American Oil and Gas Reporter - July 2019 - 87

ConventionSection: Independent Petroleum Association of New Mexico
Holding Steady
Active participation in rule makings
and holding a seat at the table during the
legislative session keep the IPANM Executive Board and staff busy throughout
the year, Thomas observes. He adds that
despite consolidations and relocations,
association membership and interest in
the annual meeting remain strong.
"The board tasked (Winchester) with
growing our membership despite the challenges," Thomas relates. "We are seeing
lots of new players in northwestern New
Mexico and in the Delaware (in the Permian
Basin), and we see companies relocating
their headquarters from the small towns to
the major hubs in Houston and Denver."
The IPANM membership roster has remained steady at 350 since the industry revival in 2017, but the players have changed,
Winchester says, commenting, "This is especially true because of new acquisitions
in the San Juan Basin and a mad scramble
for acreage in the red-hot Permian."
He says a majority of members, both
new and old, are affiliated with independent oil and gas producers and operators, but the association also draws from
the large integrated companies, service
companies, law firms and even from communications firms, among others.
"The diverse backgrounds among our
members provides a nice variety of perspective for the issues we face," Winchester
offers.
Throughout various changes, he adds,
IPANM has stayed true to its guiding
principle: be the voice of the independent
in New Mexico.
This year's annual meeting continues
a change begun last year when the meeting venue was moved to Albuquerque.
In the association's earlier years, the
meeting venue changed with a traditional
northwest-to-southwest rotation that coincided with the chairman's locale. Winchester credits the central venue for improving attendance numbers and sponsorships last year.
Both are expected to do well again
this year, with sponsorships for the 2019
meeting surpassing 2018's level by July
1, he reports.
With the uncertain outlook brought
by the Lujan Grisham administration, the
tone of the association's annual meeting
could have descended into doom-andgloom, Thomas speculates. That will not
happen this year, he assures.
"We have so much going for us in
New Mexico," Thomas offers. "We are

seeing new dollars, new production and
new opportunities for independents. We
expect a lot of positive energy this year.
Our agenda highlights the new outlook
at IPANM and what we are doing for our
members. The dynamics in our industry
have changed and we want to share that
energy with our members to keep the
buzz going."
The theme for this year's meeting,
"Addressing Operator Needs in 2019,"

includes providing members with stories
about the positive impact oil and gas activity-and the jobs and revenue that come
with it-is having across the state, Winchester says.
"These record sums of money coming
into the state are affecting all walks of
life. We can see it in public safety, healthcare
and education. These stories are exciting,
and this is what we should be talking
about in our communities," he avers. ❒

-l

In the Permian Basin, we can set up a site visit on a live well.

JULY 2019 87

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American Oil and Gas Reporter - July 2019

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