SINGLE IN THE CITY: The dating Buddha

MOTORHEAD: 2009 Suzuki GZ125 Marauder

First Posted: 8/26/2014 In early August, I traveled with members of the Philadelphia chapter of American Association of Blacks in Energy (AABE), American Petroleum Institute (API) and Marcellus Shale Coalition (MSC) to tour Cabot Oil & Gas Hawk J well pad. We also toured the Lackawanna College School of Petroleum & Natural Gas.
Our tour highlighted three major areas: field operations &#8211; from upstream to downstream, supplier chain outreach and education. These areas are integral to our ability to harness this emerging energy source and ultimately change the outlook of our communities long-term.
In addition to the highlighted areas on our tour, there are competitive challenges that are of even greater importance: lack of predictability and certainty and the dire need for infrastructure build-out in the Northeast Pennsylvania takeaway.
I mention predictability and infrastructure because these challenges need to be resolved in order to keep operators working. When operators are working, they employ supply-chain vendors in greater numbers. Supply chain outreach and significant engagement is of great importance to minority business owners. Not only do we need to be active and engage our elected officials we also need to create opportunities. We should examine the industry, break it down and get in where we fit in.
This is where the will, the work ethic and the &#8220;what if?&#8221; comes into play.
So what if you owned a truck with a trailer and leased it to a major carrier who in-turn hired you to drive it? This reduces liability and you begin to build a business relationship.
What if your minority firm specializes in electronics? Couldn&#8217;t you supply and maintain the point-to- point microwave relay switches that monitor and manage the gas separators?
Are you a Eealtor? Couldn&#8217;t you transfer those skills into those of a landman? Find where you fit in and create the opportunity.
These are the kinds of conversations that I&#8217;ve had with other African American business owners and those vested in the industry. These conversations are not uniquely ours.
What is uniquely ours, to a certain degree, is our interest in work force development for urban youth.
There is an absence of awareness and exposure of the industry in many urban communities. Infrastructure build out will create downstream job opportunities and regenerate the manufacturing base. This is where there is a more concentrated African American population. Accessibility to the jobs and/or going to where the jobs are is challenging for some.
So where is that happy medium? For these reasons, our tour group was particularly interested in seeing Lackawanna College School of Petroleum & Natural Gas.
We were given an overview of the history and background of the school, the four different associates in science degrees offered and a tour of the labs. We were able to see first-hand how the lean curriculum met the needs of employers hiring the graduates.
With a 90 percent job placement rate, the collaborative efforts of Cabot Oil & Gas and all others involved is certainly something to be proud of. I can say that these types of best practices are what many on our tour hope to replicate in other parts of the state.
This is a journey that I am hopeful those empowered to effect change will support, because we have been provided such an abundant resource in natural gas. So let&#8217;s find the will, maintain the work ethic and always ask &#8230; what if?
So the perspective I offer as an African American woman who happened to work in the petrochemical industry some years ago is one that may not differ from others when considering the opportunities. Where I may have a different opinion is on the pathway in which each of us obtain our level of success within the industry.

Able-bodied workforce must rise to the occasion