Live @ Miller Pipeline

[00:00:24] Speaker A: Kind of funny. [00:00:24] Speaker B: Yeah. We spent the last, what, seven hours trying to fix this podcast and seven and a half. It's unsalvageable. That's what we've learned. You can't fix it. It's too broken. But that's why y' all love us. And if we learned one thing this past month, Ashley, what did we learn? Never trust Jimmy to. [00:00:46] Speaker C: He is technical. [00:00:47] Speaker A: Stop your tech support guy. That's for sure. [00:00:49] Speaker B: Don't let him book your hotel room either. [00:00:51] Speaker A: That's for sure, too. [00:00:52] Speaker D: Come on. [00:00:53] Speaker B: He picked that hotel in India and it was. It had to have been the worst hotel ever made. I'm just kidding. [00:01:00] Speaker D: Okay, now wait. Let's give a little. Let's give a little exposure to this whole thing. [00:01:05] Speaker B: Oh, let's not name it. We're kidding. We love you, Hilton. [00:01:08] Speaker D: No, we're not going to name it. I mean, it was a great hotel. I thought, given that we were going there the second week of May, I believe it was right after Aga, and I went. I've been going to Indy for 12 plus years, and so I've always stayed at typical places, but everything was sold out. And then otherwise things were like 600 a night. And we're like, what is going on? And then we were reminded that it was race month before the Indy race. And we didn't really realize that it was race month, not just an event over Memorial Day weekend. And so we definitely had to scramble a little bit, but we did just fine. [00:01:47] Speaker A: They take it serious up there, too. Even the airport was decorated for the race. [00:01:51] Speaker B: Impressive. [00:01:52] Speaker D: Without a doubt. [00:01:53] Speaker B: I had never been to Indy myself, and so seeing I. I was impressed by how big the raceway was, you know, like, I'd never really. The speedway was intense, like just seeing from afar and I. We didn't even go in there, but yeah, so it was second week of May, right after aga, so we're coming off of AGA and took a trip to Indy. As, you know, last year, our goal from the podcast was really to get out in the field, right. And experience some of the great things that's going on, you know, in the utility industry. And so part of that kind of came to fruition through you, Jim. I mean, you're the one that set up this with Kevin Miller. [00:02:31] Speaker D: Well, yeah, and it was. It was funny. Kevin and I have been friends for a long time, and I think we were talking last fall, and as Kevin can do so so wonderfully with me, he's like, so when are you going to get on one of Our sites come on, we need you, you know, type thing. And we started to chat and there was before the holidays and we said, okay, let's get this. And we, you know, got Eileen and Abby involved and others, and, and Kevin was kind of pushing the ship. And then we were reminded, us Southerners, that March, February, that time frame probably's not the best time to go because we were ready to go. [00:03:03] Speaker C: Do you remember? [00:03:03] Speaker D: We're like, let's go. And then they're like, folks, it's the Midwest, it's cold now, we gotta thaw. Yeah, yeah. So that's really how we, you know, started to look later in spring, that is May. And we had a few things on the docket already, so we, we did have to look at, you know, schedules and such, but it worked out great, you know. [00:03:22] Speaker C: Yes. [00:03:22] Speaker D: It was probably eight, nine months in the making though, I will say. And again, a lot of kudos being serious to Kevin for helping drive that ship. [00:03:30] Speaker E: Absolutely. [00:03:31] Speaker A: You know, we were talking about it earlier, but speaking of Kevin Miller, I think it's, it was, it was really cool to see him in his element there at Miller. We've seen him out at events and at the dcas and other things, but actually seeing him at the office with the Miller crew was very cool to see. We joke all the time at EWN that, you know, we gauge our length of service at EWM based on how old our kids are. Right. And so in some ways it reminded me of that, him talking through the timeline of when he started and what he started as and who was there and who was where, you know, like, it was very cool to see those interactions live and in person. And it wasn't just Kevin, there was several other people that kind of timelined their history of working with Miller as we went along. And that was really cool to see that dynamic. [00:04:13] Speaker B: Yeah, I know a few of the sites we ended up on, I mean, for context, anybody who's done business in Indy knows how tight knit that community is really for utilities, natural gas in particular. So a lot of the folks we ran into on different sites throughout the day. And what was funny is it wasn't just Miller people. Right. We're talking about citizens. I mean, we were up there with Citizens Energy centerpoint, you know, different folks. And it seemed like all their stories interwove, like, like what Ashley said, you know, hearing Kevin Miller starting at 18. I don't know, I just picture the guy in the blazer and hey, dudes, you know, when I see him. But to think about him Being in a ditch. And then he also is kind of, you know, he's. He's legend. He's lower in our industry, so you don't ever really picture him. He was in a ditch with this guy, too. And they're. They're all in the industry, still doing awesome work. So it was neat. We've been long friends and partners with Miller. You know, we've done work together for a long time. And so for me, being able to put my hands on, shake the hands, hug the necks of those people we do business with all the time. Right? The Stephanie Stapert, Al, getting to meet Al. Right, all of those were moments throughout the time we were there. It was awesome to see Indy. Jim, you did a great job being our tour guide and. And you knew all the spots, you know, to take us. The experience wouldn't have been the same without your expertise in Indy. [00:05:46] Speaker D: Well, it was fun. You know, on a side note, us getting to go downtown, to tour around the downtown, to see the fountain, to see a lot of the great things. Also having a fantastic meal at one of the most iconic places in the Midwest, if not the United States, St. Elmo's. I mean, it was great. It was absolutely great. [00:06:06] Speaker B: Shout out to Dale for making that happen. [00:06:09] Speaker D: Absolutely. [00:06:10] Speaker B: Well, I don't know about y', all, but as we. And it started almost instantly. You mentioned, Jimmy, when we were talking earlier, prepping for the show, that, you know, you drive up to this building that has so much history behind it, and they even have the old, you know, backhoes and dump trucks and things like that that they've used for years and years and years back there. And then you go inside and it's such a modern space where business is done and there's remote workers and people who come in and touring, just like most places, plastered on the wall where the core values. [00:06:45] Speaker D: Right, yes. [00:06:46] Speaker B: First and foremost, we know that. Well, at ewn, we know it's part of building the culture. You got to know where you're headed. You got to know what you know. In their case, Miller pipeline folks look like, feel like, act like, but as you're walking through, you can't help but think, like, anywhere. Well, that's great. You know, the saying on the wall is always nice, but let's see it firsthand, you know, and we got a unique perspective and really a front row seat to see whether this group lived by those core values. And I. I mean, I would say, and we have evidence that we will present over the next 30 minutes that supports that they're out there doing and walking the talk, you know, it's not just words on a wall. And I don't know how y' all felt about it, but that was my big takeaway. [00:07:35] Speaker D: No, agree 100% that it isn't just like you, the. The letters on the wall. It's actually being lived day in and day out. But it's interesting because it's part of their culture and who they are, so it becomes first nature to them all the way through. [00:07:50] Speaker B: Yeah. And I'll just hit them real quick. So we're all working from the same playbook. Miller. Miller Pipeline's core values are safety, quality, commitment, and reputation. And I think it's a slam dunk on safety. It's the first one, I think they say, you know, it's first and foremost, which with a lot of companies, it is safety first, safety always right. And it would be easy for us, I think, to pick that as our favorite. Like, absolutely. We're a partner in that. We help them achieve that. We're shooting at the same target when it comes to safety. But I want to challenge you all. What are some of the values that really stood out to you and Ashley? I'll pick on you first. [00:08:33] Speaker A: I will gladly go first. For me, commitment really stuck out. There was an instance where we were on one of the many job sites that they took us to, and as someone who came in the industry with no knowledge of our industry, knew no one, I literally was a fish out of a pond. This moment stuck out for me. But we were on a job site, and John, I want to believe it, his name was John, took their intern Sage, over to walk her through, step by step, what she was seeing down in that hole, what he was doing, why it was important. And to me, it was a moment where I just stopped and thought, that is so cool, because everyone starts somewhere, right? Everyone's new. At some point, they've got a wealth of knowledge ahead of them that they've got to figure out how to absorb. But what. But what better way, excuse me, to do it than to have someone stop and say, come here. I want to give you this knowledge. I want to walk you through what you're seeing and why it's important and how it plays a big role in our industry. I think it's not only a commitment to their internal workforce, but it's also a commitment to our industry and that knowledge needing to be transferred to the next generation that we talk about so much. [00:09:45] Speaker B: Jimmy. I hear Jimmy's mic lighting up already. Knowledge transfer Absolutely. [00:09:51] Speaker D: Well, it is a knowledge transfer. And Ashley, I'm really glad that you saw that first and foremost and that stuck in your head because again, there's so many opportunities that we have, the Kevin Millers and even myself in my generation where I can impart into those next generations coming up the things that have worked really great or maybe the things that might not have worked that great. And you know, instead of them learning by trial and error, getting a little bit of insight from people like of my generation. And that's really great that you saw that, Ashley. [00:10:19] Speaker B: So Jimmy, how about you? Well, what stood out for you? [00:10:24] Speaker D: I'm going to say probably quality. And you know, myself being a 25 year old veteran of the industry and with utility roots and utility in my blood, I'm going to say, you know, being out on the right of ways with the folks and really seeing the quality. We're talking about being in the Indianapolis Metro area. And so when you're doing line replacement or line extensions, we're not talking about necessarily, you know, having a blank canvas, so to speak. You're dealing with traffic, you're dealing with sidewalks, you're dealing with curbs, you're dealing with so many variables. I mean, from seeing the hydrovac trucks on site where again they're doing digging that's as non invasive as possible with the idea that they want to make this project excellence and carry through with that in the most efficient way possible. Would it have been easier maybe to grab a backhoe and just start tearing up the street? Sure. But the quality that they took on the projects just again in that one example of the vac trucks was warming to see and it carried through with all the projects that we were on. [00:11:22] Speaker B: Yeah. And I'm wondering which project specifically you're talking about. Was it Velvet Fingers project or Meatloafs? I'm kidding, I'm kidding. That's an inside joke. We're laughing about it, not laughing. We feel like we're part of the club, you know, and that makes sense for anybody out there that knows that crew. So I'm going to jump in as well because it's funny. We all pick different ones. I felt like we were going to overlap, but I chose reputation. And it, I like it because we talked about it in different ways already. But I, you know, talking about Kevin Miller being able to sit down and hear directly from people about him that work closely with him. We learn a lot by the people we surround, our people, people, you know, ourselves with. And so seeing the people that saw Kevin on His rise to where he is now. Right. It's like he's like an enigma to me. But it was about reputation. You can't work in a tight knit community like Indy and not like live to be who you are. Like you, you can't live by these values and, and drop one thing for another and still do business in a, in a group like that. It was obvious, but it transcends indie as well. I think obviously Miller, Arterra, there are other brand groups, they're all led a certain way and I think we saw that on display. And a lot of that is it's hard to beat a bad reputation. You know, like, you can't come back from that. In our industry, people remember it's hard to do. It takes a long time. So they ensure that they are who they say they are and that they're out there, you know, through quality and commitment and safety, delivering that over and over. [00:13:02] Speaker D: Can I just jump in and add on what you're saying? From the, from the observations that I saw too, it was really that interaction between, let's just say the Miller teams, the citizens teams, the Centerpoint teams. And you could see that the trust and respect over the years really heralded. [00:13:19] Speaker B: Well, it was easy to enjoy our time up there because they were gracious hosts, but also they let us in. You know, they took us through out their grounds, they took us on sites, they got the approvals, we were safe about it. Everybody was there to help us understand what made them different. And so we're going to run through some of that content. There was so much. I wish everybody could just have access to the folder and listen to it all, but not everything's going to make it. But we hope that we can paint the picture of how this really shined a light on our partnership and what it's meant. You talk about reputation, you know, we do business with Miller for a reason and both of our reputations are on the line when that, when that's the case. Secondly, we, we want to showcase those core values as well. I mean, we can do that through the awesome conversations we had throughout their Oregon and others. So stick around. Let's jump into it. [00:14:19] Speaker A: Hey guys, welcome to Miller Pipeline. This is our lobby to our newest building. As you can see, we've got like our core values hanging up on our walls and you'll see that as we keep going through our buildings. Our four core values at Miller Pipeline are safety, quality, commitment and reputation. And these were core values that the Miller family had when they founded the company. And they've lived on throughout the 70 plus years that they've run the company and changed management and owners and all of that. So that's something a lot of our team prides ourselves on and lives by every day. And I know impacts the communities that we work into as we go. You'll see those words throughout our facilities. [00:14:57] Speaker D: Like it very, very nicely how you have that done. [00:15:00] Speaker B: Yeah. [00:15:01] Speaker A: So those words pop up a lot across our communications at Miller. On our hard hats, you'll see some people with stickers with the core values on them. So it's a good reminder about what we do when we're at work. And those things help us get home safely at night too. [00:15:15] Speaker C: So. [00:15:17] Speaker B: That was our good friend Abby from Miller and also Sage joining her, an intern. It was neat to hear Abby talk about their core values, especially now, knowing that it really shaped the episode. Let's. Let's listen in. Come all the way to Indiana and you meet up with Jeremy Wyatt right here. We've known each other for a while. We appreciate you having us out here, Miller. [00:15:41] Speaker C: Yeah. [00:15:42] Speaker B: So I know you got a new role here. Tell me a little bit about it. [00:15:45] Speaker F: Yes, sir. Yeah. So in the middle of March, I was actually blessed to be able to step into the. The vice president of HSE compliance and training here at Miller pipelines. Yeah. [00:15:54] Speaker B: Well, that's good news. That means us here at EWM will be working with you even more. [00:15:59] Speaker F: I would say so. Yes, sir. [00:16:00] Speaker B: Yeah, Stephanie upstairs? [00:16:02] Speaker F: Oh, yeah, yeah, for sure. [00:16:03] Speaker B: Give her a big hug. We've been partners for a long time. [00:16:06] Speaker F: Yeah, that goes back a ways. I don't. I don't even know. [00:16:09] Speaker B: 100 years. That'll work. [00:16:10] Speaker F: Yeah, we'll roll people a lot. [00:16:12] Speaker B: Been here a lot longer than us. No, for real. We have. We've done a lot together. You know, talking to you. You be in charge of so much here now. Safety being a big part of that. [00:16:22] Speaker F: Yes. [00:16:23] Speaker B: You know, I always ask people, you know, was there ever an aha moment or a safety moment or a phrase or a thought from someone that stuck with you? [00:16:33] Speaker F: Yeah, I mean, so. So one of the ones that really stands out to me is I had the great fortune early on of working with former. His name's Sam Hayne. He's still here. He runs our Louisville operation. And I was a new fuser and I thought I knew what I was doing. And yet when I was out there fusing and putting tees on the main stuff, Sam would walk by and I didn't even think he looked at him. But he'd tell me it's crooked or this is wrong, and I'd have to cut it out and redo it. And, you know, you get a little frustrated after a while, but. But at one point, it just kind of clicked. Like when I finally did it right and I did a couple consecutively. Correct. And, like, what we do is important. What it matters is, you know, or what we do matters. It's important. It needs to be done right. He had a standard, and once you met it, you were fine. [00:17:14] Speaker C: Right. [00:17:14] Speaker F: And I appreciated that about him. I appreciated that he held me to that standard. There was accountability to it. And it did. It clicked again. We're piping gas to people's homes. We're, you know, providing a critical infrastructure, and it needs to be done right and it needs to be done properly. And I've been able to carry. I've learned it early and have been able to carry that with me throughout. So very appreciative to him for teaching me that lesson and other things that he taught me as well. [00:17:37] Speaker B: Working for him, the work we do is important. Jeremy said, we're piping gas to people's home, providing a critical infrastructure. Therefore, it needs to be done right. It needs to be done properly. That's huge. We talked to Stephanie Stapler, a longtime friend and champion of ewn, and it was neat to hear her journey in our partnership along the way. And honestly, it's always good to hug her and just say hello. When did we meet? Would it have been the first EWN con at Texas Motor Speedway? Maybe 2017. Next one, 2019. Because I don't know that I would have met you before then. [00:18:17] Speaker A: So the very first one I went to was Pensacola, and then the next one at the racetrack was on the track. [00:18:24] Speaker C: It was hot. [00:18:25] Speaker B: Yeah. All right. So that was the one. That's what I thought. Yeah. So we've known each other for a long time. EWN and Miller have worked together for, like, a hundred years. [00:18:34] Speaker A: Absolutely. So I first started working with EWN. Let's see, 2014. Yeah. We piloted with EWN for a whole year before we committed, and then we fully committed 2016. [00:18:51] Speaker B: So you worked with people like Jeff and Lauren, folks like that back in the day? [00:18:56] Speaker A: I did, yeah. [00:18:57] Speaker B: That's pretty cool. That's like the lore of EWM is to think about those old times. [00:19:02] Speaker A: Yes, absolutely. [00:19:03] Speaker B: Job site. We were talking a minute ago how important. We've got some folks out here that are watching kind of. I mean, obviously we're doing the pod, but we've got Some folks from Miller that are kind of new to job sites, kind of watching and how important it is to be out here for folks that don't get to be out here to see this firsthand, this important work that goes on in their industry. [00:19:23] Speaker A: Absolutely, it is. It's very important. It's very important to make sure that we're abiding by all of the regulations that our customers put down on us. [00:19:32] Speaker B: She'd go compliance on it. I thought she was going to go, people. And it's the. Oh, it's the compliance. [00:19:39] Speaker A: It's compliant. Sorry, I live and die by compliance. But yeah, no, you have been called. [00:19:43] Speaker B: Compliance queen multiple times since we got on this job. [00:19:46] Speaker A: So unfortunately, I don't know where that even came from. [00:19:51] Speaker B: It is a dwn, I'll tell you that. [00:19:52] Speaker A: Is it okay, well, I'll. I'll wear it with honor, but yeah, no, I mean, I live and die by compliance. Yeah. So. But I mean, that's kind of what I do. I mean, I'm the liaison, I say between what our customers require and federal government requires. So it's very important what our people. [00:20:09] Speaker B: Need and deserve too, right? [00:20:11] Speaker A: Yes, absolutely. [00:20:13] Speaker B: Definitely not just checking a box. We're out here, we're giving them the skills they need to succeed and keep the gas flowing. [00:20:20] Speaker A: Yeah. These guys, mad respect to them. Mad respect to them. And they do a wonderful job every day, day in, day out. Absolutely. [00:20:30] Speaker B: Al, I feel like we're going to be really good friends. [00:20:31] Speaker C: I think we will. Yes. [00:20:32] Speaker B: Even though we just met. [00:20:34] Speaker C: We just met. [00:20:35] Speaker B: We've already synergized on multiple things. Number one, Miller Pipeline. How about that? [00:20:39] Speaker C: You've been here how long with Miller Pipeline? About a year and a half. Like I said earlier, Legacy, KSE. I spent over 10 plus years with those guys. It's a great opportunity for everybody. Absolutely. [00:20:49] Speaker E: It really is. [00:20:49] Speaker B: And I hear you're you successor to Adam Lanier in the PSMS role here, is that correct? [00:20:56] Speaker C: That is correct. [00:20:57] Speaker B: I choose to fill a little bit. [00:20:59] Speaker C: Even though I think my feet are a little bigger than his. But that's okay. That's okay. [00:21:03] Speaker B: Adam's a good guy. We go back as well. SMS is important in our industry. I got to learn under Steve Allen here in Indiana is a big deal. And we were talking about how it just makes sense. You know, it's always just made sense to me as soon as I got involved. Why does PSMS make sense for you? [00:21:23] Speaker C: So PSMS makes sense to us because it's like the supporting factor behind the safety, culture, quality, Culture, it encompasses everything. To me, just being in that role for a year and a half, it's a great resource, great support, great system to put in place. Right. We want people to go home the way they came to work and eliminate risks, you know, eliminate incidents on the field. For me, that's what PSM is. [00:21:49] Speaker B: Safety culture is my jam, man. I get to speak on it. Like, I've spent the last 18 months going around and speaking in our industry about safety culture. You guys have such an awesome culture here at Miller. Culture and safety culture. What do you think the core, the key to all that really is? [00:22:06] Speaker C: So the key to the culture we. [00:22:08] Speaker E: Got buying from the top down to the bottom, right? [00:22:10] Speaker C: But we live by our four core values. [00:22:12] Speaker E: Safety, quality, commitment, reputation. [00:22:14] Speaker C: You got to have all four for it to work. And I think that's what sets the stage for our culture that you see and that you've seen out in the field as well. You know, a quick question for you. We are right here. We are actually this road is shut down. [00:22:29] Speaker D: It's a one lane, one lane. But then I notice, you know, safety is number one. [00:22:33] Speaker C: We have cones here. [00:22:34] Speaker D: Give me a little bit of what goes through your mind in the morning before we get started. [00:22:37] Speaker C: So before we get started, you know, safety first and foremost, we want to make sure that our site's safe and, you know, everybody else around is safe as well. So being in a two lane busy road, you know, I think that having a lane shut down, the proper distance on each side of our hole and we use also use equipment as barriers to protect us from vehicles that are coming. [00:22:56] Speaker D: So that truck is put here for a reason. [00:22:58] Speaker C: Yes. Yep. I like that. No, I feel actually very. We all do feel very safe right here. So thank you for that. [00:23:06] Speaker B: We'd seem like everybody we talked to, whether it was Jeremy to start, Stephanie Staipert listening to Al talk about their safety culture. Safety is first and foremost. And we also talked to Josh as well, who heads up Indiana, and he drove home safety and quality. Thanks for having us out on the job site. Beautiful day, you know, it rained all morning, sun's out, guns out. [00:23:37] Speaker C: That's typical Indiana weather, that's for sure. [00:23:40] Speaker B: We were, we were syncing up this morning right when we walked in the building, we. [00:23:44] Speaker C: We saw Yalls core values just absolutely. [00:23:48] Speaker B: You know, I know it's important. I've worked alongside a lot of the folks in Miller, but it's important stuff here at Miller. [00:23:54] Speaker C: It is, it is. So core values for us. I mean, safety, quality, commitment, reputation, you Know, safety first and foremost. It's good to come out on a job site somewhat unannounced and see the ppe, the proper signage, cones. Yeah, absolutely. Right. I mean, it's, it's all. [00:24:12] Speaker B: Even if you're the camera person, following the rules. [00:24:16] Speaker C: Something that's really struck a chord with us here lately is the quality of our work. Quality is really everything. If we don't deliver a quality product, it's not what the customer pays for, it's not what the homeowners expect. That's really been a large focus for not just Indiana, but, you know, across the entire Miller footprint. So it's been very important to engage guys on that quality end of things. [00:24:41] Speaker B: You know, one of the best signs of quality, especially when you're talking about revitalizing infrastructure or repairs, is not even noticing that the work has occurred. [00:24:53] Speaker C: You know, back in my day when I saw things that we were doing, and then all of a sudden a year later, I'm like, wow, look at that. Now look what they're doing. Because we changed some things. That's kind of, I don't know, I, I get a little bit of a. A good feeling inside seeing what we do. Right. [00:25:08] Speaker D: Especially with everything that we do, you. [00:25:10] Speaker C: Know, like back in my day was underground too. Like you. So after you're done. Yeah, you combine. You're like, well, you know, this is where it's at. People are like, don't see anything. But I see the new building. [00:25:22] Speaker B: I moved the main for that big new building right there. Communication is the most important thing anywhere. But out here in close quarters, we've got traffic running, we've got traffic control, we've got. We're working on an operator site. You know, there's so many stakeholders involved. How important is communication out here in the field? [00:25:40] Speaker E: Yeah, communication is key. As far as, like on the job site with Eric, he has communicate with all his personnel and keeping them safe. But also too, if he has a question, he can reach out to any, any of us. And we make that clear. If you can't get a hold of somebody, call somebody else. We want to make sure, you know, we, we. We practice safe. We don't preach. We actually practice safety. And we want to make sure that we're following up, protecting our people. So if they call and ask for something, we get it for it. May not be in the, May not be in the budget or the plan, but if they need it and it's. It's going to make them safe, that's what time. So we communicate on all levels, too. The daily huddle. Like I said, you, you're here, you're. You're not here to work today, but we wanted to show you what we're doing. So you're going to be on the job site, moving around. [00:26:24] Speaker B: John. Nailed it. The key to quality is about communication and collaboration with all the stakeholders. Whether it's just simply your crew that you're working with that day or whether it's an operator, a contractor, a vendor, you know, all the pieces to it. [00:26:43] Speaker C: Gina, this is the first time we've been on a right of way together, isn't it? [00:26:46] Speaker B: It is. [00:26:46] Speaker C: I mean, we've known each other for years. Explain to us what's going on here. [00:26:50] Speaker B: Sure. [00:26:50] Speaker C: Jim. Hey, first, happy to have you guys on site to see our operation. What we're doing today, we've actually partnered up with citizens in Miller Pipeline to recover some gas here. So versa citizens Miller and EWN. I guess we got the OQs. Everybody here today, Right? Okay. Yep. So what we're trying to achieve is we have about 35,000 standard cubic feet of gas. Okay. That we are trying to avoid a mini to atmosphere. And in lieu of that, we're using portable compression or cross compression, also known as to recycle. Take that gas, capture it, recycle it back into the system. Okay, let me just rephrase what you said. So we're abandoning a line here, replacing with the new one. Instead of that old line just being bent to the atmosphere, it's coming out, going through these compressors and being pushed back into the system so people can use it. You're an expert already. Look at that. I tell you what. But being serious, 35,000 standard cubic feet, really, that for a home around here, that could take care of a home for a good half a year, the amount of gas that could be wasted. Right. Actually, what this overall project, what we're estimating the impact would be, is about the savings of powering three homes annually. That's incredible. That's incredible. [00:28:05] Speaker B: It was cool getting to meet up with Gina after all these years of talking about meeting up out in the field. It just worked out in the last minute. They were doing a project together, so it was neat to get to be there. And also we're moving from quality to commitment. And so Jeremy Wyatt talks about the commitment that Miller makes to its foreman, leaders and the entire company. [00:28:29] Speaker F: I've tried to lead that way. Right. Incorporate that into how I lead and whether it's from safety or quality or, you know, in trainings, make it A point to hold myself accountable, own my own mistakes. [00:28:40] Speaker C: Right. [00:28:41] Speaker D: And. [00:28:41] Speaker F: And at the same time, call it out in others. Right. And I mean, there's a way to do that. You don't have to be a jerk about it. But yeah, tactfully pull them aside, talk to them. If you truly care about the person and their development, and if you care about what you do, you'll have those tough conversations. And it's not always easy. But, I mean, that's what we have to do. Right. [00:28:58] Speaker B: That's as a leader and we saw a group earlier. We stepped in. I know you had the foreman leadership training going on this week. Big, big deal. I know something y' all have done for quite some time. [00:29:09] Speaker C: Yeah. [00:29:09] Speaker F: A little over 10 years now. I think maybe 12. We bring 20 foreman every, just about every month. 20 foremen per month come through. They know how to do the work. Now we want to teach them a little more about Miller, make some connections so they know that we're here to support them. And just the overall business and leadership. Right. A lot of those soft skills that are what, you know, what people call soft skills, if you will just kind of pour into them a bit over the week. [00:29:32] Speaker B: I know commitment is one of Yalls core values. That's a commitment right there, for sure. [00:29:36] Speaker F: Yeah, it' a commitment. It's an investment. And that's the other thing. We want to thank them like, hey, we know the work you do is hard, and we truly appreciate what you do out there, and we want to try to set you up for success as best we can. [00:29:48] Speaker E: We built these task lists so most of our people have almost the same oq. So we don't have a specific one for a labor and a specific one for a fitter. We encompass them to where a laborer will also fuse pipe and an operator can also face projects. [00:30:04] Speaker C: Okay. [00:30:05] Speaker E: So we have these task lists. Like, our equipment operators probably have way more or queue than they need, but they could jump off a tractor and get into a bell hole and help. [00:30:13] Speaker D: Gotcha. So in other words, if somebody has a specific role, they might be trained on everything. So in case the need is they have the knowledge KSAs to do other things. [00:30:24] Speaker C: Okay. [00:30:25] Speaker E: When they hire in, we give them a small role for like inspection, digging and backfilling and gas safety. Just to be on the job site. [00:30:32] Speaker C: Yep. [00:30:32] Speaker E: Then after six months or however it works out. But we also have a really intensive mentor program. So on day one, we have a mentor coordinator that if he can meet with this guy, we can place him on a crew With a lead hand. And that lead hand is his mentor. They're tied at the hip for as long as it takes. Okay, so he gets one on one daily training. That way he gets better help. But back in our task list, so when employee comes through, they have like plastic fusion, pressure testing, no self tapping everything to run a service from the beginning to end. Generally everybody on our crew has that. If a guy's off one day and we replace him with someone else, more than likely he has all that. So you're not just one man down all day. [00:31:13] Speaker C: God. [00:31:13] Speaker D: It makes sense the versatility of that. [00:31:15] Speaker C: But I love the idea though, the. [00:31:17] Speaker D: Mentorship program because we were talking about it over there. [00:31:19] Speaker C: Again, the three of you and you add me. I mean we're at well over, well over 100 years of experience in the industry. And that's just with us here. And as we said, we were joking around. But if we could take the stuff in our brain and give it to. [00:31:32] Speaker D: The next generation, it'd be great. [00:31:33] Speaker C: I mean that's what we want. We don't want them to do some. [00:31:36] Speaker D: Of the same things that we wouldn't do over again. We have to be better as an industry. We have to be better. [00:31:41] Speaker C: And it might not even be the natural gas industry. [00:31:43] Speaker D: Might be just somebody working in the field on something that could have been. [00:31:46] Speaker C: Avoided by, you know, better barricades or by better use of the equipment. [00:31:50] Speaker D: And you know, we just have to share that to let them know the, the seriousness of every day that everybody that goes on the job site goes home at night. [00:31:58] Speaker E: If you come over here, sees a machine, that's a heating iron there, that iron's in about 500 degrees. [00:32:06] Speaker C: Okay. [00:32:07] Speaker E: They stick it between the fitting the pipe, they melt, they just hold it there and they hold a melt of pattern in it, Take it, pull out the iron and push that down and they fuse it, melt it into it. Okay, and then what's that? Once that is done, they'll cut this piece and they'll put it into the outlet. That way they have one solid piece all the way up to the main into the building. They will pressure test it. And then once it passes test, that has a tapping device into it. So they can run through alcohol, that main gas at that service. But it's a self contained, so it doesn't have gas blowers. [00:32:45] Speaker C: Is that what this is? [00:32:46] Speaker E: Pretty much. He's done a small bunch of pieces, you know, redo that intersection. They're moving everything out of the way. [00:32:53] Speaker B: That was John Williams talking with Sage in turn. From earlier that welcomed us in and we really wanted to share this part. It was something that happened naturally and something that was staged for the show. John pulled Sage aside and really explained to her what was going on. Again showing the commitment of Miller Pipeline and sharing knowledge throughout their organization. It doesn't matter if you've been there the longest or you're the newest arrival, that commitment is the same. [00:33:24] Speaker C: And when we were coming in over here, looks like the right of way or the easement on the other side was all tore up over there. Is that all you coming? That's not all us. So basically we just punched we board across the road right there, caught our gas main and where that is fenced off at, we're right there. We try not to be too invasive and tear stuff up. If we do, of course we'll come back, grade it all out. Seed straw. Yeah, we definitely want the customers happy. I tell you what, Miller and Arterra does a good job with keeping customers happy. Yeah, for sure. Customers are always right and that's good. So it's a part of our reputation. [00:34:02] Speaker B: Which kicks off our last core value, which is reputation. It is their reputation. And we heard that over and over. You can tell these core values are more than just words on a wall. [00:34:14] Speaker D: I want to hear what you're doing. [00:34:16] Speaker C: Okay. Can we walk and talk? So basically a new subdivision's coming in. So five tank of gas, 150 to 180. Okay then. So we're running all the gas line in here so we can eventually run services to the homes. Gotcha. Heat them, make sure they have hot water. Everything you need for basic living, really. Here we have heat load, we have cooking load, we have hot water, maybe dryers. [00:34:41] Speaker D: And so at this point, just to. [00:34:43] Speaker C: Bring me up to speed, I would take it that the, the posts are for the home sites that are coming. Yeah. So those posts are your sewer laterals. So that's where it comes off the main and it just capped off right there. So when the builder comes in, they just dig down on that post and take their on. [00:34:58] Speaker D: And is this the main from the. [00:35:00] Speaker C: Road over this way or we. Yeah, we're not coming in. So we're dead ending here and they got the road shut down because they're eventually going to build more homes over there. Yeah. So. And what type of pipe are you putting in? Right here? Right here we're putting in 4 inch HDPE. So high density plastic. Yep. What type of pressure? Around 52 to 54 pounds. That's excellent. This is huge. So as you can see all the graders. That's going to be another part to another neighborhood eventually. All connect. Yep. But we got 2 inch running in the inner loop. Then our 4 inch main line is feeding so we don't have any pressure issues and make sure that we'll be able to carry the load of more homes on it. [00:35:39] Speaker B: Okay. [00:35:39] Speaker D: Since this is new, it's been interesting being serious. We were over like on the east side and we saw like some old neighborhoods that it's being retrofitted, you know. [00:35:49] Speaker C: Abandoning, purging them or cross compression, sealing. [00:35:52] Speaker D: Them, abandoning them and then replace it with new. [00:35:55] Speaker C: Now out here we are a ways out. [00:35:56] Speaker D: We're 20 some miles outside of the city, I would say. [00:35:59] Speaker C: And so this is all new growth. This is, I mean, so much Indy is growing. Yes, it is. Neighborhoods are going up quick, but that's good for us. Glad to have the work, you know. Oh, absolutely, absolutely. So no hdd. We're put. [00:36:12] Speaker D: We're trenching everything in here. [00:36:14] Speaker C: Okay. French and open digging. With the weather the way it's been, it's kind of easier to use the backhoe. Yeah. Just so the ditch doesn't potentially cave in. But other than that, cool. It's pretty good. [00:36:26] Speaker B: In the last interview, Jimmy mentioned a job site within Indy that we were on earlier in the trip. At that job site, we actually ran into Ben Warren from Citizens Energy Group and Ben Warren is a longtime friend of the show. He's been on the show. He's a good friend of Jimmy and I Ashley as well. And being able to synergize with Citizens and Miller and Ewn all on one job site. And then Versiv was there as well doing cross compression. All of us being there in one spot, knowing that we're providing the best quality in the industry. Something special. Let's check in with Ben Warren during the best day ever. [00:37:08] Speaker C: Ben, we hung out last week in Colorado. We did. And then here we are in Indiana, Rocky Mountain High to the cornfields of Indiana. That thanks to living here, we've been hanging out with a lot of your groups this week. Y', all along with the Miller group, got some important work here in the Indy going on. Some of the historic areas you've been to already with Miller and Citizens this week display and demonstrate the last of the legacy infrastructure pipeline of cast iron that we're working on removing. Anticipating actually a complete elimination of all the cast iron pipeline by the end of this calendar year. This is part of the process. So how long has that process been? It's been taking over 30 years total. Think about the age of 60. Indianapolis and citizens have been here partnering with them since that inception. And we're on a special site today. We got Versiv here, we do doing some cross compression. This is a big deal for the environmental side of it. It is. And so they're monitoring and identifying the amount and volume of gas that was, if you will, in the pipeline that we would have normally been in at. And this is now, if you will, reusing that natural gas and piping it back into the infrastructure and have been redistributed throughout the city. This is a big topic in our industry. You know, I'm looking at 1, 2, 3, 4 versive units over here. Is this. Have y' all done this before? Is this as a test? Right? This is a test and evaluation for citizens. We have never done this before. We've obviously explored it, looked into it, partnered with Versant and Miller and to say, what can we do differently on this particular project? What can we identify as a stronghold towards reduction as well as the elimination of the infrastructure? You know, it's cool. We've got got Citizens here, we've got Miller here, we've got Versive here, we've got Ewn here. I think we've got it taken care of. Absolutely, we do. All right. S day ever. [00:38:53] Speaker D: So Ben was excited that we were going to come down. [00:38:55] Speaker C: And take a look a lot of the projects again with the grant bill, we know with money coming back in. [00:39:00] Speaker D: To redo the infrastructure. [00:39:02] Speaker C: But important aspect is always safety. When you're out on the site, what are you looking for? What's some of the first 1, 2 and 3 things you're looking for? Well, our main thing, first thing we're going to look at is obviously where we're working at. If we're going to be in the roadways, off the roadways, stuff like that, see what we're dealing with like this. We're out here in the middle of the road. We got to come up with a traffic plan to keep the traffic off of us, keep the guys safe while they're working. That's, that's our main concern, the traffic pattern. Other than that, it's just looking around at everything. Are you going to be working under stuff, power lines? When we get around these buildings, like this is a new construct building. We got cranes and stuff out here where if we've got to be working around them, just trying to be cognizant of everything that's around you while you're, while you're doing your job and what we need to do to keep everybody away from it. Are you looking at folks OQs too, while they're on the site? Yeah. So before we start any job, if it's the same crew or a different crew, depending on like I usually have the same crew moving from project to project. I know. And can keep up with what they're doing. If for some reason we have different guys that switch in and out with the crew, we'll check them in between jobs. But we always make sure during the jobs in between the jobs of the task they're doing that they're ok. And that's what we try to keep the inspectors. We've got like, I've got two crews right now that basically I try to keep or I keep most of the time. So I'm well aware what the guys are qualified for or not on those crews. So we're not jumping around from a different bunch of different crews. That's a very nice thing. [00:40:38] Speaker D: Now, again, our podcast, Coffee Jim and James. We do this as an ambassador and Ashley. [00:40:42] Speaker C: And Ashley is the brains behind it all. [00:40:44] Speaker D: So we do this as an ambassadorship. [00:40:46] Speaker C: But we have day jobs at Energy. [00:40:48] Speaker D: World Net, so we do OQs for. [00:40:49] Speaker C: Citizens as well as Miller. So that's kind of what brought us here. Kind of that whole triad, so to speak. [00:40:55] Speaker D: So it is nice to know, though. [00:40:56] Speaker C: That you do get to work with crews that you get to know and to know not only their OQs, but their KSAs, what they're really good at, you know, and that's. That's very comforting. [00:41:07] Speaker D: We're actually west of the city in the airport and such like that, in a very growing area. You said you're putting in 12 inch. [00:41:13] Speaker C: Steel pipe, 8 inch steel? [00:41:14] Speaker D: Yes, sir, 8 inch, which is very cool. A lot of times we're putting in pe. So that really means that there's going. [00:41:20] Speaker C: To be a lot of growth out. [00:41:21] Speaker D: Here, I would imagine. [00:41:21] Speaker A: Yep. [00:41:22] Speaker C: And a question for you. [00:41:23] Speaker D: We mentioned going under the road. So you're using HDD horizontal directional drilling technology. [00:41:29] Speaker C: All right. [00:41:30] Speaker D: And then are we going to be trenching then over here or still doing it? All is okay. [00:41:34] Speaker C: That's great. We just carried the same bore all the way across. [00:41:37] Speaker D: Really, when we're looking at this is because right now we're seeing fields and such like that, but in five years that could be 100 homes over there. [00:41:44] Speaker C: Correct. [00:41:44] Speaker D: So you're actually building this for the future, not just for what we have right now, but in the future? [00:41:49] Speaker C: Yes, sir. Upgrading the infrastructure. You have a very interesting story because you have have the best of both worlds. [00:41:56] Speaker D: You have both Miller and Citizen Street. Where'd you begin? [00:42:00] Speaker C: Miller pipeline. What year? 1987. You were probably 18 years old then. Yeah, right out of high school. Started as a labor hand. Okay. Just like Tony and John did. Yeah, yeah. And then I became an operator and then I was a foreman until I went to Citizens. [00:42:16] Speaker D: And you? I've been at citizens now 25 years. [00:42:18] Speaker C: Yeah, going on 25 years. So 40 years. [00:42:22] Speaker D: 39 in the industry. [00:42:26] Speaker C: That's fantastic. [00:42:28] Speaker B: I would say it speaks volumes for an organization's reputation when you have several folks randomly that we ran into that have been there 20, 30, 40 years in and around Miller Pipeline. If that doesn't speak to your reputation, I don't know what does. [00:42:47] Speaker C: I'm just gonna say hi to you, that's all. I'm Jim. I hear you're embarrassed. I am, absolutely, 100%. Oh, geez. [00:43:00] Speaker B: Wow. [00:43:06] Speaker C: Oh, absolutely. Yeah. You know, your handshake, you almost. I mean, it's so soft. It's almost like you have velvet fingers. Yeah, I know, right? I've been waiting 28 minutes for that. Jeff Dunn gave me the scoop that he let it out out of the belt with fingers or whatever. [00:43:25] Speaker B: Talk about walking the top. [00:43:26] Speaker A: Absolutely. I know that culture is like a topic that we hear often out in the industry. I can get on my passionate talks about it. I know, James, you can too. But when we talk about their core values, the quality, the safety, the commitment, the reputation, like that all ties back into their company culture. And without those things, I mean, you don't have it right. I think seeing those play out in person, I mean, we're talking about real people on real job sites, like, very authentic. And getting to see that play out in person was very, very cool to see. And I'll probably be talking about it for weeks to come because it was a very cool experience. [00:44:02] Speaker B: And to me, I know the knowledge sharing side of it was on full display while we were at Miller. And you know, our commitment also as part of the show has been to create those echoes out in the industry. We were blessed to be able to go on the job site there in Indy with Miller and others, but not everybody is. And so part of our job is to carry those messages back to the industry because it really raises all of our ships. [00:44:27] Speaker D: It really does, James. And you have to think about it too, where a lot of the feedback, Ashley and James, over the last years, people said, wow, it's great to see These aspects, because one part of our industry is that we have to realize that there are a lot of people out in the field on the right of ways we get that. But there are also so many people behind the scenes that are working in offices and cubicles and remotely and all that that are in our industry that don't necessarily get to see that day in and day out. So when we get to bring this back and we get to have people say, wow, look at that. I never saw a hydro vac truck in action or I never saw Fusion in action action. And to see actually down into a trench and see what's going on, that really is I think again the ripples and the echoes. Bringing them back and sharing that for the industry. And I love that it's part of. [00:45:16] Speaker B: Our job and it's been part of our job for the last five years is really carrying those messages. We couldn't have done this trip obviously without Miller Pipeline and the greater Arterra Group Group. We've been partners with them for a long time and we're very proud of that individually within the group. And I'm going to need Yalls help too. I'm going to rattle off some names just out on different job sites that sat down, talked with, didn't sit down. I don't think we sat down the whole trip, but that chatted with us. And then also just some folks internally there, anybody y' all can think of, just shout them out. But a few people just off top of my head, John, I mean they were like, like 15 Johns. But how about John, the one you. You gave the back rub, you know, Jesse, in the Snake incident, Allegedly. Eric let us in on a site as well. Paul. I mean, how about that? You want to say anything as a Bears fan to that larger group there at Miller? Holy cow. Meatloaf. I think we have to call him that. We can't call him Michael. That's not fair. Jeff, who was citizens, was awesome as well. Of course, everybody there. Abby Sage was a rock star. Obviously. Anybody else y' all can think of that was there that you want to shout out? [00:46:31] Speaker A: Did you mention Velvet Fingers again? [00:46:33] Speaker B: I think I called him by his government. That was a moment. Yeah. I will say in the Arterra group, Laura was awesome too and helping us to get. Get the right people on the phone. Who'd you say? Stephanie Staber. Holy cow. Yeah. [00:46:49] Speaker A: And Al. [00:46:50] Speaker B: Al. Thanks, Al. Appreciate it. [00:46:55] Speaker C: Yeah. [00:46:55] Speaker D: And so the partners we saw, you know, seeing Ben Warren on a right away was always fun. I mean, that's fun. I Mean, we see Ben all the time in committee and board meetings, but to see him on the right of way firsthand, wonderful. [00:47:06] Speaker B: Thanks for the folks inside. Jeremy Wyatt. You know, some of the folks there that, that we ran into and, and was so gracious and, and trotting us around, we couldn't have done it without. We mentioned Citizens as well. I think Centerpoint also cleared us at one spot. We appreciate all those fine folks in Indy for being such an awesome host city for us. We couldn't have done it without it. And, you know, to go back a little bit, I just want to thank everybody that did give us access to job sites this past year. So many great folks that. That worked to let us get there and talk to their people. We couldn't have done it. We got to visit it with so many awesome folks and this one in particular, Indy was amazing. Thank you so much. Any final words from you too in regards to the Miller trip? Any aha's or final statements? Foot stomps. Jimmy. [00:47:55] Speaker D: I'm just going to say it was just great being out in the industry, being able to bring that back, seeing organizations walk the talk, all the things that, you know, we mentioned, all the things that are written on the wall, but to actually see them being done day in and day out and just being done seamlessly because they are ingrained in each and every person. I herald watching that, what Jim says. [00:48:17] Speaker A: But also just a big thank you to citizens and Miller for, you know, being brave enough to let us bring cameras and microphones out and show off the good work that's happening out there. [00:48:27] Speaker B: The shrimp cocktail legitimate. Hey, we appreciate y' all tuning in. And until next time.