These days it seems you can’t pick up a newspaper or turn on a radio without hearing about lawmakers, policies and tax codes relating to the Bakken oil fields. There are many folks these days related to oil and gas scrambling, recalculating and dealing with reality.
This reality of volatile oil prices has produced some who are worried and anxious. And then there are some who are, well, let’s call it “deer in the headlights” syndrome. My uncle Keith used to call it “the paralysis of analysis.” Personally, I refer to that moment in time realizing you have so many hurdles, unknowns and obstacles presented to you; it is easier to go into a corner and curl up into the fetal position and rock back and forth.
Then there there are those who are going to their respective well pad everyday. Those who are hauling hot oil, and those who are, dare I say it, pushing paper in cubicles. The oil and gas machine continues. Part of that machine is giving back to the community.
After being submerged in Big Oil exclusively for the past three and a half years, I can honestly say one of the biggest elements of oil and gas missing in the media coverage is their community development and event planning.
Sure there is a story here and there, but they are primarily surface and quick hit articles. Or the dollars of a donation make the headline overshadowing all the blood, sweat and tears put into the community event.
Looking deeper into the community relations portion of oil and gas, it a amazing how much administering, organizing and volunteering employees of Big Oil donate. Whether it is a blood drive or a BBQ or a Holiday concert, these events are designed to give the public a community offering designed to improve their quality of life.
“We’ve got to make sure we have quality of life throughout North Dakota and certainly throughout western North Dakota. And with the energy development and the growth come growing pains and we have to address those, and that certainly means state, federal and local governments, but the private sector being good corporate citizens and company partners, ” US Senator Hoeven (ND-R) said. “This is a long term energy play and long term growth and development for our great state. We need to continue to work together in the public and private sector to maintain and continue to grow that quality of life. There is a lot more to do here because of the growing pains but we are committed to improving the quality of life for the people.”
One event that perfectly sums up gathering a gaggle of logistics and executing them is Pick Up the Patch,launched in April 2012 by the North Dakota Petroleum Council. According to the NDPC, thousands of miles of roadways have been cleaned and the program won a Chairman’s Stewardship Environmental Partnership Award from the Interstate Oil and Gas Compact Commission in 2013. This takes multiple agencies, departments, companies and ride shares. These “giving back” hours can often can become more burdensome than benevolent for a company, yet they continue to give back and volunteer.
EnerPlus is one company involved with Pick Up with Patch and Jessie Koerner, Communications/Public Affairs Coordinator, believes it has been a success for more than clean reasons.
“Pick Up the Patch has been a great event to participate in. Last year we went to work on the Mandaree basketball courts, playground, and surrounding area,” Koerner said. “The various events set a strong tone for all of us at the beginning of spring that as we emerge from the cold weather into spending more time outdoors, we need to take care of our surroundings.”
Koerner sees the donation of time and money as more than community building, but also relationship building.
“Our priorities are safety, and being a responsible operator. Engaging with our stakeholders, and being involved with the communities where we operate, allows us to answer questions, to foster relationships, and to build trust;” Koerner said. “It’s also a fun part of our jobs, whether it’s face-painting at a Pow Wow, or supporting a music teacher’s effort to bring instruments into her classroom. The energy we take out of the ground has to be matched by the energy we put into our communities.”
Patricia Hove, Finance Specialist, Neset Consulting Service, sees community events like Pick up the Patch gaining ground in their respective communities.
“I have been in charge of Tioga’s Pick Up the Patch for the past couple years and each year seems to be getting bigger and better. Not only have we just had local companies and volunteers but we have also had companies and volunteers from the surrounding communities come help out,” Hove said. “I think that each year we have done the Pick Up the Patch in Tioga it has been a huge success. Each year we cover more miles than the last. This benefits the community in a way of appearance. The main area we cover is coming in from Highway 2 to Tioga. Ditches completely full of garbage is not what we want newcomers first impression of Tioga to be.”
Hove sees Neset Consulting as a leader in community development, spanning beyond oil and gas interests.
“Neset Consulting Service employees have been part of numerous events that have taken place in our community. Whether it be a local golf tournament or the Million Barrel Party that Neset Consulting Service hosted for the North Dakota Petroleum Council and the State of North Dakota,” Hove said. “Neset Consulting Service has been very eager to help put on events that benefit not only our industry but also our community. Kathleen Neset, President of Neset Consulting Service is on the board of many local and statewide organizations. Therefore her employees get the opportunity to take part in many of events that take place in our community as well as statewide.”
MBI Energy Services is another company who has been active in community relations and event engineering since the oil activity returned to the state. Tiffany Steiner, marketing and communications director, organizes and participates in all the event trade shows and industry gatherings, but also community events like Pick Up the Patch, MBI’s Make A Wish Foundation BBQ, the Angel Tree and their next community fundraiser The API Gumbo Cook Off February 21, 2015.
According to API’s (American Petroleum Institute) website, the annual API Dickinson Chapter Gumbo Cook-Off raises about $10,000 a year for scholarships and other charities. MBI has hopes to top that number in 2015. Additionally, if you are marking your calendars, MBI’s 3rd annual Make A Wish BBQ is scheduled for June 19 in Dickinson.
The reality of volunteering additional hours to community endeavors is just as real as the current oil prices. Even with the current drop, energy companies are still planning events, donating money and building communities. All signs of a good economy and healthy community growth.
At the heart of any free market, giving back time and money is paramount to its success. It’s the way the Capitalism Cycle has always worked. Koerner understand this and believes EnerPlus back it up with action.
“Our nearly 150 employees donated over 3,000 hours of service in 2013 in North Dakota, Montana, and Colorado. Many also support Enerplus’ event sponsorships, or industry events with their participation. Last summer, nearly half of our field staff in North Dakota and Montana – roughly 25 people – helped with city centennials and annual town festivals. We had a strong presence at the Mandaree Pow Wow as well, with 10-15 employees there each day. It’s easy to get people to come out and support local events; there’s a genuine care and responsibility when it comes to our communities.”
Koerner continued peeling the layers and hit on one of the main points in the success of all these non profit and community events – manpower over money power.
“It’s great to be able to support various community ventures financially – sometimes that’s what’s needed over direct manpower. Enerplus is a hands-on company, though. I’m proud to say that our monthly Adopt-a-Well program with the 8th graders at Mandaree School is a very popular event for employees to present at. Coworkers want to take the initiative to participate in parades, and hand out candy,” Koerner said. “In events where we help fix-up houses, or playgrounds, I’ve even learned which of my colleagues I’ll be calling to help retile a bathroom, or fix my sink! The bottom line is that not only do Enerplus employees work in North Dakota, they live there, too. When we support a community initiative, we’re taking care of each other, our neighbors, and the people we haven’t had a chance to meet yet.”
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