Mark Bridgers is a consultant to the engineering and construction industry and leads a Global Energy Vertical Market team. He works with global energy firms, pipeline companies, local distribution companies, electric transmission/ distribution utilities and power generators to support the planning, design and constitution of capital assets. As a recognized expert in capital construction and operational challenges, Bridgers was recently honored with membership in the Society of Gas Operators (SOGO).

As the owner of an eight-attorney general practice, Ralph Cantafio possesses extensive experience in civil litigation and commercial transactions. His practice includes regular representation of clients in Alaska, Colorado, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, Texas, Utah, Wyoming and those District Courts statewide, as well as the U.S. District Court. His caseload emphasizes law related to commercial, corporate, construction and oil and gas law.

Donald R. Clary, Jr., CPA President and Chief Executive Officer, CoServ Donald (Donnie) R. Clary, Jr., CPA, was named CEO of CoServ Electric in 2014 after joining the Corinth, Texas-based electric cooperative as its Controller 24 years earlier.

As the highest-ranking financial official, Clary oversaw CoServ’s growth from 20,000 meters in 1990 to more than 210,000 across parts of seven counties today. In 1998, he was part of a team that created a for-profit natural gas distribution affiliate that today provides service to more than 107,000 meters in three counties. Donnie serves as an officer and a member of the governing body of each CoServ affiliate.
CoServ retains a Fitch-affirmed AA– rating and is ranked among the top five percent nationwide for reliability. In 2014, CoServ successfully attained its first private debt placement.

As the Executive Vice President of Sales and Marketing, John is responsible for running all facets of the Sales and Marketing for all divisions.  He has a proven track record and over 32 years of experience driving sales growth in the industry.  John’s career with the Sterling Company includes the role of President and General Manager of Company affiliate Midwest Access Solutions.  At Midwest Access Solutions, John led the transformation into an industry enterprise-focused company, creating the blueprint for a successful installation matting company and driving sales growth to more than 50% with the lowest safety incident record in the marketplace. John was also General Manager at Allied Building Products, responsible for sales and operations. He oversaw multiple locations in the IL and WI markets. During his 20-year period with Allied Building Products John held various management positions.  As a husband, proud father of three, community and environmental advocate John continues to serve as a key architect for the Sterling Lumber Company flagship products and services.

Marion Davis has served as Director of Construction for the International Brotherhood of Teamsters (IBT) since June 2012. He also currently serves as Co-Chair of the IBT National Pipeline Training Fund and Labor Management Trust Fund (also since 2012). Throughout his career, Davis has been an instructor for various training classes and been involved with developing various training programs related to equipment operation and health and safety. He joined Teamsters Local 509 in August 1981 and was dispatched to DuPont at the U.S. Department of Energy Savannah River Site (SRS) nuclear facility (later operated by Bechtel Savannah River Inc.). Davis was elected to the Executive Board of Teamsters Local 509 in 1993, serving as Trustee, Recording Secretary through 1999. In October 2000, he was appointed to Southern Region International Representative for Construction as a stipend employee and left SRS to take on the roll fulltime in October 2007. He became Assistant Director of Construction in March 2012 and then Director a few months later.

​Dr. Michael (Mickey) B. Frish Manager, Industrial Sensors  Dr. Frish has a broad, interdisciplinary background with specific strengths in research, development, commercialization and marketing of photonics instrumentation.  Early in his 35-year career with Physical Sciences Inc. (PSI) he led the development and introduction of the first industrial quality gas analyzer and long-path leak detector products using Tunable Diode Laser Absorption Spectroscopy.  He subsequently led the evolution of these products into the Remote Methane Leak Detector (RMLD), an R&D 100 Awardee.  The RMLD is now a common tool used for natural gas leak detection with over 3000 units manufactured by Heath Consultants deployed worldwide.  His current work includes miniaturizing TDLAS sensors, reducing their costs, and utilizing them to quantify leak rates.  Dr. Frish has been awarded eight patents, and is the author or co-author of over 80 technical reports and publications.  He received BS, MS, and PhD degrees in Applied and Engineering Physics at Cornell University.

Doug is a Canadian Registered Safety Professional (CRSP) with more than two decades of safety-related work experience. Doug served the last seven years as a corporate health safety and environment advisor for a major Canadian utility with more than 2,600 employees in northern and east-central Alberta. Doug brings to Caterpillar more than a decade of experience in the oil/gas and heavy equipment manufacturing/repair industries. He is an accomplished facilitator of the S.T.A.R.T.™ program and has guided multiple continuous improvement teams focused on safety-related topics over the course of his career. Doug is a member of the Industry Advisory Committee for the Occupational Health and Safety certificate program at the Northern Alberta Institute of Technology.

Bobby Gonzalez is a veteran in tribal, industry and government-to-government relations. He works closely with tribal governments to facilitate relationships with the pipeline industry. Bobby has authored numerous publications on the protection of cultural resources and testified before the House of Natural Resource Committee on federal agency non-compliance with the Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act. Bobby was a guest speaker at the first tribal energy summit supported by the White House and the Department of Energy. He is a NEPA regulatory specialist and is very experienced in managing tribal monitoring programs on pipeline projects.

Brother Tom Gross was initiated into Local 81, Ottawa, IL, in 1975. With 45 years experience Brother Gross has served as Business Agent of Local 81; in charge of pipeline, gas distribution, and building trades, and as Business Manager of Local 81 for six years before being appointed by former General President Hite as a Special Representative assigned to the UA's Department of Pipeline and Gas Distribution.

At the 39th UA General Convention Brother Gross was unanimously re-elected and will continue to serve as the UA's Director of Pipeline and Gas Distribution.

Thomas is Vice President of Environmental, Health and Safety for Kinder Morgan’s Natural Gas business. He also currently serves as the Chair of the INGAA Foundation. He has more than 30 years of experience in the industry, working in field engineering, project management, operations, pipeline safety and environmental, health and safety (EH&S). Hutchins graduated from New Mexico State University (NMSU) with a bachelor’s degree in Civil Engineering and later earned a master’s in Business Administration. He started his career as a Field Engineer for El Paso Natural Gas, one of Kinder Morgan’s interstate pipelines. He also worked as a project engineer and project manager for the International Boundary & Water Commission, an agency of the U.S. State Department. Hutchins has been serving in leadership positions with the Interstate Natural Gas Association of America’s EH&S Committee, Southern Gas Association’s Environmental Committee and American Gas Association’s Safety & Health Committee, Environmental Matters Committee and Environmental Regulatory Action Committee.

Wayne is a Mechanical Engineer, and a member of NASTT.  As President of HEBNA Corporation he brings extensive business and engineering consulting experience over a 20-year career.  As past founder, President & CEO of Innovative Pipeline Crossings (IPC), he was able to bring the direct pipe technology from Germany to North America for the 36-48” diameter pipe lines.  Prior to IPC, Wayne managed several design and engineering departments at AECOM, a global engineering company.
Wayne’s real life passion is with his activities in Africa, as co-founder of HOPEthiopia.

Jeremy Koster currently leads an operational support organization in the Natural Gas Industry with teams in Work Management, Operator Qualification, Technical Training, Continuous Improvement, Data Performance, and Technology Support and Strategy.

With most of his career in multi-state large construction and development operations he worked for over a decade structuring and building long term strategic partnerships and alliances within labor and supplier channels to gain quality, efficiency and loyalty.

This combined with experience in Six Sigma, Lean Sigma, Agile, DevOps, and historical project management, Jeremy propels a progressive and pragmatic approach to everyday business challenges requiring rapid or long term improvement and sustainability

Jeremy, originally from Central New York now resides in Charlotte, North Carolina with his wife Heather and 4 children.

Bradley Kramer is the managing editor of North American Oil & Gas Pipelines. He has been covering the underground construction market since 2005, when he joined Benjamin Media Inc. as a writer and editor for Trenchless Technology and Compact Equipment. Since 2008, Kramer has been focused on North America’s oil and gas pipeline construction and maintenance sector. He graduated from Kent State University with a Bachelors of Science in news and a Bachelors of Arts in English.

Kiona Meade has an Industrial Engineering degree from the University of Arizona.  She is a graduate of a rotational management training program within Schlumberger, with work experience all over the US, Gulf of Mexico and Algeria.  During her assignments, she worked with a variety of groups, including: Drilling & Environmental Solutions, Environmental Affairs, Global Regulatory Compliance - Chemicals, Training, Recruiting, and Production Technologies (PT).  As an introduction to PT, Kiona rotated between Pipeline Services, Research & Development, Sourcing, Purification Solutions, Field Work, ChemWatcher Remote Monitoring, Sales and Technical Services.

Kiona is currently the Global Midstream Technical Sales Engineer for Schlumberger, overseeing the Pipeline Services & EXKAL product lines, as well as contributing to flow assurance and asset integrity issues that may arise from midstream clients.

As the Director for Southeast Operations at Mears Group Inc. (A Quanta Services Company), Joe O’Donnell has more than 14 years of experience in the oil and gas pipeline industry as a contractor. He got his start in project management in the Northeast United States working on large natural gas distribution contracts. O’Donnell joined Mears Group in August 2013 and has held positions of Operations Manager and Director of Operations.

Jim Spigener is a Senior Vice President for DEKRA Insight, a consulting firm specializing in comprehensive safety solutions. Jim has helped hundreds of companies implement successful change initiatives in the fields of safety, quality, and leadership development. A dynamic speaker, Jim has presented at hundreds of national and international conferences and has published several articles on performance improvement.

A former steward of the OCAW labor union (now PACE), Jim’s experience on both the shop floor and in the management office gives him a unique perspective on organizational dynamics and an uncanny ability to motivate an audience to see new points of view.

Laura joined Caterpillar in 2014 as Regional Chief Economist for the Energy and Transportation group. E&T includes a diverse set of industries, from electric power and oil & gas to marine and rail. In this role, she advises the E&T segments on the current macroeconomic conditions and forecasts that impact their industries in addition to forecasting oil and natural gas prices for the company. Prior to joining CAT, Laura has extensive prior experience in the Energy sector, having spent 15 years with Southern Company, one of the largest electric utilities in the US and its subsidiaries.  In addition, Laura holds a PhD in Applied Economics from Clemson University.

Prior to founding GSPH, Mr. Smith founded Underground Solutions, Inc. (OTC:UGSI), an infrastructure technology company that developed pipeline technologies.  He served as President and CEO until 2005.  UGSI had sales of $50M, and was sold to Aegion Corp. (NASDAQ:AEGN) for $90M in 2016.

Mr. Smith founded several construction firms in the Pittsburgh area, focused on industrial construction services, as we all residential construction and remodeling.

Mr. Smith holds several patents covering various pipeline installation and rehabilitation technologies and is a pioneer in Trenchless Technologies and a thought leader in 3-D mapping.

Mr. Stechschulte graduated from Trine University with a bachelor of science degree in civil engineering in 2003. He joined Marathon Petroleum Corporation (MPC) in 2003 as a pipeline engineer in Findlay, Ohio.  Throughout his career at MPC, Mr. Stechschulte has held various engineering, operations, and commercial positions in the marketing and transportation engineering, transportation and logistics, and pipeline organizations.

In August 2016, Mr. Stechschulte assumed his current position where he leads commercial and engineering development of growth projects, including within the Utica shale,  for Marathon Pipe Line LLC, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Marathon Petroleum Corporation. In his current role, he manages commercial growth opportunities for Marathon Pipe Line LLC and MPLX LP.

Mr. Stechschulte is a registered professional engineer in the state of Ohio.

John (J.C.) Thomas III serves as Director of External Affairs for Sempra Infrastructure, which develops, builds and operates wind, solar, storage, liquefied natural gas facilities and midstream natural gas infrastructure in North America. In his position, Thomas is responsible for governmental affairs, community relations, media and marketing strategies for the company. Prior to his current role, he has held positions with Sempra Energy and its subsidiaries Sempra International and San Diego Gas & Electric. His career has spanned international affairs, regulatory affairs, customer service, public affairs and fire safety preparedness. Before joining SDG&E in 2002, Thomas served as regional director of government relations for a broadband telecommunications company. Prior to that, he served as chief of staff, chief of policy and advisor to a San Diego City Council Member. He began his career as an intern with the Mayor of San Diego in 1993. Thomas currently serves on the Smart Border Coalition Board of Directors, San Diego Fire-Rescue Foundation Board of Directors, San Diego Diplomacy Council and the Institute of

Lou Thompson is a tribal relations specialist with an expertise in NEPA, the National Historic Preservation Act and facilitating relationships between pipeline companies and federally recognized Native American tribes. Lou has been employed in the private sector and government for over 20 years responsible for working with tribal communities throughout North America.  He was a Tribal Relations Department Manager for a large international energy company and was a senior procurement specialist for an American Indian Procurement Technical Center, handling large and complex procurement projects. Lou is owner and founder of Tribal Energy Resource, LLC and is currently involved with numerous high profile pipeline projects. He is a Switzer Fellow and holds a B.S. in Environmental Science and a M.S. in Community Economic Development.

T. Minh Tran, who was a Vietnamese refugee, arrived in Greenville, S.C., in April 1975 and graduated from Clemson University with a degree in Mechanical Engineering. Minh joined Piedmont Natural Gas in 1985 and had held various positions. In his last role before retirement at Piedmont, he was the Managing Director Construction, overseeing all distribution pipeline construction. Minh has more than 31 years of experience in the energy field and has remained active in several professional organizations. He was member of both the American Gas Association and Southern Gas Association’s Managing Committees for Utility Operations. Away from his professional life, Minh served on several Boards of Directors, including the Spartanburg Chamber of Commerce, United Ways of Coastal Carolinas and Spartanburg Community College Foundation. He currently serves on the Charlotte International House Board of Directors. Minh’s commitment to inclusion is evident through his leadership on many diversity initiatives. He is a Riley Institute Diversity Fellow at Furman University. He is also a graduate of the Charlotte’s

Greg Ward joined CoServ in 1997 as a lineman.  Throughout his career he has worked as a Staking Engineer, Project Manager, Marketing Representative, Business Development Manager, Director of Engineering Services, Director of Construction Management & Logistics and Senior Director of Operations.

Greg is certified in NRECA’s Robert I. Kabat Management Internship Program for Executive Management. He holds a Bachelor of Science and a Master of Business Administration from Texas Woman’s University.

Robert Wilds is Director of Pipeline for the International Union of Operating Engineers (IUOE). He got his start in the pipeline industry in 1986, working in the field as an Operating Engineer. Wilds has worked pipeline projects for the largest part of his career in the field, serving as an operator on projects throughout the United States. Wilds also served as an instructor for the IUOE/PLCA National Pipeline Training program from 1999 to 2009. From 2009 to 2010, he was IUOE Local No. 66 Dispatcher and serviced as the union’s Special Pipeline Representative from 2010 to 2016, before being named Director of Pipeline in 2016.

Robert Williamson is a member of the Sac and Fox Nation of Oklahoma. Robert is a Cultural Leader of the tribe and has served as a Council member. Robert currently sits on the Sac and Fox Business Committee who are responsible for oil and gas development.