American Oil and Gas Reporter - October 2017 - 101

and responsibly. This is a conversation
that will continue for several years."
Haley suggests operators in Colorado
have made significant progress in adapting
their operations to a changed community
landscape.
"Our operators understand they need
a social license to operate in Colorado
and that can be very different than elsewhere," he describes. "It is not unique to
our industry. In society today, people
have become used to getting their questions
answered immediately and operators have
to be responsive."
Evolving Summit
COGA's biggest event of the year and
its largest revenue source was a big success,
Haley reports. The annual Energy Summit
counted more attendees, sponsors and exhibitors than in 2016, reports Sarah Sandberg, COGA's chief operating officer.
"Our final count was 1,238 attendees,"
Sandberg details. "Our program and the
quality of our exhibitors were very successful in getting folks to the summit."
Among them, she cites programs aimed
at millennials and presentations about
how companies use data to improve efficiency and reduce costs. "This year's
theme was Cleaner Better Further Safer
and our program delivered," she adds.
COGA says its Board of Directors
and staff maintain an ongoing discussion
about adapting the Summit to maintain
its relevance in an industry that increasingly is led by young people with different
ideas about how to network and gather
information.
"The nature of industry events is changing and we have to change with it," Sandberg maintains. "It is an important discussion that we continue to have with
our members."
The association feted three individuals
at the 2017 ES.
Chris Wright, chief executive officer
at Liberty Oilfield Services in Denver,
was presented the Industry Advocate
Award. COGA recognized Wright for
"his passion for energy and its role in
making human life better," Haley describes. "He regularly speaks to communities about these benefits and doesn't
hold back when commenting about what
the industry needs to do differently."
Craig McMillin, chief operating officer
at Eagle Automation in Denver, was
named the 2017 Emerging Leader. Haley
notes McMillin is described as a "born
leader," who has mentored to "countless
up-and-comers in the industry." Haley
also cites the acknowledgement of
McMillin's peers for his "ability to jump
into any situation and inspire people with
his intelligence and work ethic."

Ken Wonstolen, an attorney at Bill Barrett Corp., was honored with a COGA
Lifetime Achievement Award. Wonstolen,
former COGA staff counsel, was recognized
for his "tenacity and wealth of knowledge
about the industry," Haley details. "He
has touched almost every statute and nuanced regulation affecting the industry in
Colorado. His advocating for principled
policies earned him the respect of colleagues, regulators and elected officials."
Awards And Events
With the 2017 Energy Summit behind
it, COGA is preparing for its 33rd Annual
Meeting Luncheon, scheduled for Thursday, Nov. 9, at Denver's Marriott City
Center. According to COGA, networking
begins at 10:30 a.m., followed by the
luncheon at 11:30 a.m.
That constitutes only a portion of
COGA's undertakings, initiatives and
events in the latter part of the year. In
September, COGA reported that member
companies raised nearly $10 million to
support relief efforts in Texas and Louisiana
in the wake of Hurricane Harvey.
September also saw COGA support
Energy Day 2017, a free family festival
showcasing science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) at Denver's East High School, an event that organizers say is intended to encourage
students to meet industry experts and educators and spark interest in related careers.
Haley also points to COGA's efforts
to develop and host member events through
the course of the year. The group sponsors
regular Lunch & Learn sessions for members that cover a variety of topics and
generally are hosted by a producer or
service company. Educational sessions
that dive deeper into topics of interest
are held quarterly under the Experts &
Eats banner, and other opportunities include Quiz Night and networking events,
Small Operator Half-Days, workshops
and a speakers bureau.
COGA also was title sponsor this year
of the COGA Elite Cycling Team that
participated in several premier cycling
events across the country, Haley notes.
"Bicycle racing helps us reach a voting
demographic outside of the typical oil
and gas community," he relates.
❒

This month's
website exclusives:

Study Emphasizes
Favorable
Economics of
Natural Gas in
Power Generation
U.S. Department
of Energy

Geologic Analysis
Identiﬁes Sites for
Appalachian NGL
Storage Hub
West Virginia
University
What's popular at aogr.com:

Frac Facts:
The latest in delivery
systems & proppants and
of course, current and
future oil & gas prices
updated every 11 minutes!
North America

1-800-847-8301
International

001-316-788-6271

Coming In November
The MWD/LWD & Geosteering
special reports, featuring field case
studies from the Delaware Basin.

www.aogr.com
OCTOBER 2017 101

http://www.aogr.com http://www.aogr.com

American Oil and Gas Reporter - October 2017

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of American Oil and Gas Reporter - October 2017