American Oil and Gas Reporter - July 2018 - 41

Industry In Motion

30th Energy Summit Hits Big Themes
By Dan Haley and Sara Reynolds
DENVER-This is a special year for
the Colorado Oil & Gas Association as
we prepare to host our 30th annual conference, The Energy Summit. Our focus
for 2018 is "Growth. Expectations. Opportunities."
With a number of exciting speakers
and presentations, conference attendees
are in for an unforgettable experience
that will send them back to work better
equipped to handle the challenges facing
our industry. Over two days, speakers
will explore the growth opportunities afforded to our businesses; the expectations
that come with domestic and global leadership; and the opportunities to provide
a cleaner energy future, a safer industry
and a better world.
The Energy Summit will examine
how oil and natural gas development
seems to be at the center of local and national politics and what that means as
we emerge from a commodity price down
cycle. Our discussion will consider the
United States' new position as the world's
energy leader, and how this mantle of
global leadership comes with expectations
and opportunities, both at home and
abroad. Another big subject is how recent
years' innovation and technological advancements have boosted oil and natural
gas companies' efficiency and productivity, and how they have propelled our
industry to the forefront of technology
and science. Moreover, we will explore
how these advancements will help solve
the issues that industry is grappling with
in boardrooms, on investor calls, in political circles and on the global stage.
Conference Co-Chair John Harpole
indicates he is particularly looking forward
to the panel on private equity. "I get so
many questions about whether Colorado
is seen as risky, but all of the best innovation is happening right here," he says.

"We have learned how to leverage technology to influence what's happening on
the political front, and that in turn has allowed us to mitigate and alleviate a lot of
risk for investors."
Many people attend The Energy Summit for the opportunity to make connections and have thoughtful conversations
with industry leaders. In addition to the
presentations and speakers, our expo hall
and opening night party provide an unparalleled chance to network with peers
and leading service providers.
"At the expo, you will network with
your peers while exploring the latest technology industry has to offer, including
technology related to safety and cybersecurity," says Conference Co-Chair Matt
Wurtzbacher. "I always leave the expo
with ideas to improve our operation."
Attendees also can tee off their week
by participating in The Energy Summit's
golf tournament at the pristine Bear Dance
Golf Course in Larkspur, Co., where it is
not unheard of to see an actual bear sauntering across the 18th green.
Day One Details
The quality of The Energy Summit's
content and insights set it apart. The high
level of participation and diversity fosters
a true exchange of ideas.
Day one will kick off with an executive forum on "Infrastructure in the DJ
and Beyond." To meet near-term national
and global demand, aging infrastructure
poses significant challenges to the energy
sector. This includes supply security,
reliability and resiliency, along with
regulatory challenges and other uncertainties, as new projects can face public
backlash. We will explore infrastructure
issues, including take-away capacity,
flaring and current needs. The focus
will start on the Denver-Julesburg Basin
and expand to include the challenges in
other basins and how they compare with
the DJ. Speakers at the executive forum

will include Scot Woodall, chief executive officer of HighPoint Resources;
Crystal Heter, president of Interstate
Gas Pipelines at Tallgrass Energy Partners; Wouter Van Kempen, chairman,
president and CEO of DCP Midstream;
and Charlie Beecherl, manager at Cureton Midstream.
Mid-morning, we will look at what
happens to a company's culture after a
large acquisition, bankruptcy restructuring
or when a new CEO takes over. The
panel will explore changes in workforce
dynamics, how to create the culture you
want for success and how to keep employees engaged and successful in times
of massive change. It will include panelists
such as Brad Holly, CEO of Whiting Petroleum and David Keyte, president and
CEO of Caerus Oil and Gas.
The day's lunchtime keynote speaker
will be journalist and author Robert Bryce,
who will discuss his upcoming documentary and book, both titled Juice. Bryce
has traveled the world, from Lebanon, to
India, to Puerto Rico, to document how
"electricity explains the world."
"It is the great equalizer," he describes.
Bryce deems electricity inequality,
"the disconnect between the electricity
rich and the electricity poor," as the defining challenge of the 21st century. He
will explore how the health, life expectancies and quality of life of people across
the globe hinges on the single question
of whether they are able to turn their
lights on in the morning.
Afternoon panels on trade and private
equity providers' opinion of Colorado
will offer can't-miss conversations. Global
trade dynamics have changed considerably
under President Trump, and that panel
will explore the implications for liquefied
natural gas exports and other projects.
Meanwhile, the panel on private equity
will examine the latest innovations to
mitigate risk and consider how Colorado
compares with other basins.
JULY 2018 41

American Oil and Gas Reporter - July 2018

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