is photography, travel, music, famous authors, fashion, etc. A thoughtful coffee table book is a unique way to show your partner you value their hobbies, and they’ll appreciate admiring the oversized pages as they flip through. A FOODIES DREAM Food is great, and great food is even better! This gift idea can mean taking your sweetheart somewhere to dinner they’ve never been but have always wanted to go. Or maybe the two of you want to become better chefs so you can make your favorite restaurant meals at home. In that case, there are great cooking classes available all over the city. Some cater to specific cuisines and some are broader at developing the basics. Either way, signing up for a couples cooking class can be a great way to spend time together while learning tricks of the trade that will liven your taste buds.

OilfieldPULSE | FEBRUARY 2015

BIG DAY OUT This great gift idea is easy on the pocketbook and shows how thoughtful you can be. Plan a day for just the two of you. Living in such close proximity to such beautiful landscapes, you know there are a plethora of options at your disposal. Depending on what your partner enjoys most, cater to that, and run with it. A day exploring Banff or Canmore, eating at a cozy place for lunch, and then walking around can be quaintly delightful. Or maybe talk and walk along the river and explore parts of the city you haven’t been to before followed by dinner at your favourite restaurant. Whatever the day entails, give some thought to what some of your favourite activities are and incorporate them by spending the day together. PHOTOS AND PRINT CANVASES There are amazing things that can be done with photos these days. They range anywhere from books to canvases to filtered prints. Highlighting a great moment or time the two of you spent together on a wall canvas is an awesome idea. Photos are those great things that ignite feelings of nostalgia. They bring us back to that moment and let the mundane realities of your current situation wash away. If the two of you have traveled somewhere special in the past year, use that. Or maybe it was a candid shot that was taken of the two of you unexpectedly. Photos can last forever, so what could be better than highlighting a great time the two of you shared? OUT OF THE NORM This idea merely means something you would never do or something your partner always ask you to do, and it would surprise them greatly if you did. If that means doing an activity you always refuse doing, surprise your

significant other and plan to do that with them. Or if you’re more likely to climb Mount Everest than cook, make their favourite meal. Even if you screw it up based on lack of culinary skills, that’s okay. The last option could mean doing something they have been complaining about doing or putting off because the sheer thought of it drives them into a tailspin. Perhaps their car has gotten to the point of filth where the spilt coffee on the console looks like a purposeful off hue design. Take the task upon yourself, and clean it. Doing something for your loved one that is out of the norm will show them how much you care. SPORTS TICKETS Trying to steer away from the obvious sexist implications this gift idea encompasses, getting your partner tickets to see their favorite sport team play can be a touchdown. Here in the city, you’re limited to hockey or waiting until the CFL kicks off again. (Too much pun?) If you’re anything like me, you hate sitting in a cold arena while cheering on toothless men scrambling over a puck and smashing into each other against hard boards. That doesn’t scream “fun” no matter who’s playing. On any other given day, the only thing that would entice me enough to participate in such an activity is the heroin beer and overzealous crowds. So whether your partner likes the Flames or any other team, getting them tickets to cheer on their boys would make a great gift. TAKE A TRIP Planning a trip away doesn’t have to be insanely expensive. Weekends to Vancouver or anywhere on the West Coast are close enough it doesn’t have to break the bank. Or maybe you really want to spoil them, and you’ve been talking about ditching the dreary Calgary winter since the first signs of negative temperatures. In that case, book a trip to somewhere tropical. You’d be surprised how refreshing a week in Mexico can be.

WINE TASTING What can be better than a gift devoted to love and wine, or rather and probably more accurately put, the love for wine. There are a number of wine tastings in and around Calgary. Beyond the red stained teeth, for most I think, it’s safe to say wine allures romance. Europeans are known for their suave demeanor, and they practically drink it with morning coffee. A romantic night sipping on wine and enjoying each others company might just be the thing to make Valentine’s Day go off without a hitch. SCAVENGER HUNT Depending how long the two of you have been together, recreating significant events from your months, years, or lifetime can be extremely romantic. Chronologically, choose events that have mapped out your relation ship and take them through it. The place you had your first date, your first kiss, or the place you said I love you for the first time. Choose the most important for the two of you, and relive it. It also might be a nice idea to take a camera along, and make it a photo scavenger hunt. It will feel nice turning back the clock and experiencing those magical moments for a second time. Although some couples may find that Valentine’s Day is a day that forces you to express your undying love for your partner, you can still have fun with it. Flowers, oversized stuffed animals, and a box of chocolates are a desperate thing of the past. Instead of blending in with the masses, try one of these Valentines Day ideas. You’ll surprise your partner and raise the bar for next year!

Jessica Bartsch #TAKEITORLEAVEIT

OilfieldPULSE | FEBRUARY 2015

THE

MULTI-GEN WORKFORCE A LOOK AT OPPORTUNITIES & CHALLENGES

enerational diversity in the workplace is not something new, but with Baby Boomers leading strong and healthy careers beyond the traditional retirement age and Gen Z about to enter their college years, we are certainly seeing a growing age gap in our current labour pool. As a result, companies are now facing the unique challenge of integrating one of the most generationally diverse workforces in recent history. Creating cohesive and effective teams from these groups is increasingly recognized as a crucial requirement for long term business success. There has been a lot of discussion over the past few years about the differences between these generational groups and how these differences impact attitudes and styles in the workplace. The four working generations are generally described as: Baby Boomers (1946-1964), Gen X (19651980), Millennials/Gen Y (1981-2000), and Gen Z (2000-present). Some would argue attempting to improve team performance by focusing solely on generational differences might be counterproductive. Kristin Munro, of Kristin Munro Consulting, helps businesses build and grow their strategies and

OilfieldPULSE | FEBRUARY 2015

practices. An important element of her focus is working with teams to improve performance, which may include working with multiple generations on one single team. In her experience, “The multigenerational workforce is something all companies are dealing with, and it does indeed pose some challenges. But to highlight the blend of generations as the sole catalyst behind the challenge would be over-simplifying things. There are so many factors that affect the team within an organization.” Rather than treating these differences as obstacles, forward thinking companies understand that with diversity comes opportunity. “Many companies tend to generalize and simply put people into boxes,” Munro says. This kind of thinking can lead to negative generalizations, and therefore companies may not be focusing on the positives this diversity can engender. In a Forbes study where 321 large global

Rather than treating these differences as obstacles, forward thinking companies understand that with diversity comes opportunity enterprises were surveyed, 85% agreed or strongly agreed diversity is crucial to fostering innovation in the workplace. The study also asserts a diverse and inclusive workforce is critical for success. A multigenerational workforce is a part of this diversity, and it is important to highlight the positives found in the differences between each group. For example, in terms of mentorship, the fact that Baby Boomers are working longer is excellent news. The Baby Boomer generation still makes up a large portion of the working population, and the OilfieldPULSE | FEBRUARY 2015

opportunity to pass experiential knowledge down to the next three generations is essential to long-term success. Simultaneously, there are important skills and information a younger and more tech-savvy generation may also be able to contribute to others in the workforce as companies modernize their processes and procedures. Building relationships between these generations is essential in order to capitalize on these opportunities for learning. Some companies are actively working on these legacy projects. An excellent example of this is at TransCanada where new employees are enrolled in formalized mentorship programs to ensure relationships are being built with the more mature professionals in the company. Many companies have explored similar programs and, as succession planning needs are becoming imminent, more still are beginning to understand their importance. Yet, these opportunities are finite by nature. With many Boomers on the brink of retirement, Munro warns some companies are struggling to organize their succession planning in a timely manner. “As the older generation prepares for retirement, I don’t believe companies are doing enough to ensure that the important information is being passed on to more junior employees in a time sensitive and meaningful way, “she says.“ This really is ‘mission critical’, and leaders must strategize to get that information out of people’s

heads and to the rest of their workforce to ensure as smooth a transition as possible.” Transmission of this information relies on the building of relationships. It is imperative we understand each generation brings different views and styles to the table, and each of those differences are important and noteworthy. Success requires recognizing generational distinctions add ingenuity, experiential knowledge, and diversity to our workplace. The ability to address these differences is paramount to the success and growth of business operations. What is your workplace doing to encourage multigenerational interaction in the workplace? What can you do to ensure knowledge and expertise is being shared between teammates at all levels?

By Kelly Trotter STAFFING CONSULTANT AT KLOPP RICHARDS & ASSOCIATES CALGARY WOMEN IN ENERGY – MEMBERSHIP DIRECTOR

& By Connor McManus COATINGS TECHNOLOGIST / MATERIALS ENGINEERING AT TRANSCANADA PIPELINES. CALGARY WOMEN IN ENERGY TREASURER

algary Women in Energy (CWIE) is an independent, non-profit, membership society dedicated to promoting, supporting and empowering women in

the energy sector in Calgary, Alberta. More than a networking group, CWIE is a dynamic collection of professional women with integrity, shared aspirations and a desire to make a positive impact on both our industry and our community through charitable work, mentorship, and education. For more information about the group, please visit www.cwie.org.

OilfieldPULSE | FEBRUARY 2015

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EVENTS

HASH

TAG These days most people are quite aware of what a hashtag is; however, in a quick paced technological society, there are some who are left scratching their heads and asking, “What in the world is a hashtag?”

lear and simple, it is a solo character represented by #, which is used to identify a keyword or topic primarily in a Tweet (and now some other forms of social media) to label messages. Most commonly used on the social media site Twitter, people use this symbol to preface their keyword and conduct a twitter search. If you were to click on this hashtag, any posted messages which are relevant to the subject search, will populate to show all the other tweets marked with that keyword. For example, if you were attending the Calgary Stampede in Calgary you could tweet something like: “Just arrived at the #CalgaryStampede, and I’m excited to see the #bullriding.” By using these two hashtags, anyone who is engaged in conversations about these two topics will also be privy to other comments made about the Calgary Stampede and the bull riding events. When multiple people search the same hashtag topic, the

OilfieldPULSE | FEBRUARY 2015

hashtagged words that become popular are called trending topics or “what’s trending”. The use of hashtags at an event is no different. If you want to create a flurry of excitement and curiosity about different aspects of your event or perhaps the various booths or something everyone in attendance should make a pilgrimage to see, it would be smart to create a hashtag. Hashtags become a catalyst to encourage, facilitate, and help create and maintain the excitement or the “buzz”. For any organization, it is very important to create a hashtag in advance of your event, before the attendees create one of their own, for you to primarily manage your brand. Neglecting to do so may run a risk of having a hashtag which does not showcase your event appropriately. Secondly, by identifying the hashtag, you can promote, monitor, and engage as well as identify the outcomes by the amount of people using social media at your function.

THERE ARE FOUR CRUCIAL RULES WHEN CHOOSING A HASHTAG:

your contractors’ MANAGEMENT & invoicing to ol

1 Create one that is unique and specific 2 Make sure it is easy for users to spell

BL ACKGOLD

3 Use it, and remember, make sure it reflects positively on your company

APPLICATIONS

4 Ensure no other organization is using the same one Once the decision has been made to use hashtags at your event, there are many locations within the venue you can place or post these hashtags to trig ger participation. For example, offer hashtags during an activity for people to tweet and share their experi ence. Post them where people linger, like near the food area, restrooms, or the bar. Offer rewards for us

Place it on your signage, cocktail napkins, incorporate it into your décor, and you can even have your service staff or volunteers wear shirts with the hashtag

TIMESHEETs, COMPLIANCE, INVOICING

W W W. B L A C KG O L D A P P S .C O M 4 0 3. 2 2 8.61 1 5

GROWING THE

FROM WITHIN

A LEADER IN THE DEVELOPMENT OF MARKET ENTRY STRATEGIES AND IMPLEMENTATION

Clark Grue | President & CEO

ing them, advertise them on a large billboard outside to encourage passing people to come and see what this event is all about, or make it edible and incorpo rate it into your meal selection. You could place signs at institute technology stations to make it easy for guests and further encourage the behaviour. Place it on your signage, cocktail napkins, incorporate it into your décor, and you can even have your service staff or volunteers wear shirts with the hashtag clearly vis ible to everyone. This is yet another way to create excitement around your event that can reach many participants and po tential participants digitally, faster, and free of charge to bolster and promote the pur pose of your event. Sylvia M. Vespa

SHINDIGS AND SOIREES, AN EVENT COORDINATION AND MANAGEMENT COMPANY 403-909-9095

RAINMAKER GLOBAL BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT (403) 515-6080 & (403) 264-9215 WORK (403) 975-7756 MOBILE CLARK@RAINMAKER-GBD.COM SUITE 300, 400 - 5TH AVE S.W. CALGARY AB T2P 0L4 WWW.RAINMAKER-GBD.COM

GROWING THE

FROM WITHIN

AS A FULL-SERVICE BROKERAGE/AUCTION FIRM, WE PARTNER WITH OUR CLIENTS TO DELIVER SOLUTIONS THAT HELP SOLVE THEIR MOST COMPLICATED NEEDS.

Marlon Ellerby | President/Owner ENERGY AUCTIONS INC (403) 815-2016 MARLONELLERBY@ENERGYAUCTIONS.CA WWW.ENERGYAUCTIONS.CA

OilfieldPULSE | FEBRUARY 2015

SUNTERRA

VALENTINE’S

DAY

SUNTERRA

OilfieldPULSE | FEBRUARY 2015

GROWING THE

Valentine’s Day is a time to get cozy with your loved one and express your amorous side. Or it’s a time to eat copious amounts of chocolate and have a horror movie marathon. However you choose to celebrate, Valentine’s Day is a good opportunity to get adventurous… in the kitchen! Our tips will help you plan a meal you’ll love. COOKING WITH CHEMISTRY Branching out to try new tastes and cooking techniques pushes you and your sous chef out of your pizza-and-pasta comfort zone, strengthening your bond with a delicious result! Choose recipes that will challenge both of the chefs in the kitchen and don’t rush through the creation of your meal. Taking time to enjoy the process (perhaps with a cocktail or two) builds anticipation for the meal itself, and gives you an appreciation for the effort you’ve put into the meal. For Valentine’s Day, look for recipes that will add spice to your meal, and to your night! Whip up a spread using ingredients that will boost dopamine levels such as chocolate, blueberries, pistachios and seafood. See our recipe for Sinful Chocolate Pistachio Cake for a delectable dessert option. Cooking together builds trust, problem solving skills, and teamwork. Rather than splitting up the meal to produce separately, create each step together. For example, while one chef is peeling vegetables, the other can cut them. As you trim the meat, your partner can season it before putting it on the grill. Don’t forget to set a playlist to listen to while you cook. Music is the easiest way to set the mood, whether it is with Vivaldi or Johnny Cash!

FROM WITHIN

NEWFORCE ENERGY SERVICES LTD. IS A FULL SERVICE OILFIELD CONSTRUCTION FIRM BASED OUT OF DRAYTON VALLEY, ALBERTA.

Neil Barclay NEWFORCE ENERGY SERVICES LTD. (403) 585-8338 WORK NIEL@NEWFORCEENERGY.CA 5621-58 AVE PO BOX 7576 DRAYTON VALLEY, AB T7A 1S7 WWW.NEWFORCEENERGY.CA

GROWING THE

FROM WITHIN

WE WORK WITH YOU TO DEFINE YOUR OBJECTIVES THEN WE BUILD SUSTAINABLE AND RENEWABLE STRATEGIES TO ACHIEVE THEM.

Rick Kneeshaw | President RESOURCE MANAGEMENT INNOVATIONS (403) 990-6797 MOBILE RICK@RMINNOVATIONS.CA #14 - 900 VILLAGE LANE, SUITE 315 OKOTOKES AB T1S 1Z6 WWW.RMINNOVAITONS.CA

GROWING THE

FROM WITHIN T. Deeks Consulting Inc.

HELPING OTHERS HELP OTHERS

Trevor Deeks | Director T. DEEKS CONSULTING INC. (403) 612-8644 & WORK TDEEKSCONSULTING@GMAIL.COM 7 SIENNA HEIGHTS WAY S.W. CALGARY AB T3H 3T7

OilfieldPULSE | FEBRUARY 2015

SUNTERRA CELEBRATE SINGLEDOM Saint Valentine’s Day should be celebrated even if you’re not romantically involved this year. Modern Valentine’s Day celebrations with friends and family have become popular as of late (take Leslie Knope’s Galentine’s Day for example) and cooking up a feast is a great option for those who want to celebrate Valentine’s Day in a platonic or solo fashion. If you’re celebrating by yourself, make an evening out of your meal by taking your time and enjoying a glass of wine while you create your culinary masterpiece. Rather than having to cater to a partner, you have the opportunity to create a self-indulgent menu with your personal favourites! If you’re joining family or friends on February 14th, suggest a potluck so you can all sample each other’s favourites. Whether you’re showing off your cooking prowess to someone new, recreating your long-time beau’s favourites or whipping up an opulent meal for yourself, a home cooked meal is a perfect way to show how much you care. This February, get creative and have a love affair with your food on Valentine’s Day! SUNTERRA SINFUL CHOCOLATE PISTACHIO CAKE Serves 8 to 10 • 3 chocolate sponge cake layers, 9 inch round • 340g bittersweet chocolate • 180ml cream, 36% • 140g butter, cubed soft • 60g pistachios, shelled • 60g raspberries or strawberries Chocolate glaze • 200g bittersweet chocolate • 200ml cream, 36% Place the pistachios in a lined tray and roast in a preheated oven at 350F for about 4 to 6 minutes. Remove from oven to cool. Once cool enough to touch, rub with hands to discard any pistachio skin. Chop them up roughly and set aside. Prepare a ganache by heating the cream on a stovetop to a gentle simmer. Meanwhile chop up the chocolate and place in a heatproof bowl. Pour the hot cream over the chocolate and whisk to a smooth consistency. Gradually whisk in the soft butter and set aside.

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Place one cake layer on a cake board or flat 10” platter. Place one third of the ganache in the center and gently spread evenly with a spatula. Sprinkle one third of the pistachios on the ganache spread. Repeat the process with the second and third layer of cake. Spread the remaining ganache on the top and sides. For a glaze finish, heat the cream on a stovetop to a gentle simmer. Meanwhile chop up the chocolate and place in a heatproof bowl. Pour the hot cream over the chocolate and stir until the chocolate melts. Let it cool for a few minutes and then gently pour over the cake. Let the glaze set in the fridge and then garnish with the rest of the chopped pistachios and raspberries. Place in the fridge for at least two hours. *You can drizzle ¼ cup of fresh orange juice and 1 tbsp of Grand Marnier evenly on the three layers of sponge for moister cake.

By Kendra Keating SUNTERRA CATERING MANAGER

CRM

WAYS

CRM CAN HELP YOU

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t’s difficult to escape all the negative chatter and hype right now with oil prices where they are, but we’ve weathered times like this before (and worse!), and we’ll do it again in the future. The key is to maintain your strong customer base who are loyal to your brand, especially now when others are trying to lure them away. How can you be sure you’re meeting those customers’ needs? Leverage your CRM (Customer Relationship Management) software to help you work smarter, not just harder. It’s actually easier (and less expensive) to keep the customers your business already has rather than trying to hunt down new ones. Here are 3 ways your CRM system can help. Don’t have a CRM system? Now is the time to consider one. Seriously!

FOCUS ON YOUR BEST CUSTOMERS A good CRM system will not only provide you with analytical tools to help you identify who your best customers are, but it can help you categorize them too. Sometimes this analysis will turn up surprising results. That customer who gives you steady repeat business? They may not actu ally be worth as much as the customer who does the infrequent but larger orders on higher-margin products or services, for example. And beyond ba sic ranking by revenue, the analytics can show you other relationships that may not be obvious at first glance and would likely be missed otherwise.

IMPROVE YOUR LEVEL OF SERVICE Under-promise and over-deliver. We claim to strive for this, but do we actually follow through? A good CRM system can help. On the front end, if your sales team understands how critical it is to enter all agreements made with customers, the likelihood of broken promises de creases dramatically. Chalk it up to increased ac countability if you will. Ultimately, your organization is enabled to better execute and deliver on the ex pectations that were set. On the back end, a good CRM system can help your service department effectively track, schedule, and solve customer service issues. Knowing service conundrums can always happen, the issue itself is rarely what the customer will remember. It’s how you deal with the issue that will stay in the forefront of their minds the next time they’re considering doing business with you. Having all of a customer’s relevant information centralized in one place is key to staying responsive and efficient. Seamless integration between both the front and

back ends of your business should be inherent in a well-designed CRM system. What does this mean for your organization? It ensures everyone is on the same page, which in turn, demonstrates to your customers you’re running a solid organization with their best interests being the priority.

DELIVER A CONSISTENT EXPERIENCE Every single interaction your customers have with your organization either builds or erodes trust. Don’t believe me? Think back to that call with [insert phone company/cable company/car dealership name here] when you wanted to reach through the phone and strangle the person on the other end out of sheer frustration, because you were told one thing by someone else, and now they’re tell ing you something completely different. How did that leave you feeling about that company? A negative experience with a company representative is bound to cloud your overall judgment of the organization as a whole. To help protect your brand, a well-designed and implemented CRM can not only help ensure con sistency, but it can tailor offerings based on informa tion on what your individual customers want. This includes understanding what your customers want in both the short and long term, which helps you train your people to deliver experiences that will keep your customers happy, and ultimately, enables you to use this to impact the products and services that you deliver. Carissa de la Vega LOCAL INDEPENDENT CERTIFIED CRM CONSULTANT OIL & GAS, AUTOMOTIVE, A&D, AND HIGHER EDUCATION INFO@CDLV.CA.

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WEIGHT LOSS

HOW ACTIVE

ARE YOU? BUTTERNUT SQUASH SOUP 0 POINTSPLUS PER CUP • 1 large onion, diced • 1 large butternut squash (peeled & cut into chunks) • 2 large apples, peeled & cut • 5 cups chicken broth • 1 tsp curry powder (heaping) Saute onion. Add broth, squash, apples and curry powder. Cook until all is soft. Puree after cooked. NOTE: BUTTERNUT SQUASH WILL PEEL EASIER IF SLIGHTLY COOKED FIRST IN MICROWAVE.

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It is a question I never asked myself 100 pounds ago. The problem when you are really large is you don’t have the energy or motivation to be active. It becomes a vicious cycle. The larger you get the less you move, and the less you move the larger you get. When I first joined Weight Watchers, I decided to gradually start moving more. I used to meet with a couple of girlfriends for coffee a few mornings a week. We decided we’d take our coffees and walk three times a week for one hour. I can remember whining and complaining the whole time. It was hard work for me at that weight and didn’t seem like a lot of fun. But I found as the weeks went on, we were walking further in that hour, and it was less difficult. Then, I decided to add something new. I had some Richard Simmon’s tapes gathering dust and decided to try them out. I loved them. He was fun, and I really enjoyed the music. For probably about 10 years, I did many of his tapes 6-7 days a week. I also walked with my husband, when weather permitted, 3-4 days a week. Then life happened, and my patella slid off my knee cap. I was told I had mild osteoarthritis in both

of my knees. I’m lucky it’s very mild, but the aerobic tapes were out. The side movements are too jarring on my knee. I did find a walking DVD I can work out to in front of my TV, and I am really enjoying it. My husband and I also continue to get out and walk at least 3 times a week. Most people overestimate the caloric benefits of activity. They think, “I’ll go for a brisk walk for an hour, and then I’ll go have a Blizzard at DQ and one will offset the other.” Then, they don’t know why they can’t lose weight. Eighty percent of weight loss is from what we put in our mouths and 20% is from activity. I think activity is good for my health. I have less aches and pains and have more energy on the days I’m active. If you’re not active at all, it’s important to start out small and set realistic goals. We seem to have this all or nothing thinking. If I can’t work out one hour a day, seven days a week, then I won’t work out at all. That’s crazy thinking. There was a study done a couple of years ago of people going to gyms. People who set a goal in January of 5 days a week for 1 hour a day were no longer going at the end of January. But those who set a goal of 3 days a week for 30 minutes a day were still going at the end of March. The key is baby steps. We also have to schedule activity. We schedule everything else. If you have noticed, I’ve also never used the word exercise. I prefer to use the word activity. It doesn’t have to be formal exercise. You burn more calories standing than sitting. It can be that simple. It has been said that sitting is the new smoking. What small changes can you make?

CURRIED MUSHROOM BARLEY SOUP 10-1CUP SERVINGS | 1 POINTSPLUS PER SERVING • 1 tsp oil • 2 carrots, diced • 1 large onion, diced • 1 pd mushrooms, diced • 1 tbsp ginger • 4 garlic cloves, minced • 7 cups broth • ½ cup barley • 1 ½ tsp curry powder • Salt & pepper to taste Heat oil. Cook onions, carrots, mushrooms, ginger, garlic, and spices until liquid is absorbed. Add remaining ingredients, bring to a boil, and simmer covered for at least 1 hour until barley is tender. Add more broth to make up to 10 cups.

Dianna Kerek WORDSTODIFOR.BLOGSPOT.COM

OilfieldPULSE | FEBRUARY 2015

MARKET PLACE

n the past few years, the oil and gas industry has been booming and creating an increased demand for both natural and manmade prop pants, such as ceramic beads and silica sand. Better known as “frac sand”, because it is most commonly used for hydraulic fracturing, silica sand is often the most cost-effective proppant choice and has become a growing industry in its own right. The increase in hydraulic fracturing, or “fracking”, has resulted in an explosive rise in silica sand production in the United States. Production rose more than 62% in just five years, increasing from 30.4 million tons in 2008 to 49.5 million tons is 2012. Likewise, the price of sand increased more than 45%, from $30.82 per ton to $44.78 per ton. While silica sand can be used for numerous applications, fracking is the largest use in the United States. About 57% of all silica sand pro duced goes to hydraulic fracturing applications. Fracking is currently used in 90% of the natural gas and oil wells in North America. Frac sand is mostly made up of silica quartz found in sandstone deposits around the country that have been extensively eroded. This produces rounded and spherical grains ideal for use as proppants. Frac sand is also very dense and hard, which enables it to withstand the intense pressures within the rock that would pulverize ordinary sand. In order to be used in hydraulic fracturing operations, frac sand must meet specific standards, which are set by the American Petroleum Institute (API). Good frac sand has high silica content, is spherical and rounded, and is capable of withstanding extremely high pressures without breaking apart. The API recognized several frac sand size gradations, but 20/40 and 30/50 are generally in the highest demand. Because frac sand must have less than one percent moisture, drying is an essential step in processing the material. A lower moisture content is also economical, as it reduces the amount of heat required in the drying process. Either a rotary dryer or a fluidized bed dryer can

THE BOOMING

FRAC SAND

MARKET

OilfieldPULSE | FEBRUARY 2015

be used to remove all moisture from the material. Fluidized bed dryers introduce hot air through a perforated plate to dry the product, and vibrator motors fluidize the sand for better drying. A rotary dryer, which is more commonly used, consists of a slightly inclined cylindrical shell. Lifts within the shell are used to cascade the material through the hot gas stream as it moves through the dryer. Once the sand is washed and dried, the grains are sorted by size, most ranging from 0.5 to 1 millimeter in width. The processed sand can obtain about $200 per ton after shipping to supply hydraulic fracturing sites across the U.S. Although oil and gas deposits cover vast areas of the country, the regions which most desperately need frac sand are mostly in North Dakota, Wyoming, Colorado, Texas, West Virginia, and Pennsylvania. The great distance between these states and those with frac sand deposits (e.g. Wisconsin, Minnesota) necessitates a vast network of transport junctions where freight can be easily moved from one transportation network to another. In Wisconsin, an area full of silica sand deposits, state officials estimate there are more than 100 permitted sand mines, loading facilities, and processing facilities. This is up from the five sand mines and five processing plants that were operating in 2010. These sand mines and processing facilities provide frac sand to oil and gas wells around the United States. On average, it takes 25 railcars of sand to fracture one well, which is approximately 10,000 tons of industrial silica sand. The demand for silica sand was so high in 2012 prices hit an average of $75 per metric ton. Between 2010 and 2011, sales of frac sand increased by 77%. Currently, the frac sand industry is valued at more than $1 billion in the U.S. alone. Worldwide Recycling Equipment Sales, LLC in Moberly, Missouri, can supply a full range of equipment to dry, sort, and move frac sand. Our new and used dryers are designed specifically to dry frac sand, which makes the material easy to transport, separate, and handle. We can size and build a dryer to best suit your specific project needs. In the past, we have designed and built plants for industry clients that process 40 and 80 tons per hour.

Our Vulcan® dryer systems consist of a correctly sized drum and a burner mounted to a combustion chamber. After passing through the dryer, the dried material is discharged to a transfer conveyor for further sorting and separation. The vapor from the process is pulled through a cyclone, specifically designed to deal with the fine frac sand, as well as a high-temperature baghouse, which removes all fine particulates from the vapor stream. All ductwork, cyclone, and other high-wear areas in the system have abrasive resistant plates to reduce lifetime wear and maintenance costs. All oversized material ore is removed from the feed stream by a Tuffman® Trommel Screen, which is placed in front of the feed conveyor. Tuffman®

Frac sand is mostly made up of silica quartz found in sandstone deposits around the country that have been extensively eroded

Heavy-Duty Conveyors transfer the material to and from the dryer system. Our conveyors can be cov ered to shelter the dried material from the elements. Worldwide Recycling Equipment Sales, LLC specializes in the remanufacture and reconditioning of used equipment by incorporating used compo nents into custom-designed solutions for specific applications like ASR. In addition to reconditioning, we also manufacture new dryer systems. Our services include set-up, commissioning, training, and maintenance support services over the lifetime of your project. The mining, processing, and shipping of frac sand has grown into a massive industry that could be called a new gold rush. Vulcan® Systems offers specialized equipment to dry and process frac sand, which allows companies to take advantage of this rapidly growing industry. OilfieldPULSE | FEBRUARY 2015

INSURANCE

DUCK &

COVERAGE HOW TO CONTROL INSURANCE

COSTS WITH THE SLIDING OIL PRICES

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he cyclical nature of the oil and gas indus try creates significant challenges, one of which is low equipment utilization espe cially during slow-downs. With decreasing oil prices and drilling activity, oilfield servicing is substantially impacted. For Alberta companies participating in the oil and gas industry, this means certain pieces of heavy equipment (which may still be insured but are no longer in operation) present an opportunity to recoup some overhead. So what do you do with equipment that’s not in use but still insured? Simple: change your insurance program to reflect the change in equipment usage. Equipment premiums are rated based on utilization (e.g. your company only pays for exposure. So if a piece of equipment was rated at

Your General Liability premium is based on revenue. If your revenue was forecasted based on trading at $100 a barrel but continues to trade significantly lower (e.g. $45 a barrel), you can adjust your premium. Remember for General Liability, you only pay for actual sales. In order to take advantage of adjusting your premium based on actual revenues, you have to make sure that policy is set up on an adjustable basis. Keep in mind with either scenario above, it’s important to make sure there are no minimum premium clauses that will erode your savings. Finally, if your company is seeking work in other countries, it’s key to check your commercial policy. Why? Insurance is different from country to country. Your current insurer

With decreasing oil prices and drilling activity, oilfield servicing is substantially impacted. For Albertan companies participating in the oil & gas industry, this means that certain pieces of heavy equipment present an opportunity to recoup some overhead.

$1 but now you’re only using it 85% of the time, it would now be rated at $0.85). During these periods when equipment is no longer in use and operating budgets are tight, this is an opportunity to recover some expenses by having your equipment rated. It’s a relatively simple process to review the policy. The most important factor is to ensure the minimum premium on your policy is low enough to allow you to benefit from low utilization or stacked equipment. Another important insurance consideration for idle equipment is your policies ‘Disaster Limit’ or ‘Catastrophe (Cat) Limit’. The Cat Limit is the most the insurer will pay for any one loss regardless of the total value insured. So when laying your equipment up in your yard, ensure you don’t exceed the Cat Limit or make sure the limit is adequate for your operations. The second aspect is General Liability rating.

may not have the ability to insure you abroad. For example, the country you’re planning to travel to for work may have specific local insurance requirements. So be aware of territorial limitations on your current policy, make sure you understand the insurance requirements of a new country, and consider new risks such as ‘Kidnap and Ransom.’ It’s important to keep your insurance broker in the loop, so they can work with you to make sure you’re benefitting from the cost-saving measures listed above.

Austen Lillies VICE PRESIDENT SALES ROGERS INSURANCE LTD. CA.LINKEDIN.COM/IN/ AUSTENLILLIES

OilfieldPULSE | FEBRUARY 2015

CHARITIES

ONE AIM CONQUER CANCER

OilfieldPULSE | FEBRUARY 2015

t’s the New Year, and that means it’s time for making those traditional promises to ourselves. Often, these “resolutions” revolve around some unrealistic, life-transforming change in habits. There is almost an unspoken acceptance that breaking those promises is perfectly acceptable, because well, that’s what happens to New Year’s Resolutions! What if this year could be different? What if this year you committed to something worthwhile, developed some new healthy habits, had great fun, and were supported by a diverse team of similarly–minded people? Does this sound too good to be true? This is not a pipe dream. This happens when you register for the Enbridge Ride to Conquer Cancer and join the One Aim team (www.oneaim.ca)!

Among the more than 100 riders on the One Aim team, you will find countless stories of lives that have been transformed by taking part in the Enbridge Ride to Conquer Cancer benefiting the Alberta Cancer Foundation and being part of the One Aim team. Every year we meet new people who are not yet cyclists but are just people who own a bike! Some have not even taken that step yet! But by the time we set off on The Ride in August, they are all riders and some even become full-blown cyclists! The Ride, and being part of the One Aim team, definitely changes lives. It can change YOUR life! Registering for The Ride is the first step. There is a registration fee of $75; although, sometimes they offer a reduced rate over the holidays. However, a bit like paying a gym membership, making that

small financial commitment can help persuade you to take the next step. Again, being part of a team is like having a training partner. It helps motivate you to turn up, because you feel in some way accountable to your team. The One Aim team has social, training, and fundraising events throughout the year. Once you meet your teammates and get involved with some social, fundraising, and training events, you will already have established a habit, so when the outdoor riding starts, you’ll feel ready and confident. Our outdoor riding season kicks-off on the first Tuesday of April. We start our weekend rides on the first Saturday in May, and by June, there are 3-4 rides per week to choose from. The best thing about our rides is we have a strict ‘no–drop’ policy. No one is too slow to ride with us. Someone will always

OilfieldPULSE | FEBRUARY 2015

CHARITIES be looking out for you. Our Tuesday and Thursday evenings both end with a drink and/or bite to eat at a nearby pub where we chat about the ride, laugh a lot, hatch new plans for fundraising, plan other rides, and generally have a very sociable weekly catch-up. “Once you’ve installed a ritual or a new habit, you don’t need to use any willpower!” said Robin Sharma. The Enbridge Ride to Conquer Cancer covers approximately 200km over two days. If that sounds daunting, in some ways, it’s kind of meant to! It is a challenge, but as they say, “If it doesn’t challenge you, it doesn’t change you.” Remember those New Year’s resolutions? Would you even call it one if you resolved to do something you do anyway? And would anyone sponsor you to do something they perceive to be easy? Accepting the challenge, registering for The Ride, and joining the One Aim team will change

In the six years since we started the One Aim Team, we have never had a rider not reach their minimum fundraising you. How do improved health, making great friends, and doing something for a great cause sound? Don’t think you can do it? You’ll never know if you don’t try. We have seen so many people surprise themselves. Matt Anderson first rode in the 2011 Ride, whilst undergoing treatment for leukemia. In November 2011, he had a bone marrow transplant but returned to The Ride in 2013. Completing The Ride that year was a personal challenge and a landmark in his recovery, and he has continued to ride each year to celebrate his recovery and his future with his family. Matt’s story is just one example of the positive benefits of The Ride and the One Aim team. The impact on others comes in many different forms. Sean Dunnigan lost his wife, Jennifer Gardiner (“Jen Unplugged”), to colorectal cancer in 2014. He has ridden the last three years and would describe himself as a reluctant cyclist. But each year, he

OilfieldPULSE | FEBRUARY 2015

battles through, because it is his way of being able to fight back against a disease that has taken so much from him. Jennie Brade found out she had breast cancer, whilst taking her mother to an appointment for her own cancer treatment. Now, both of them will be riding in 2015! Equally, there are many riders who just want to get fit, meet people, and do something awesome! So, what is the hardest part? For some riders, the riding is the tough bit; for others, the fundraising is more intimidating. However, the One Aim team supports all our members to reach their riding and fundraising goals. In the same way that it is easier to ride with company, it is much easier to fundraise with support! In the six years since we started the One Aim team, we have never had a rider not reach their minimum fundraising (as long as they have engaged with the team). Our team mantra is we are a team for “all shapes, all sizes, and all ages”. These attributes are obviously particularly relevant to people’s riding abilities, but we are equally diverse when it comes to

fundraising capacity. But yet again, we are a team, and we help our teammates. The year 2015 is going to be the biggest year yet for the Enbridge Ride to Conquer Cancer and the One Aim team. More team members, more events, and more funds will be raised for the Alberta Cancer Foundation. And, more FUN! So, you could try and make a “wish list” of resolutions that will most likely be quickly forgotten or you could do one thing: register for the Enbridge Ride to Conquer Cancer. And from that, all of the others will take care of themselves. Register for 2015 and join us! You won’t regret it, and it just might change your life! Nigel Brockton, PhD. RESEARCH SCIENTIST MOLECULAR CANCER EPIDEMIOLOGY CANCER EPIDEMIOLOGY & PREVENTION RESEARCH CANCERCONTROL ALBERTA, ALBERTA HEALTH SERVICES

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Better manage and reduce expenses surrounding the sourcing and life cycle management of your services, supplies, and rentals. Improve the collaboration and communication within your company and between you and your suppliers. Oilfield HUB addresses your productivity challenges as a strategic component of your operations, all within a single web based tool.

WWW.OILFIELDHUB.COM

403.537.6560/TOLL-FREE 1.866.883.8848 | SALES@LEADSTONEGROUP.COM

OilfieldPULSE | FEBRUARY 2015

ALTERNATIVE HEALTH

TEAS - TISANES DO THERAPEUTIC HERBAL TEAS/EXPECTORANT TISANES HAVE A PLACE IN HEALTH CARE?

erbal teas, known as tisanes, have a long history and are very different from what we call a tea. Herb tea is not a tea since tea is made from the leaves of Camellia sinensis. Instead, tisanes contain fresh or dried flowers, leaves, bark, fruits, or seeds of medicinal herbs that are steeped in boiling or cold water and claim to provide a potential health benefit. Some of these benefits are backed by scientific evidence whereas others are based on a long traditional use. The latter may be a claimed benefit based on how an ancient

OilfieldPULSE | FEBRUARY 2015

culture (e.g., Greece or Roman) treated a medical condition. Some tisanes are designed to offer a pleasant taste as they also contain â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;non-medicinalâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; herbal ingredients that provide a distinct flavour. Tisanes are sold both in retail stores (including availability via web-based stores) and in clinics. There are some products that are preferred by health clinics, because they have an established quality and provide therapeutic benefits to their patients. Tisanes are under-utilized in health care because many view them purely as a socializing type drink.

Tisanes are one of several ancient methods of preparing medicinal plants for therapeutic use. In fact, this method of administering herbal ingredients to patients is one of the oldest and has proven to be successful over time. The caveat is the active ingredients of the herbal material must be water soluble. These ‘water soluble’ remedies have been elucidated over the centuries. In ancient time, the dried herbal ingredient could easily be stored by the practitioner and they could prescribe a blend of in gredients to treat a specific condition. The amount of herbal material would be adjusted as per the desired dose, and the patient could be instructed to consume the tisane at fixed intervals (e.g., twice a day 30 minutes before meals). Basically, the ancient version of what we call today pharmaceutical formu lations and prescriptions.

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Tisanes can be used as expectorants to help relieve the symptoms of bronchitis and catarrhs of the upper respiratory tract. Get your complimentary subscription of Oilfield PULSE courtesy of Pinnacle Drilling Fluids Ltd. Modern medicine struggles with the dilemma of how to treat uncomplicated cases of the common cold. The common cold, or upper respiratory tract infection, is one of the leading reasons for consulting a physician or naturopathic practitioner. The common cold is caused by viruses and usually treated symptomatically. Antibiotics are not effective in an uncomplicated upper respiratory tract infection. Often prescribing antibiotics is not clinically justified, but there are not many effective and safe alternatives to help treat the symptoms. Herbal tisanes can be used to help manage the symptoms of the common cold. Generally, tisanes, just like many herbal remedies, have been ignored by modern medicine because of the purported lack of clinical evidence despite the centuries of use by physicians.

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ALTERNATIVE HEALTH Tisanes can be used as expectorants to help relieve the symptoms of bronchitis and catarrhs of the upper respiratory tract. This includes catarrhs due to colds or allergies. One very effective tisane is a mixture of Eucalyptus globules (leaf), Blue mallow flower (Malva sylvestre), and Thyme leaf (Thymus vulgaris). A tisane (infusion) is made by steeping 1.5 to 2.5 grams of the blend in 1 cup of boiling water for 5 minutes. Benefits generally begin 30 minutes to 1 hour after consumption. Malva is one of the oldest medicinal plants in the world. It was used in tisanes (infusions) in China more than five thousand years ago and employed by Greek and Roman physicians to treat internal and external disorders. It kept its reputation as a “cure-all” treatment throughout the Middle Ages, and like all mallows, it was well known for its soothing qualities. It is commonly used for irritation of the oral and pharyngeal mucosa, dry cough, sore throat, bronchitis, and as an astringent for gastroenteritis. Thyme has also been used medicinally for thousands of years based on its antimicrobial, antitussive, and spasmolytic activities. One of its

ingredients, thymol, is a well known antiseptic. In conditions, such as bronchitis, the herb demonstrated spasmolytic properties. When we hear the name Eucalyptus we usually think about the essential oil. Tisanes are made using the leaf which contains some of the same ingredients as the essential oil but at less irritating dose levels. Eucalyptus was traditionally used as a decongestant and expectorant to treat upper respiratory tract infections or inflammation, such as those caused by the common cold, nasal congestion, bronchial disease, etc. The medicinal ingredients of this herb also have antibacterial properties. This type of herbal tisane can be part of an effective therapy in managing the symptoms of upper respira tory tract infections or allergies. Dose and product quality are critical elements for a successful treatment. There are numerous brands on the market, so talk to your local health care practitioner if you want to know which ones have a good reputation for making quality infusions. The quality of a product is important as it is intimately tied to the safety and efficacy of a product. Bottom line, herbal tisanes have a long history of use and have proven their effectiveness over the centuries. This type of remedy is an interesting option for consuming herbs safely and effectively. They can be used as part of a treatment strategy in the management of the common cold or allergies or simply as part of a preventive therapy. An effective expectorant tisane can be made to help relieve the symptoms of bronchitis and catarrhs of the upper respiratory tract from a mixture of Eucalyptus globules (leaf), Blue mallow flower (Malva sylvestre), and Thyme leaf (Thymus vulgaris). As with all herbal remedies, consult your pharmacist about any potential drug-herb interactions prior to taking any herbal remedies. Also, let your health care professional know what products you are taking, so they can adequately monitor your health condition and any potential risks associated with the remedies. By Guy Chamberland, M.SC., PH.D., MASTER HERBALIST, HEALTH PRODUCT CONSULTANT CONTACT HIM AT GUYCHAMBERLANDMASTERHERBALIST@LIVE.CA.

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