NAPE Kicks Off in Houston
The Governors Forum with Texas Gov. Greg Abbott and Oklahoma Gov. Kevin Stitt highlights day one.
NAPE Week started with a diverse lineup of leaders, speakers and entertainers on Wednesday.
Industry experts shared expertise and insights on emerging business and technical issues at the Energy Business Conference, which culminated in a Governors Forum with Texas Gov. Greg Abbott and Oklahoma Gov. Kevin Stitt.
The day concluded party style with the popular Icebreaker networking/cocktail reception and the inaugural NAPE Charities Celebration featuring country music stars Randy Rogers and Wade Bowen.
The NAPE Energy Business Conference featured presentations from senior-level executives and industry experts sharing insights into some of the industry's most pressing topics. The Business Track covered energy expansion, natural gas price volatility, CCUS and the 2024 election's impact on the energy industry. The Technical Track focused on AI (featuring the NAPE Net AI bot as a participant), brine mining for lithium, risk metrics for CCUS reservoirs and orphan wells.
During the Energy Business Conference Luncheon, members of the newest class of the NAPE Hall of Fame were honored.
"Individuals and companies making up the 2024 class of NAPE Hall of Fame inductees are truly dealmaking luminaries," said Cranford Newell Jr., CPL, chair of the NAPE Operators Committee. "It is an honor to recognize these leaders for their unwavering support of NAPE and the energy industry. As champions of dealmaking and innovation, they help empower the industry that powers the world."
NAPE Hall of Fame Class of 2024:
Carl C. Beach, managing partner of GTL Fuels LLC
Jeanine Haller Piskurich, CPL, retired vice president of land, bpx energy
Bruce H. Vincent, CEO of Vincent Energy LLC
Enverus (Drilling info)
EOG Resources Inc.
Marathon Oil Corp.
During the lunchtime keynote presentation, Arjun Murti, partner at Veriten, discussed "The Energy Transition Needs to Transition."
"The entire conversation around 'energy transition' needs to be reframed and refocused on meeting the substantial energy needs of the 7 billion people in the developing world first and foremost," Murti said. "For parts of the world that lack sizable crude oil or natural gas resources, there will be a strong motivation to use new energies technologies for geopolitical security and diversification benefits."
The grand finale of the NAPE Energy Business Conference welcomed the top dealmakers from Texas and Oklahoma: Governors Greg Abbott and Kevin Stitt.
The joint celebration began with a salute to America's military heroes. Since 2009, over $6 million has been donated through NAPE Expo Charities events to help organizations that support U.S. veterans and active-duty service members. A full 100% of the funds raised are donated directly to deserving charities selected by the NAPE Operators Committee.
This year NAPE Expo Charities presented $100,000 checks — a total of $300,000 — to three deserving NAPE Expo Charities recipients: American Military Family, America's Mighty Warriors and TADSAW (Train a Dog Save a Warrior). In addition, the 2024 NAPE Expo Charities Anthony J. DeToto American Hero Award was presented to U.S. Congressman Wesley Hunt, who represents the 38th District of Texas.
"Anthony DeToto was a very good and dear friend of mine. He was an excellent man who represents the best of us all," Hunt said. "Thank you to these charities that give back so much to our communities. We need you every single day. And I want to thank NAPE for this award."
Next, sitting governors from two of the largest energy-producing states in the U.S. shared the stage to discuss all things energy. The discussion featuring Texas Gov. Abbott and Oklahoma Gov. Stitt was moderated by Jacki Deason, host of The Jacki Daily Show.
The governors shared about how their states partner with the energy industry. As Gov. Abbott noted: If the energy sector can succeed in Texas, Texas can succeed.
They also discussed the importance of being business-friendly states. When asked about how he balances his state's energy portfolio, Gov. Stitt said Oklahoma welcomes a "more of everything" approach and believes in free enterprise, innovation and letting the business markets work.
Gov. Abbott said Texas wants to be No. 1 in everything. "We don't care what kind of energy you make, we just want you to make it," he said.
The governors discussed pushing back against federal government efforts to hamstring the energy industry, their states' power grids, the "strategic" intention of the nation's Strategic Petroleum Reserve, the value of energy independence, and teaching younger generations about the importance of fossil fuels.
The Job Fair provided a private environment for job seekers to engage with the right personnel from companies looking to hire. Areas of expertise represented included land, finance, geology, engineering, geophysics, renewables, sales/marketing, administration and more.
Undergraduate and graduate students from some of the nation's top schools applied their analytic skills and energy expertise to a current business challenge at the fourth annual NAPE/TCU Energy Innovation Case Competition. The winners shared $40,000 in cash prizes.
"The biggest thank you of all goes to the AAPL Educational Foundation that 100% underwrites the largest cash prize case competition out there for universities," said Ann Bluntzer, executive director of the Ralph Lowe Energy Institute in the Neeley School of Business at TCU.
"We are so excited to do this competition, to give back to the students and to expose you to the world's largest energy prospect expo," Le'Ann Callihan, vice president of AAPL and NAPE told the students before announcing the winners. "Tomorrow when you are on the floor and you see all those companies, you will be amazed. There is so much opportunity out there — seize that opportunity."
Next, Callihan and Bluntzer presented giant checks to the winning teams. In the undergraduate division, SMU took first, Marietta College second and Western Colorado University third. In the graduate division, University of Florida took first, the University of Texas at Austin second and Texas A&M third. First place teams received $10,000 each, second place received $6,000 each, and third place received $4,000 each.
Following the Governors Forum, the networking and festivities continued with the NAPE Icebreaker and the inaugural NAPE Charities Celebration featuring a live performance by country music stars Randy Rogers and Wade Bowen. NAPE Charities Celebration attendees enjoyed a star-studded evening of music, making connections and saluting America's heroes — our veterans and military service members!
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