Episode Transcript
[00:00:23] Speaker A: Welcome to south Florida and the Keys.
[00:00:27] Speaker B: Everywhere.
[00:00:28] Speaker A: And there's also the little lizards. Have you seen those running around everywhere? Like when I lived in Minnesota, we had squirrels running around everywhere. Here you got lizards. First time I moved here to Florida, I'm like, what is that?
[00:00:39] Speaker B: Back home it's like you can tell when it's a deer crossing. And every now and then you'll see one that didn't make it quite across here. It seems like it's iguanas.
[00:00:49] Speaker A: How many did you hit on the way down?
[00:00:50] Speaker B: I didn't hit him. He was stunned from the car in front of me.
[00:00:54] Speaker A: You just finished the project.
[00:00:55] Speaker B: No, I didn't hit him. I straddled him.
[00:00:57] Speaker A: Okay.
[00:00:58] Speaker C: Allegedly.
[00:00:59] Speaker A: Allegedly.
[00:01:00] Speaker B: Ashley, she's between my two tires.
[00:01:03] Speaker A: Thank you for joining us down here.
[00:01:04] Speaker B: I'm excited. It's starting to. People are starting to trickle in.
[00:01:08] Speaker A: Well, they are. They the vendors. We were talking about them. Well, we should say we are in Key Largo. Famous, infamous Key Largo at the Ocean Reef Club, which I here is the creme de la creme of the island. It is, it is, it is hoity toity here.
[00:01:24] Speaker B: It is very fancy.
[00:01:25] Speaker A: There are some nice little rowboats out there.
[00:01:27] Speaker B: If you know they're not row boats.
[00:01:29] Speaker A: Those things are like, I mean they are huge. They are ocean going vessels. Very much so personal.
[00:01:35] Speaker B: So yeah, they're beautiful though. Yeah, they're very beautiful and the property is very beautiful.
[00:01:41] Speaker A: It is, yes. It is very nice.
[00:01:43] Speaker B: So. But we're kicking off the meet the.
[00:01:46] Speaker A: Operators for FIFA Symposium 2024, 35th anniversary, I heard started in 1989. I was talking to a few of the folks this morning and I was two. Yeah, got it.
[00:01:59] Speaker B: Two years old.
[00:02:00] Speaker A: Oh, geez.
[00:02:02] Speaker B: All right, let's.
[00:02:04] Speaker A: Let's just keep going. I think I was in rehab for my first time in 1989.
[00:02:10] Speaker B: So.
[00:02:11] Speaker A: No, only did it once. You only quit once. And we just celebrated 13 years sobriety last week.
[00:02:18] Speaker B: So yeah, this is water in his.
[00:02:21] Speaker A: Stanley, it's always water. So. But FIFA though, Florida Energy Pipeline Association, I've been involved with them back to my Texas days when we were doing a lot of LNG and CNG projects here in Florida. And they do a lot. There's 4,000 miles of pipeline in the state of Florida and so there's a lot to learn here.
[00:02:43] Speaker B: I'm excited to hear some best practices on hurricane season and how to manage and keep going. I'm just, I'm. I'm anxious to hear what it's like to operate pipelines down here. Through different circumstances than what we have in other parts of the country.
[00:03:02] Speaker A: Yeah, no, I think it's going to be some great messages we'll be able to bring back because again, when we start to really dive into this, when we're looking at different parts of the country, if we're up in Minnesota, they're very concerned with frost and freezing and all those things. Now down here we have hurricanes, we have corrosion, you know, we have a lot of salt. Salt water.
We have, you know, just a whole bunch of, as I. As we like to say, AOCs that I think we can learn from.
[00:03:27] Speaker B: Absolutely.
[00:03:28] Speaker A: And can be applicable for other folks around the country and definitely of interest.
So. Yeah.
So you ready?
[00:03:37] Speaker B: I think so. I'm ready to jump. Jump start, get going. It looks like people are starting to come in.
[00:03:42] Speaker A: So for Meet the Operator.
[00:03:44] Speaker B: Right.
[00:03:44] Speaker A: We should talk about that real quick.
[00:03:46] Speaker B: My understanding is something like a speed dating round, but for the operator vendor situation.
[00:03:52] Speaker A: Yep, yep. So FIFA has really brought the idea of we could spend three days here trying to meet the operator that you want to talk to and such. And in this case, they've actually broken it up into the three days, day one, two and three. Now is day one. So vendors have been picked at random or however it's done. So they'll. Everybody gets to spend 10 minutes with an operator, one on one and having those discussions and then they'll move on, move on. But then the rest of the week, once you've met that operator or that person, then it's a lot easier to have those conversations and those knowledge sharing. So there's lots of networking, knowledge sharing, and we're going to be part taking in that too, so.
[00:04:31] Speaker B: Nice. Hope we get some operators sitting right here with us.
[00:04:34] Speaker A: Oh, I think we will. Yeah, I think we will. All right. There's a pretty good chance. I already talked to two this morning.
[00:04:38] Speaker B: Nice.
[00:04:39] Speaker A: Yeah.
[00:04:39] Speaker B: All right, well, thank you for having me.
[00:04:41] Speaker A: Thank you for coming down. Always.
[00:04:43] Speaker B: All right, well, we're going to get started.
[00:04:44] Speaker A: All right.
[00:04:47] Speaker B: Okay. We're good now.
[00:04:48] Speaker C: And we haven't been introduced.
[00:04:49] Speaker A: I apologize.
[00:04:50] Speaker C: Ashley, I'm Rob Wilson. Nice to meet you.
[00:04:52] Speaker A: Yeah, I apologize. Ashley is our producer, so she makes it all work.
[00:04:58] Speaker C: All right.
[00:04:59] Speaker A: Because trust. Well, James also makes it work too, but with me, I need wrangling at times, so that's what.
[00:05:07] Speaker C: That's what Ashley does.
[00:05:08] Speaker B: I occasionally get tagged in to record.
[00:05:10] Speaker C: I have Tina, so that helps me, I tell you.
[00:05:13] Speaker B: Tina, you're on Tina time.
[00:05:16] Speaker A: Oh, yeah, yeah.
[00:05:17] Speaker B: Everybody's on Tina time. Ready to go.
[00:05:19] Speaker A: My Friends, whenever Rob is ready.
All right.
[00:05:23] Speaker B: Rob stays ready.
[00:05:26] Speaker A: Rob is on point all day long.
I mean, he is running around all the time. So, Rob, before we get going, would you please introduce yourself and give a little explanation of to you who you are and your involvement with FIFA.
[00:05:43] Speaker C: All right. Rob Wilson, President, Wilson Associates. We're an association management government affairs firm. Our book is anchored in energy, and this has been a client of ours for 20 years. The Florida Energy Pipeline association, all the largest pipelines that serve the state, natural gas and petroleum products are in the room and in the group and right now walking around and talking with pipeline services companies. Yeah, and we.
[00:06:10] Speaker A: And we've been calling it the speed dating time because it's. But that's a joke. But it's really meet the operators and it really gives. Over the three days, the vendors and associates dedicated time to actually go one to one and meet and spend some time with the operators.
There's.
[00:06:27] Speaker C: Yeah, there's two conversations that take place in this organization as we visit about among the operators, it's safety security of their system. We talked about it. They're in the reliability business. So that's their focus. That's their touchstone. That's where they spend their time in the business development part of that conversation with the pipeline services companies, we're trying to create relationships and help people establish a book of business on a pipe or grow a book that they already have on a pipeline. So we have. This format evolved when we were relatively small. When we started, less than 30 companies were in the group. And as it got bigger and people came to our meetings, they began to look at name tags and want to meet somebody. So they're trying to make a cold introduction. And the operators were the ones who said, like, when people invest money to come to these meetings of ours and they want to register and pay that fee, an exhibitor fee, hotel, all that goes with traveling to an event like this. They shouldn't come and go away and not met the person they wanted to meet. So we're going to meet them. And that's how this all started with meet the operators and spending some time with them and going to them. All the people that they decide to attend, going to them and having that conversation about what are the services you provide and, you know, how can it benefit our system that we operate? And it really did. It helped the organization. It began to grow then exponentially from there. I think there's about 130, 135 companies in the group now.
[00:07:54] Speaker A: Wow, that's phenomenal.
[00:07:55] Speaker B: It Makes it very intentional.
[00:07:56] Speaker A: Right.
[00:07:57] Speaker B: Like, and then packaging it up with a beautiful location like this and being able to do some other networking events. But it makes this time very intentional and a good purpose.
[00:08:06] Speaker C: So I love.
There's a genuine respect for the pipeline services companies that are participating in this event that support their industry, and that really makes a difference. I mean, we've all gone to advance and exhibited our own firms. Right. And you go. And sometimes you can get lost in there. You can't find the people that you want to talk to and make that connection. And all that really happens is people come by your booth and ate your candy.
[00:08:31] Speaker A: Right, right.
[00:08:31] Speaker C: That kind of thing. That doesn't happen here. That's not what this is about. If you look around, we turn these tables over and over and over. So if you look around, it was hard for us to get a vendor exhibitor to understand. You don't have to bring all that, all the backdrop with you, and brochures. It's about a conversation you're going to have with a customer. Bring your business cards, there's a couple of chairs, and all you want to do is talk about your services and how you can help them and how you know how to benefit them. And so you can see as you go around the room, as we've been doing this for a number of years now, people got more and more sophisticated and familiar with how this works, and they started to lose a lot of that stuff they haul with them to come to an exhibit, you know?
[00:09:13] Speaker B: Yeah, I love it. I think it's a great concept.
[00:09:16] Speaker C: I think it worked out well for us.
[00:09:17] Speaker A: I think it's great. And I think we've seen the fruits of the labor, so to speak, all throughout the conference. Because with everything going on, you're always seeing a lot of those hallway meetings going on where people may have connected here and they're continuing that conversation out the hallway. Or some folks are going out to dinner at night and, you know, really, really leaning into the time that they can spend with other folks here. And it's phenomenal.
[00:09:39] Speaker C: We get it. We get it a lot. We get what we get a lot from these. From these exhibitors is nobody treats us like this, the way you treat us here. You know, he puts us in the. It makes us a priority, like you make us a priority.
[00:09:51] Speaker A: Yeah.
[00:09:52] Speaker C: And it's true. There's no strangers at an FEPA event. Nobody should go away from here and not have met the person they wanted to meet with and engaged with. And the fact that you're here with this now is very meaningful for us as well. I mean, this is really special to have you here and allow them to come and talk about their firms and all the good things they do and all the good things that happen in the industry and the connections we all make. I mean, this has been a nice addition to it, and I hope we do it again, you know, future years. But they keep adding to it, so.
[00:10:21] Speaker A: We'Ve had a great time. Yeah, we. And it's not even over yet, but we've had a phenomenal time, and we've.
[00:10:26] Speaker B: Learned a lot, and, yes, we've had some great conversations, and I feel like I'm walking away from more knowledgeable. Yeah, definitely.
[00:10:32] Speaker A: Yeah. Yeah.
[00:10:33] Speaker C: Well, thank you.
[00:10:34] Speaker B: Appreciate you having.
[00:10:35] Speaker A: Thank you.
[00:10:36] Speaker C: Thanks, Jim.
[00:10:36] Speaker A: Absolutely.
[00:10:37] Speaker B: Rob, thank you so much. And it was very nice to meet you.
[00:10:40] Speaker A: Y.
[00:10:40] Speaker D: All right.
[00:10:41] Speaker B: Thank you. We'll be back.
[00:10:42] Speaker A: We'll be back.
Hey, we have the vice chair. We have the vice chair with us.
[00:10:48] Speaker E: Yes, yes.
[00:10:49] Speaker B: Vice chair.
[00:10:50] Speaker E: Vice chair.
[00:10:51] Speaker A: A FIFA.
[00:10:51] Speaker B: A FIFA, yes.
[00:10:53] Speaker E: So that sounds. You asked about the golf course. Yes, yes.
The front was not very good to me because then I figured out how to hit the course.
[00:11:03] Speaker A: Yeah.
[00:11:03] Speaker E: And then I started doing very well. So it was the back nine. Did very well.
[00:11:08] Speaker A: You know what, though? I'm. They'll say this a repetition and practice when you're golfing is an important part.
[00:11:13] Speaker E: Yeah.
[00:11:14] Speaker A: I spent one time, many years back, I spent 12 or 13 days out in Mexico at a place where we golfed once or twice a day. And by the end, day 12, 11, you know, though, I was, like, on fire. I got back, I didn't play for two or three months and went right back to where I was.
[00:11:30] Speaker E: And you were expecting to be where you were. I was like, I got this.
[00:11:34] Speaker A: I know my brain said it, but the ball, when it, like, dribbled right over there, I'm like, okay, that's.
[00:11:39] Speaker B: That never happens for me at putt putt. It never.
[00:11:44] Speaker A: That's the other reason why I like topgolf is because wherever you hit it, it doesn't matter. Yeah, it doesn't matter.
[00:11:49] Speaker B: It'll hit something.
[00:11:50] Speaker E: But you. The other one that you need to try. Pop stroke.
[00:11:53] Speaker B: I have heard that we have one in the DFW area. Have you ever done the. Well, I know it's putt putt. It's not. But puttery. The puttery. So there's one in the DFW area, and it's indoor, but after, like. So like, on the weekends, it's just 18 and up, and they have like, waiters and waitresses will come around, serve you drinks. But every. It's like every course is like once the library, and so you're putting through books and it's like, very themed.
[00:12:16] Speaker E: So Tiger woods is pop stroke.
[00:12:18] Speaker B: Yeah, Pop stroke. Oh, yeah. It's very nice.
[00:12:20] Speaker E: It's very nice.
[00:12:21] Speaker B: Yeah. That's the one James took his family to, and he was all about it. There's one in the colony in Texas. All right, so where you're based out of? Florida?
[00:12:28] Speaker E: Tampa.
[00:12:29] Speaker B: Okay.
[00:12:29] Speaker A: Let's get on track.
[00:12:30] Speaker B: Yeah. I'm sorry.
[00:12:31] Speaker A: Please.
[00:12:32] Speaker B: Well, you started.
[00:12:33] Speaker E: Yeah, I know.
[00:12:33] Speaker A: Was it me?
[00:12:34] Speaker B: We're on Tina time. Y'all better come on.
[00:12:36] Speaker C: That's true.
[00:12:36] Speaker A: Okay, before we get too farther into, would you please introduce yourself who you're with?
[00:12:41] Speaker E: Okay.
[00:12:41] Speaker A: What you do and the value that you bring to the pipeline industry. How's that? Just to start things off, but remember we said this morning we're gonna have a very conversational.
[00:12:50] Speaker E: Yes. So I'm Chad Calloway. I'm the director of corporate engineering at and technical services at Teco People's Gas.
And been with Teco now two years. It'll be two years in August, and before that, it has been midstream. So I've always done midstream oil and gas. Texas, Montana, Colorado, Rockies, regions everywhere across the US everywhere.
[00:13:18] Speaker A: The world is small town. Tim O'Connor is a good friend of mine. Does something over there with Teeka. I don't know what you do, Tim.
VP of Operations. I know, Sam. I'm just messing with you. Hey, you know, we are talking to a lot of folks here, and Tina and FIFA have asked us to really hone in on the safety aspect because safety is really first and foremost with anything and everything that we do. Any comments that you want to talk about on the safety aspect? Because we've heard we don't want to lead you. We've had people talk about all different things, and the stage is yours for safety topics.
[00:13:52] Speaker E: So I know, like, when I hear about safety, I've listened to the first kind of conversation about safety. And when I hear safety is a priority, I come from the school where priorities change.
I come from the side of safety is a value. Values never change. So even if I'm not there because I'm in another meeting, I still value safety even though I'm not in a safety meeting, because I have a different priority. So I look at it and say, I look at safety as a value. And we do that no matter what the priority is. So values always carry integrity Is a value. I don't prioritize integrity. It's a value I have.
[00:14:32] Speaker B: Sure.
[00:14:32] Speaker E: Ethics, you know, it's a value I have. It's not a priority. So safety is just one of those other values that I carry. And I try to preach to our teams of it's a value. You don't have to say it's a priority because no matter what you're doing, if safety is a priority, then we shouldn't be in the oil and gas business. You know, that's safety. Taking that away, you get away from it. But if it's a value and you're treating it like a value, you can.
[00:14:57] Speaker A: Manage it, then that's a great aspect.
[00:14:59] Speaker B: Very, very true.
[00:15:00] Speaker A: Absolutely great aspect. Let's hone in on a thing that's very near and dear to our hearts here in Florida. Hurricane season.
[00:15:08] Speaker E: Yes.
[00:15:09] Speaker A: We know that. That is something that we live with. A lot of the rest of the states. A lot of states do are affected by potential hurricanes. A lot of them are not. But the amount of that I see of pre planning that goes into the hurricane season is intense. Whether it's people, you know, residents and such like that. Buildings, commercial buildings, but also our world, you know, infrastructure.
[00:15:32] Speaker E: Yes.
[00:15:33] Speaker A: What's your. What all is Tico and. Or what are you seeing as far as the prep as well as then afterwards, gosh, forbid there should be a hurricane that hits us. The mutual aid aspect, because that's really key to our world.
[00:15:45] Speaker E: It is. And I, I mean, from it, I have the engineering side. So it's a lot of reactive, you know, okay, it hit Fort Myers, you know, Ian hit Fort Myers. Okay. With this modeling show. What does everything look like? So we can then start looking at that and saying what do we need to do to make adjustments? But prior to that, we are having, you know, if a hurricane is tracking towards any of our assets, we start having meetings five days out, three days, you know, every day making sure that we're going through our checklist, making sure that everyone understands their roles and responsibilities. But it's not just also work, but it's also our families.
[00:16:21] Speaker A: Yeah.
[00:16:21] Speaker E: It's not just saying, okay, here's what you have for work, but are you getting your families in order. Do you have time to make sure that they're in order? Because we want the family to be just as protected. Yeah, but we don't want.
When the hurricane passes, we want to be able to make sure our family's safe so we can come back to work and make sure all the other customers have that ability to get back up and running very quickly. And then on the back side, we have meetings. Depending on how bad it hits and where it hits, where our assets are, we'll start having meetings, you know, morning and night, and in between, you know, smaller groups that we can then start saying, what do you need? How can we help?
[00:17:02] Speaker A: Sure.
[00:17:03] Speaker E: So, and then mutual aid. I mean, we have great mutual aid across the state. So if we do need help, you know, we have other LDCs, any transmission companies that will definitely step up and help us, just like we would do today, you know, if their assets would change.
[00:17:21] Speaker B: We're on Tina time, and I think we might be about to the end of it.
[00:17:24] Speaker A: So we could talk for hours.
[00:17:26] Speaker E: Yes, yes.
[00:17:26] Speaker A: Thank you so much for taking the time. This is really great.
[00:17:29] Speaker E: No problem.
[00:17:29] Speaker B: It was very nice to meet you. Thank you. Ashley.
[00:17:32] Speaker E: I know.
[00:17:33] Speaker B: Just Ashley, just like pumping people through here.
[00:17:36] Speaker A: But it's been.
[00:17:36] Speaker B: It's been good.
[00:17:37] Speaker A: Yeah, this has been very good.
[00:17:39] Speaker B: Very happy to be here. So perfect. All right, well, thank you. We'll be back.
[00:17:44] Speaker A: I actually tell a little origin story here.
[00:17:46] Speaker B: Well, I can't wait for that.
[00:17:48] Speaker A: Can I tell that story?
[00:17:49] Speaker D: Absolutely.
[00:17:50] Speaker A: So I think it was 20, 19, maybe 20.
There's a few years ago 18.
[00:17:58] Speaker D: I think it was 18.
[00:17:59] Speaker A: 18 when we were in Callahan, outside of Jackson.
[00:18:02] Speaker D: Yeah.
[00:18:02] Speaker A: Jacksonville.
[00:18:03] Speaker D: Yeah, the scar guard.
[00:18:04] Speaker A: Scar guard. So all of a sudden my wife, though, says, hey, I gotta go up and see a friend of mine give a little on the right away scar guard a wrap composite wrap around a pipe because they're doing some HDD horizontal directional drilling. And she's like, you want to come with? I'm like, sure, I'll come with. She's like, actually, I could use a helper, you know, and she's an expert in it. You know, she's there. So we, you know, we go by the office and everything and. And we're talking and everything and, you know, getting ready. But the day before, she was like, she's like, okay, when we wrap this thing that we are going to be on point. She's like 50 overlap. You know, you have to have it taught. Not too taut, not too loose and whatever. So for two days I was walking around going like this. I'm like, okay, it's a 16 inch pipe. 12 inch.
I'm like, okay. And she just kept looking me, just kept letting me go. We're literally, I think, in your office and we're walking in. She goes, oh, hey, by the way, I'm the lead. So I go over the Pipe. So you have to go under it. So for the all two days, I was going like this. I'm like, wait a minute, I have to do what? And I was on the site and. But it worked out well. Yes, I was actually. I was on one of your. Right aways.
[00:19:10] Speaker D: Yes, you were.
[00:19:11] Speaker B: Well, before we get too far.
[00:19:13] Speaker A: Oh, I'm sorry. Yes.
[00:19:14] Speaker B: If you don't mind introducing yourself and who you're with.
[00:19:16] Speaker D: Sure. I'm John Burke. I'm manager of construction for Chesapeake Utilities.
[00:19:20] Speaker B: Okay.
[00:19:21] Speaker D: So I cover all business units under the umbrella. So I cover Florida, Ohio, Maryland, and Delaware.
[00:19:26] Speaker B: A little bit everywhere.
[00:19:27] Speaker D: A little bit everywhere.
[00:19:28] Speaker B: All right. And you're based out of where?
[00:19:30] Speaker D: I'm based out of Florida. So I live in Jupiter, Florida. So just up the road.
[00:19:33] Speaker B: Nice. All right.
[00:19:34] Speaker A: Yeah. So actually, an old friend of mine, when I heard that we were coming to FIFA, I was like, I hope. And I looked at. I'm like, well, yeah, I'm gonna see John. Yeah, absolutely.
[00:19:42] Speaker D: Man, this is great. Appreciate you having me on.
[00:19:44] Speaker B: Have you been coming to these events?
[00:19:45] Speaker D: Yeah, I've been on the board about eight years now.
[00:19:47] Speaker B: Oh, we have a board member here.
[00:19:50] Speaker A: Dod.
[00:19:50] Speaker D: Yeah.
[00:19:51] Speaker E: Yeah.
[00:19:52] Speaker D: Pretty important.
[00:19:55] Speaker A: Okay. All right.
[00:19:56] Speaker D: Not to brag or anything, but I'm a sponsor too.
[00:19:59] Speaker B: Okay.
[00:20:00] Speaker A: I think with that. That's enough for this one.
[00:20:02] Speaker C: Yeah.
[00:20:06] Speaker A: John, listen, we've had some great conversations here over the last. This is day three, and we've been talking everything from safety to hurricane preparedness to hurricane recovery, to also to nuances or uniqueness about putting pipe in Florida because we have swamps, we have salt water, we have a lot of corrosion, and church like that.
And really, the. The conversations have been robust with your expertise. Again, when you're handling different states, too, in your world, you know that things are different in Ohio than they are in Florida. So is that a lot of. I don't want to say pressure, but is that a lot of nuances for you and your teams to be aware of?
[00:20:45] Speaker D: It is. I mean, because like you said, it's different everywhere. Our biggest challenge, permitting, you know, the agencies are getting longer and longer now, you know, especially environmental.
[00:20:53] Speaker A: Yep.
[00:20:54] Speaker D: Armory Corps is one to get involved in everything, so.
[00:20:57] Speaker A: Oh, yeah.
[00:20:57] Speaker D: Now. So that just lengthens the process. So, I mean, my. Probably my biggest struggle or nuance is trying to keep up with every. Like, Ohio is this Delaware, is this Maryland's that Florida's like this. When we're estimating and trying to build out the project timeline, it's like, wait, no, this time frame for Delaware, this for Florida, So. But.
[00:21:19] Speaker A: And I would imagine, too, that with the. The big population boom in Florida, where subdivisions and communities are going up left and right, the need for you folks to extend and move and put in new lines is probably been intense, too.
[00:21:36] Speaker D: Yeah, it really is. I mean, the. Like you said, it's growing rapidly. You know, one of my areas, Fort St. Lucie. I mean, I think in March, we did 250 residential services in one month.
[00:21:47] Speaker F: Yeah.
[00:21:48] Speaker D: So, you know, just, you know, trying to keep up, you know, having good relationships with our material vendors that keep the material coming in, too.
[00:21:56] Speaker B: Is 201 month.
[00:21:58] Speaker D: Yes, ma'am.
[00:21:59] Speaker C: Yeah.
[00:22:00] Speaker D: Yeah.
[00:22:00] Speaker A: That's intense.
[00:22:01] Speaker B: Yeah, it is intense.
[00:22:04] Speaker A: I think we still got time with John, because I think we weren't at the Belt.
[00:22:07] Speaker D: Yeah, no, we're fine. We got all kinds of time. I'm a board member. I can make my own rules.
[00:22:11] Speaker A: This is what I like.
[00:22:13] Speaker D: Tina. Hear that?
[00:22:14] Speaker B: We are on Tina time.
[00:22:15] Speaker D: I know. Let me tell you about Tina. She's like a pit bull, and she's on me all the time, Ally, because, you know, I'm like an outlaw. You know.
[00:22:24] Speaker B: We appreciate Tina, though. She's the best in line.
[00:22:27] Speaker D: She is the best. She's awesome to work with. Work for what? However you want to put it. Right. But. Yeah, yeah, but she goes. She like, identified me as the problem child.
[00:22:36] Speaker B: Oh, really?
[00:22:36] Speaker A: Yeah.
[00:22:36] Speaker D: I'm the problem child on the board now.
[00:22:38] Speaker A: I. Why would I. Not even doubt that at all. So. But that's, you know, but that. That probably comes through a good amount of love and affection and respect. You're talking about you, Tina.
[00:22:50] Speaker D: Absolutely.
[00:22:51] Speaker A: So.
[00:22:52] Speaker B: So do you know, you may know, you may not, but how long have we've been doing the speeding type environment? Has that been always a FEA thing or. It has. Okay.
[00:23:01] Speaker D: Yeah. So the entire eight years I've been involved, we've done it. I think my first year, we only have like 10 tables or 10 booths, and now we're like 60 plus, and we're turning people down.
[00:23:10] Speaker B: Really? You're having to turn people away.
[00:23:12] Speaker D: Right. Just because it's very high demand.
[00:23:15] Speaker A: And. And the aspect of it is really cool, the feedback we're getting from the folks. So where they get to spend some time with people like yourself and at least build that relationship or get that introduction where when you see him in the hallway or all those networking conversations that happen outside of this room continue on.
[00:23:31] Speaker D: Right.
[00:23:32] Speaker A: So it really is quality time.
[00:23:33] Speaker D: No, absolutely. And it's such, like. It's such a. Like a closed family knit business, and it's so big, too.
[00:23:39] Speaker A: Yeah.
[00:23:39] Speaker D: And my wife jokes all the time because we can go anywhere and I know somebody.
[00:23:43] Speaker A: Oh, yeah?
[00:23:43] Speaker D: Yeah, yeah. You know, and she's like, how do you know all these people? And I'm like, this is the industry I'm in.
[00:23:48] Speaker B: Yeah.
[00:23:48] Speaker D: You know, talking to people. You like, you guys and the rest of the board and, you know.
[00:23:52] Speaker A: Yeah.
[00:23:52] Speaker D: Underground contractors, you know, the whole nine. And it's like, so it can't go anywhere. And I'm like, hey, man.
[00:23:58] Speaker A: Yeah, we'll get you a beer.
[00:23:59] Speaker B: I talk about that all the time. It's like, it's big business wise. Like, it's everywhere but. Such a small family.
[00:24:05] Speaker D: Yeah, it is.
[00:24:06] Speaker A: Yeah. Very. What's the word we're looking for? Very intimate, meaning that everybody knows each other. And again, it's. It's across the nation too, right?
[00:24:14] Speaker D: Yeah.
[00:24:14] Speaker A: I mean, it is phenomenal. Especially, I don't know, do you sit on other, like, AGA or anything?
[00:24:19] Speaker D: This is the only board that I sit on.
[00:24:21] Speaker A: Okay.
[00:24:21] Speaker D: You know, I go to FNGasGas, but I'm not involved.
[00:24:25] Speaker B: This is the problem Child energy, specifically.
[00:24:27] Speaker D: If you know what. Exactly.
[00:24:29] Speaker A: Why not?
[00:24:30] Speaker D: It works, right?
[00:24:31] Speaker A: Keeps sun on her toes. Or Tina keeps you on your toes.
[00:24:35] Speaker D: That's right. If it's not broke, don't fix it. Yeah.
[00:24:38] Speaker A: We could take all the time in the world, but one thing we do want to touch on is safety. Safety is paramount. With FIFA as well as our industry. Safety is a core value for our industry.
We should and need to live, eat, and breathe it. Any.
[00:24:52] Speaker D: Absolutely.
[00:24:53] Speaker A: Any thoughts about safety and in your world and how that lives day in and day?
[00:24:58] Speaker D: I mean, that's our. Like you said, core value is our main. It's our main driver. You know, when we. I start a project and I meet with my team, I'm like, if we're gonna do anything right, it's gonna be. We're gonna at least do it safe, right?
[00:25:10] Speaker B: Definitely.
[00:25:10] Speaker D: You know, we have on larger scale pipeline projects, we have quarterly safety giveaways to the guys. So I'll get vendors to donate coolers.
[00:25:18] Speaker A: Or oh, nice Traeger grills or whatever.
[00:25:21] Speaker D: And, you know, the deal is everybody's in, right?
[00:25:23] Speaker A: Yep.
[00:25:24] Speaker D: And the only way to get out is get caught by not wearing PPE or doing something crazy. You know, then you're. You're out of the drawing. Right. You know, once a quarter, we'll do, you know, names in the hat and pick it and say, hey, man, thanks for doing things right. Boom. And on top of that, I also I tell the contractor guys, if you see me or any of my team doing something wrong, $50 gift card, anywhere you want, no questions asked.
[00:25:47] Speaker A: That's really.
[00:25:48] Speaker B: That's a great top of mind, right?
[00:25:50] Speaker D: I did that on every project. Big, small, and different. You know, I come out on the job and I'm like, just because I'm in charge, don't feel like you can't call me out.
[00:25:57] Speaker B: Yeah, yeah, absolutely. That's very cool.
[00:25:59] Speaker A: That's a great message to get back to the audience, because again, we have folks from coast to coast, as well as globally, that are watching us. And that safety idea, that those tips and tricks, the actions that you're doing, can be implemented by anybody across the station, not just in our industry, but.
[00:26:14] Speaker D: Also in other industries, too, you know, and it's. It's been received really well. We've given away a lot of great things. I mean, Traeger grills, bison coolers, nice gun cases, gun safe, you know, that's very cool. Fishing poles. I mean, the whole. The whole nine, you know.
[00:26:29] Speaker B: Very cool.
[00:26:30] Speaker A: Can we come? Go work.
[00:26:32] Speaker B: Get in this drawing.
[00:26:33] Speaker A: But she always wins. Every conference we go. Oh, she always wins.
[00:26:37] Speaker B: I really never win.
[00:26:38] Speaker D: Yeah.
[00:26:38] Speaker A: Oh, yeah.
[00:26:39] Speaker D: I won a bottle of Blanton's last night, by the way.
I haven't got it yet. I don't know where this guy's at.
[00:26:44] Speaker B: You haven't won it yet, then.
[00:26:45] Speaker D: Yeah, it's true.
[00:26:46] Speaker A: Yeah. Yeah. Wait, the bottle's in the mail?
[00:26:48] Speaker D: Yeah. Well, you said you won the bottle. You didn't wonder what was in it.
[00:26:53] Speaker B: That's so funny.
[00:26:54] Speaker D: That's right.
[00:26:56] Speaker B: It was very nice to meet you.
[00:26:57] Speaker A: Yeah.
[00:26:57] Speaker D: Nice meeting you guys.
[00:26:58] Speaker B: As a board member, I want to say thank you for having us.
[00:27:01] Speaker A: Yes, absolutely.
[00:27:01] Speaker B: Cool to come and experience this.
[00:27:03] Speaker D: Yeah, no, it was good, man. It was good. Good catching up with you.
[00:27:05] Speaker A: Yeah.
[00:27:05] Speaker D: Seeing you again.
[00:27:06] Speaker A: Absolutely, brother. Seriously. Hello?
[00:27:07] Speaker D: If I said hello?
[00:27:08] Speaker A: Oh, I definitely will.
[00:27:09] Speaker D: I haven't seen her. I haven't talked to her in a while. I need to call her just to say hi.
[00:27:12] Speaker B: Tammy, he's calling you.
[00:27:13] Speaker D: Yeah, Tammy, I'm calling you.
[00:27:15] Speaker A: Yeah.
[00:27:16] Speaker B: All right.
[00:27:16] Speaker D: We'll be back.
[00:27:17] Speaker B: We'll be back.
[00:27:17] Speaker D: All right.
[00:27:20] Speaker A: How are you, brother?
[00:27:21] Speaker F: Thanks for talking to me and my wife last night.
[00:27:24] Speaker A: Are you serious? I mean, that was my pleasure.
[00:27:28] Speaker B: Jeff can talk.
[00:27:30] Speaker A: So, yes, I was taking a break. We were outside of, like, some of the. The shenanigans going on again. You know, I've been sober 13 years, so every so often I just need to walk outside and just get away from all them. And they were. I was on the phone, I was probably checking teams. Goodness gracious. And then Chris sets up that we just started talking and his wife was there and I learned a lot about her and some of the. Being an educator out. Yeah, yeah. So it was a great night, though. And that's why we come to things like FIFA. The. Yeah. You know, the organization is to really, you know, we've known each other for a long time, but now I even know more and such. And that's wonderful. That's why we come here. The networking.
[00:28:10] Speaker B: So you might know him, but not everyone else does. So she'll take a moment. Introduce yourself and who you're with.
[00:28:15] Speaker F: Okay. Actually, I'm Chris Hasten with Okaloosa Gas District. Now, I have been 25 years in the industry, so that's. That has stretched between Atmos Energy Corporation. That's where I first met Jim. I was with Atmos Energy, especially when I was working out in West Texas.
[00:28:31] Speaker A: And remember those days?
[00:28:33] Speaker F: I do remember those days. Yes. So with Atmos Energy, I was with them for 18 years. Then I went to Magnolia River. Was with Magnolia river for about four and a half years. And then I was with a pipeline construction company, System Services Pipeline for another two and a half. And now. And now with Oakley Suggest.
[00:28:53] Speaker A: Yes, with Gordon. With Gord.
[00:28:55] Speaker F: Gordon King.
[00:28:56] Speaker A: The.
[00:28:56] Speaker F: Gordon King, the legend.
[00:28:58] Speaker A: Oh, he is a legend.
[00:29:00] Speaker B: That's a big title.
[00:29:01] Speaker A: A. Gordon's a super nice guy. He's involved with FIFA. He's involved with fnga. I mean, he is very involved. So. Yeah.
[00:29:09] Speaker F: Yes.
[00:29:10] Speaker B: So what exactly do you do?
[00:29:12] Speaker F: Currently vice president of operations for Oklah Gas District.
[00:29:16] Speaker B: That's also a time for.
[00:29:18] Speaker A: That's a very good title.
[00:29:19] Speaker F: But I'd like to say that I'm still. I'm still learning the system as well. Learning.
[00:29:24] Speaker D: Learning.
[00:29:24] Speaker F: Learning the Okaloosa Gas District system and. And working with, you know, the new people there and so forth. And they just been. They treated me very well. And they're just a bunch of great people.
[00:29:34] Speaker A: Yeah, well, the people that I have met there are all great people. And honestly, when you look at the industry, I can't say that I've met. Have met bad people. It's all good people, you know, very different. Some people have a lot of passions over engineering, some more for operations. Some are very heavy into the safety. But it's people all have the same nicety. An interesting thing that you just said. I don't want to rewind a little bit. You said you are still learning the Okaloosa gas system. I think that's an important aspect because just because you've been in the industry 25 plus 35, 40. You started when you were 2. Okay. Years old. But each system is going to be a little bit different.
[00:30:16] Speaker F: Yes.
[00:30:17] Speaker A: And we have different nuances for that. So you just can't assume that everything's the same. You do have to learn.
[00:30:22] Speaker F: Absolutely. I mean, you know, even though. Even though atmos had like 3.3 million customers and was spread across multiple states and Okaloosa is in Florida itself, we still have transmission, we have distribution pipeline. But we also face some challenges that I did not encounter with atmos dealing with basically with a lot of corrosion because, you know, 60 something percent of our customer base is along the Highway 98 corridor along the Emerald Coast. So it's all the saltwater that we deal with. So we have to use a lot of specialized products and approaches to try to slow down the corrosion process that happens in the system.
[00:30:58] Speaker A: You actually just hit on a topic.
When we started this, when we did our preview of doing the podcast at FIFA we talked about, Ashley was bringing up the idea about pipes being near a saltwater corrosion, as well as hurricanes and such like that. What special.
What do you do special for those items that are in that area?
[00:31:19] Speaker F: Well, first of all, we use most. Most of our everything up to almost the i10 corridor right now, currently, even above i10, all of our meter loops, everything that we have that can be exposed to the salt water, we try to have it as a stainless steel. So all of our meter loops and everything, either we are purchasing them from a provider, but we also have our own fabrication shop where we build our own stainless steel loops and everything to be able to fight against the corrosion. That's corrosion system.
[00:31:48] Speaker A: That's fascinating. And that's the reason that we're doing this, and that's the reason you're here, because I can guarantee you there's somebody out there right now that says, I need to look at that, because that could actually help me in my circumstance. That person may be in Maine. They could be in Oregon. They could be across the seas, it could be overseas. Somebody right now. Thank you for that.
[00:32:06] Speaker F: I'm trying to use, you know, also trying to use the, you know, advanced coatings and everything else, try to slow it down, because in some cases, you may be lucky to get five or maybe five, no more than five to seven years out of certain, you know, existing meter loops and, you know, and equipment because of corrosion.
[00:32:23] Speaker A: Interesting.
[00:32:24] Speaker B: Is that the speed dating sign?
[00:32:26] Speaker F: I. I guess. I don't know.
[00:32:30] Speaker A: Yes. Gordon.
[00:32:32] Speaker F: Gordon kind of threw. Gordon. Gordon threw me into it, so. So that's my first time.
[00:32:38] Speaker B: Well, we're happy to be here.
[00:32:40] Speaker F: Well, yeah. Just want to know, I am a very big fan. I follow. I follow y'all all the time on LinkedIn and everything. And just thank y'all for what y'all do for the industry, too, you know, good people. And I met you first at the APGA last time in Louisville, so. And know you for years, so.
[00:32:59] Speaker A: And we both started when we were four years exactly.
Maybe four. We'll give them. We'll give them an extra year or.
[00:33:06] Speaker F: Two, but thank y'all for a time again, thank y'all for everything that we do for the industry.
[00:33:10] Speaker A: Oh, no. And thank you for inviting us, really, seriously. The board of directors. Thank you. The FIFA folks. Absolutely.
[00:33:16] Speaker C: Take care.
[00:33:16] Speaker A: Okay.
[00:33:17] Speaker F: Thank you.
[00:33:17] Speaker A: Thank you.
[00:33:18] Speaker F: I appreciate it. Take care, man.
[00:33:19] Speaker D: Bye.
[00:33:20] Speaker F: Bye, y'all.
[00:33:20] Speaker A: Bye.