American Oil and Gas Reporter - August 2017 - 107

of the association's website and creating
a new EKOGA logo. "We want to communicate with current members, but we
also want to communicate with potential
new members and tell them reasons why
they should join," Eberhart said at the
time (AOGR, August 2013, pg. 137).
As to the committee structure, he says,
"People assumed roles, but we didn't
have any formal committee chairs. Today,
we have a half dozen committees from
regulatory and legislative to marketing
and fundraising.
"We wanted to make sure all our
board members had opportunities to serve
in areas they wanted to, and that each
committee chair had people he could rely
on to help him accomplish goals," Eberhart
expands.
Reorganizing in the midst of a downturn hasn't been easy, reflects Cornish.
"It has been tough because our membership is down," he acknowledges. "It has
been a challenge to keep operating and
to make these improvements."
But like the industry it serves, Cornish
expresses faith in EKOGA's continued
viability. "I have worked around the oil
business all my life, so I have seen a few
of these," he states. "Things are a little
different this time in that it went deeper,
faster, although (the 1986 downturn) lasted
longer. But what you have to do as an op-

erator or service company is the same."
A downturn affects a service company
differently than it does a producer, Cornish
suggests. "Service companies depend on
new drilling, for the most part," he explains. "That always is the first thing to
go. Depending on how deep the recession
goes, a producer may lose 40-60 percent
of his revenue. The straight service company can lose much more than that."
2017 Annual Meeting
Events surrounding EKOGA's 2017
annual meeting begin Tuesday, Sept. 12,
with a workshop presented by the Petroleum Technology Transfer Council titled
"Eastern Kansas Oil Field Essentials."
According to PTTC Mid-Continent
Regional Lead Jeremy Viscomi, morning
and afternoon sessions will feature:
* Drilling and drilling fluids, presented
by Chris McGown of McGown Drilling;
* Cement essentials, presented by
Jake Heard of Hurricane Services Inc.;
* Eastern Kansas fracture case studies,
presented by Ron Calaway of QES Pressure Pumping;
* Pumping innovations and essentials,
presented by Mark Burris of Precision
International; and
* Logging and "getting the most from
your service company," as well as a panel
on digital oil field tools.

The convention proper gets under way
with registration and the opening of the
annual trade show at 8 a.m. on Wednesday,
Sept. 13, says Cornish. The annual membership meeting convenes at 10:30 a.m.,
followed by a Board of Directors meeting
and lunch at noon.
Cornish says the trade show closes at
3 p.m., and the President's Reception &
Social commences at 6 p.m., followed
by the annual banquet, 22nd Annual Anything Goes Auction, and keynote speaker,
retired Lieutenant Colonel and author
Allen B. West, who describes himself as
"one of the most authentic voices in conservative politics."
West is a third-generation serviceman
whose 22-year Army career included
serving in Operation Desert Storm and
Iraqi Freedom, in which he was a battalion
commander. His military honors include
a Bronze Star and three Meritorious Service Medals.
In November 2010, West was elected
to Congress from Florida's 22nd District
for one term. Since then he has worked
as a Fox News contributor, senior fellow
at the London Center for Policy Research,
and writer.
Convention activities conclude Thursday, Sept. 14, with the annual EKOGA
golf tournament on Prairie Band's Firekeeper Golf Course.
r

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