Energy Players

The Houston Exploration Co. has named Robert T. Ray senior vice president and CFO. Ray now oversees the corporate accounting and reporting functions, finance, planning and treasury capacities, and investor relations. Most recently Ray was employed as senior vice president, CFO, and treasurer of Group 1 Automotive, a Fortune 500 automotive retailer. Prior to that he worked for more than 13 years at Dynegy Inc., where he held several senior positions in finance and corporate development, lastly serving as senior vice president and treasurer. He also has professional experience in the areas of banking, public accounting, and petroleum engineering. Ray received a bachelor’s degree in petroleum engineering from The University of Texas at Austin and master’s degrees in finance and accounting from the University of Houston. The Houston Exploration Co. is an independent natural gas and crude oil producer engaged in the development, exploitation, exploration, and acquisition of natural gas and crude oil properties. The company’s operations are focused in South Texas, the Arkoma Basin, the Rocky Mountains, and offshore in the shallow waters of the Gulf of Mexico. Additional production is located in East Texas.

Organizational changes made at Valero Energy

Valero Energy Corp. made organizational changes as Bill Klesse, former COO, assumed the role of CEO.

Marcoglies

Rich Marcogliese, senior vice president of refinery operations, has been elected executive vice president of operations by Valero’s board. In addition to overseeing Valero’s 18 refineries located throughout North America and the Caribbean, Marcogliese will oversee the company’s Canadian operation headquartered in Montreal, Canada, and Valero’s logistics operations and development. After 26 years with Exxon, Marcogliese joined Valero in 2000 and has held executive positions in refinery operations and strategic planning.

Joe Gorder, senior vice president of corporate development, has been elected to the new position of executive vice president of marketing and supply. He will oversee retail and specialty products marketing, wholesale marketing, crude and feedstock supply and trading, products trading, planning and economics, and transportation. Gorder joined Valero in 2002 after working for a regional investment banking firm. He previously worked for Ultramar Diamond Shamrock in corporate development, commercial and industrial sales, treasury, and information systems.

Edwards

Gene Edwards, senior vice president of product supply and trading and wholesale marketing, has been elected to the position of executive vice president of corporate development and strategic planning. He will oversee market and economic analysis, corporate development, strategic capital review, and strategic planning. Edwards joined Valero in 1982 and has served in many different areas including planning and economics and refinery operations.

Valero Energy Corp. is a Fortune 500 company based in San Antonio, with approximately 22,000 employees and expected annual revenue of more than $75 billion. The company owns and operates 18 refineries throughout the United States, Canada, and the Caribbean with a combined throughput capacity of approximately 3.3 million barrels per day, making it the largest refiner in North America.

Falkland Oil & Gas makes CEO selection

Falkland Oil & Gas Ltd., the oil and gas exploration company operating in the undrilled South and East Falkland Basins, has appointed Tim Bushell as CEO. John Armstrong, the founding chairman of the company, retired as chairman to be replaced by Richard Liddell, who became non-executive chairman on January 1, 2006. Armstrong will remain on the board as a non-executive director.

Tim Bushell joins FOGL from Paladin Resources PLC where he has been managing director, Norway, since 2001. Tim joined Paladin from Lasmo where he worked for 10 years, including a role as manager of Lasmo’s North Sea assets and general manager of its South Atlantic business unit, which included the drilling campaign in the North Falklands Basin in 1998. Prior to joining Lasmo, he spent time at Ultramar, British Gas, and Schlumberger.

Richard Liddell, chairman of FOGL, said, “We have steadily strengthened the management team at FOGL in line with the growing potential of our licenses. With the opportunity now far bigger than originally envisaged, it was clear that the company needed a full time chief executive. Tim brings with him international exploration and development experience and knowledge of the Falklands. I am confident that Tim and the team will be able to capitalize on the momentum that FOGL has already established.”

Miller Petroleum taps Cooper as CFO

Huntsville, Tenn.-based Miller Petroleum Inc. has named Lyle H. Cooper CFO.

“We believe Lyle’s experience with publicly traded companies, the financial workings of the oil and gas industry, and tax management will be a substantial asset to Miller Petroleum as the company pursues the recent $10 million joint venture with Wind City Oil and Gas LLC,” said Deloy Miller, CEO. “We are pleased to add him to our management team.” Cooper brings 38 years of CPA experience and SEC work. As a prior member of the SEC Practice Section, he has performed audits of public companies. He was also a tax manager with a national accounting firm. Cooper has ownership interest in oil wells in South-central Kentucky and direct knowledge of the financial management requirements of oil and gas companies. Miller Petroleum is a publicly traded, fully integrated, gas and oil exploration and production company. The company is rapidly increasing natural gas reserves in the Appalachian Basin. Miller’s gas market is readily accessible through the company’s infrastructure of gas lines.

POSC adds Clark as president, CEO

Clark

Petrotechnical Open Standards Consortium Inc. (POSC), a global provider of information and business process standards for the upstream oil and gas industry, has appointed Randy W. Clark the new president and CEO. Clark will be based in the company headquarters in Houston and joins POSC with more than twenty-five years of experience in the industry, including ten years with Baker Hughes in Houston. Most recently, he was a senior vice president of cc-hubwoo/Trade-Ranger, an electronic marketplace for indirect goods, whose members include many oil and gas companies such as Shell, Total, Statoil, and ConocoPhillips. Additionally, Clark has been active in many global e-business standards development efforts, such as ebXML, UN/CEFACT, CEN/ISSS. He also chairs the Petroleum Industry Data eXchange (PIDX), the e-commerce subcommittee of the American Petroleum Institute.

Clark holds a bachelor of science degree and MBA degrees from Texas universities. He also holds a professional certification in new product development from the Product Development and Management Association.

Hodgson appointed interim CFO at Sonoran Energy

John S. “Jack” Hodgson has been appointed interim CFO of Sonoran Energy Inc. Hodgson will provide his services under a contract with Sonoran Energy. He replaces Jordan-based Rasheed Rafidi who stepped down as CFO December 31, 2005. The company expects to hire a permanent CFO in the second quarter of 2006 for which Hodgson is a candidate. Peter Rosenthal, president and CEO commented, “We are pleased to have secured the services of Jack Hodgson through this period of growth and transition for Sonoran Energy - Jack’s appointment underscores Sonoran Energy’s approach to tapping into world-class talent to achieve its strategic goals. Jack brings with him over 25 years of corporate finance experience managing companies’ financial activities across a broad spectrum of industries. He has overseen all facets of corporate finance, administration, accounting, SEC reporting, investor relations and financial planning and analysis, and has worked for several US public companies trading on the NYSE, AMEX, and NASDAQ exchanges.” Hodgson’s experience includes roles as senior vice president and CFO of FEI Co. and vice president and CFO for Integrated Process Equipment Corp., both technology firms. He was also vice president of finance for Dover Corp., a Fortune 200 multi-industry manufacturer. He has been directly involved with several successful public offerings, raising over $1 billion in capital for various public high technology companies. Hodgson received his MBA from Hofstra University and a BS in business administration from Manhattan College. Sonoran Energy is a US-based independent oil and gas company with assets in North America, North Africa, the Middle East, and the Caspian region.

Texas American Resources names Mike Wichterich CFO and senior VP

Texas American Resources Co. has appointed Mike Wichterich as senior vice president and CFO. Wichterich comes to TARC from New Braunfels Utilities. Prior to NBU, Wichterich spent seven years with Mariner Energy Inc. ultimately holding the position of vice president of finance and administration and CFO. He began his career with PriceWaterhouseCoopers (formally Coopers & Lybrand) in Houston, Texas where he served for nine years in various capacities within the audit practice. Wichterich received his bachelor’s degree in business administration from the University of Texas at Austin in 1989 and is a Certified Public Accountant. “We are extremely pleased to have Mike become a part of our executive management team,” commented David Honeycutt, president. “His finance and accounting experience and his leadership skills will be a welcome addition to our organization.” Texas American Resources Co. is a privately-held, independent energy company headquartered in Austin, Texas. Since its founding in 1990, TARC has focused on the acquisition and exploitation of proved or near proved properties in the Mid-Continent, Gulf Coast, and Rocky Mountain regions of the United States.

Halliburton names Nunez vice president and treasurer

Nunez

Houston-based Halliburton has selected Craig Nunez to serve as vice president and treasurer. He replaces Preston Holsinger, 63, who will transition from this role to remain with Halliburton as vice president, finance. In this role, Nunez is responsible for managing the company’s global cash, debt, foreign exchange, capital structure, risk management and customer credit, and collection functions. “Craig brings exceptional financial management skills and expertise to Halliburton,” said Cris Gaut, executive vice president and CFO, Halliburton. “His established success in the energy and investment communities positions him well for this role, where he will be an asset to the company.” Nunez, an 18-year finance and operations veteran, has experience spanning 22 countries and a wide range of business settings. Since 1999, Nunez served as treasurer for Colonial Pipeline Co. Prior to that, he held a number of increasingly responsible financial and operating positions with Phillips Petroleum Co. He started his career as a bond salesman with Greenwich Capital Markets Inc. Nunez received his bachelor’s and juris doctorate degrees from Louisiana State University before earning a master of business administration with honors from Duke University. He serves on the board for Greenwich Energy Fund Inc., and Louisiana Energy Partners Inc., and is a licensed attorney-at-law, a member of the Financial Executives Institute and has served on the Executive Committee Project at the Duke Business School. Halliburton, founded in 1919, provides products and services to the petroleum and energy industries.

Creston Resources appoints new CEO and board members

Roosevelt, Utah-based Creston Resources Ltd. has appointed a new CEO and two board members. These appointments bring a new leadership to the company positioned at the heart of the Uintah Basin of Northeast Utah.

John “Jack” Carson has been named president and CEO. He has a decade of diversified management experience in both high volume manufacturing and retail supply chains. Carson received a degree in business and information systems at Spring Hill College. Carson is replacing Paul McCulliss, who will remain as chairman of the board.

McCulliss received his BS degree in petroleum engineering from the Colorado School of Mines. In the past, he worked for Trend Exploration Ltd. of Denver, where he was responsible for selecting software to develop a database of company wells to monitor all aspects of oil and gas properties.

Two new members, Craig K. Phillips and Daniel S. Sam, join McCulliss on the board.

Phillips has nearly 35 years of experience in the oil and gas industry. His varied experience includes starting as a roughneck on a drilling crew, mud logging, pumping for a major corporation, refurbishing and re-completing new zones in established wells, analyzing oil and gas zones, repair, maintenance, purchasing oil and gas properties, consulting, and the founding of his own oil company. He has worked fields over large parts of the western US while remaining focused in the Uintah Basin, Utah.

Sam holds a BS in accounting and a juris doctor from Brigham Young University and is admitted to the bars of the Supreme Courts of Utah and Colorado, the Utah Federal District Court, the Tenth Circuit Court of Appeals, and the United States Tax Court. He has experience in civil litigation, appeals, and in corporate law, tax law, real property, oil and gas, state and local government, and Native American law. Sam has assisted in the startup of numerous oil and gas and oilfield related companies and has participated in numerous oil and gas title examinations and lease negotiations. He maintains a law practice in Vernal, Utah, and is currently acting as chief judge of the Ute Indian Tribal Court.

Creston Resources Ltd. is a development stage company that focuses on exploration, development, and production of its oil and natural gas properties in Utah and Wyoming held through its wholly owned subsidiary Homeland Gas & Oil. Currently, the company has interests in 27 wells on a total of approximately 9,000 acres.

Starkey new marketing VP at Sequoia Interests

Sequoia Interests Corp. has named veteran petrochemical sales executive Robert Rylan Starkey as the company’s VP of marketing. Starkey will be responsible for the branding and sales of DiamondFlo in the US and international markets. Prior to joining Sequoia Interest, Starkey worked for Lyondell Petrochemical’s Polymer Division. Starkey has 26 years’ experience as an international trade consultant, providing trading expertise and knowledge of international markets including foreign trade agreements, export laws and documentation, transportation and supply chain management, foreign credit, and collections. Starkey holds a master’s degree in international management from the American Graduate School of International Management and a BA degree in chemistry from the University of San Diego. He is fluent in Spanish and Portuguese. Sequoia is a developer and marketer of a proprietary, cost-effective, biodegradable formulation for the oil and gas industry and remediation industry. The company’s cornerstone formulation, DiamondFlo makes oil flow by displacing oil adhered to a solid. The primary target for DiamondFlo is the enhanced oil recovery sector, both secondary and tertiary.

GlobalSantaFe promotes Penelton to tax VP

Penelton

Worldwide oil and gas drilling contractor GlobalSantaFe Corp. has appointed Myrtle Penelton as vice president, tax. Penelton most recently served as tax director at GlobalSantaFe. She succeeds Nial Moran, who is retiring after 40 years with the company. Penelton joined Global Marine Inc. as a senior tax analyst in 1986, after five years at Exxon, and has since held positions of increasing responsibility for domestic and international tax compliance and planning. She currently serves as chairman of the tax subcommittee for the International Association of Drilling Contractors (IADC). She is a Certified Public Accountant and holds an accounting degree from Mississippi State University. GlobalSantaFe is an offshore oil and gas drilling contractor that offers equipment and drilling management services. The company’s fleet of 59 offshore rigs includes premium and heavy-duty, harsh-environment jackups, semisubmersibles, and dynamically positioned ultra-deepwater drillships. The company also operates two semisubmersibles owned by others. GlobalSantaFe also provides turnkey drilling and drilling management services.

Range expands shale plays and management team

Range Resources Corp. has expanded its shale gas plays, which now cover 180,000 acres of leasehold, and has added Mark Whitley to its management team as a senior vice president. Whitley has over 30 years of industry experience, serving with Shell Oil Co., Mitchell Energy Co., and Quicksilver Resources. He will manage Range’s activities in the Permian Basin and East Texas, as well as oversee Range’s activities in its various shale plays. He will report to Jeff Ventura, Range’s executive vice president and COO.

Range has substantial acreage positions in several shale plays, including 150,000 acres in the Devonian Shale play in the Appalachian Basin, 20,000 acres in the Barnett/Woodford Shale play in the Permian Basin, and 10,000 acres in the Barnett Shale play in the Fort Worth Basin. In addition, Range continues to actively lease in these plays, and is also beginning to lease in the Fayetteville Shale play in the Arkoma Basin.

Jeff Ventura commented, “We have been studying these plays for some time and are continuing to add experienced geological, engineering and land personnel. The opportunities that we have identified and are leasing are very solid technically and have attractive economics.”

John Pinkerton, the company’s CEO and president added, “Range’s strategy is to consistently grow production and reserves through a diversified inventory of drilling projects, which now totals over 7,000 locations. Several years ago, after careful consideration, we added coal bed methane projects in Appalachia, and they are now making a meaningful contribution.”

He continues, “Based on extensive technical reviews, we decided to aggressively expand our efforts in shale gas. In addition to expanding our acreage position, we felt that it was critical to add experienced personnel to oversee the exploitation of this growing acreage position. Mark Whitley and the other technical personnel that have joined Range will help ensure that we are bringing the best technology and operating expertise to these new projects.”

Range Resources is an independent oil and gas company operating in the Southwestern, Appalachian, and Gulf Coast regions of the US.

Barkindo named OPEC acting secretary general

Mohammed Barkindo, a senior Nigerian delegate to the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries, has been named as acting secretary general of the oil producing group. While Barkindo is in office throughout 2006, Nigeria’s oil minister Edmund Daukoro will serve as OPEC’s president. The secretary general is the legally authorized representative of the organization and chief executive of the secretariat. In this capacity, he administers the affairs of the organization in accordance with the directions of the board of governors.

Terax Energy hires Binz, promotes Finn

Terax Energy Inc. has named Lawrence J. Finn CEO. Since early November 2005, Finn has been serving as interim CEO of Terax, and in this new role, he will continue to serve as CFO. A 37-year industry veteran, Finn joined the Terax team from Petrol Oil & Gas in Las Vegas where he was vice president of finance and CFO. Prior to that, Finn was with CDX Gas LLC, in Dallas and served as vice president of finance and later as coordinator of shale projects. Finn has also served as vice president of finance and CFO of The Wiser Oil Co., CWF Energy Inc., Verado Energy Inc., and May Petroleum. “Lawrence has done a tremendous job leading Terax as the interim CEO,” said Andrew Hromyk, director of Terax. “We are thrilled that he will now be taking on the role full time and look forward to Terax’s additional growth as the company continues the exploitation of its current leases in the Barnett Shale Formation.”

In addition, Terax has named Richard C. Binz controller and chief accounting officer. With 25 years of accounting and land management experience, Binz has held controller positions at CDX Gas LLC and Crosstex Energy Services in Dallas. Binz also held various positions at The Wiser Oil Co., Santa Fe Minerals, Maguire Oil Co., and Edwin L. Cox Oil Co., all in Dallas. “Richard’s unique expertise in both accounting and land management and his experience with top Dallas oil and gas companies made him a great candidate to join the Terax team,” said Finn. “Richard is one of many great reasons why we are excited about the future of Terax.”

Terax Energy Inc. is an independent, managed risk, gas exploration, development and production company, headquartered in Dallas. Terax is focused solely on the optimal exploitation and development of large, mostly contiguous acreage blocks in the Barnett Shale play within the Fort Worth Basin of Texas.

C. Scott Wilson joins United Heritage

United Heritage Corp. has appointed C. Scott Wilson to the board of directors and elected him CEO and president. Wilson brings financial and managerial skills acquired in the 28 years he has spent in the industry. The eight existing board members will remain. Walter G. Mize will remain as chairman of the board. Wilson held senior energy lending/managerial positions at Western Bank, CIBC World Markets, Wolfden, Sterling Bank, and most recently at Mizuho Corporate Bank. The board looks forward the expanding growth and development period that the investment made by Lothian Oil Inc. may generate. Lothian Oil Inc. is an oil and gas exploration and development company founded in 2004. Headquartered in New York, Lothian has offices in Midland, Texas, and Artesia, New Mexico. Lothian currently operates oil and gas properties in the Permian Basin in New Mexico. United Heritage Corp. is an oil and gas exploration and production company based in Cleburne, Texas. Through subsidiaries it holds four leasehold properties totaling 30,500 acres in Edwards County, Texas and Chaves and Roosevelt Counties, and New Mexico.

Hjelm-Hansen new CFO at Pertra

Paul Hjelm-Hansen has been named CFO of Pertra. Hjelm-Hansen received his MBA from the University of Denver and obtained his license as a financial analyst (AFA) from The Norwegian School of Economics and Business Administration. In addition, he is a licensed portfolio manager (The Norwegian Society of Financial Analysts/The Norwegian School of Economics and Business Administration). He was previously a financial analyst at Christiania Bank og Kreditkasse, an investment manager at Fokus Bank, a financial manager with Bachke & Co. AS, and as a portfolio manager with Christiania Bank og Kreditkasse. He is presently an independent investor and consultant. Through his board appointment in Petro Midt-Norge AS and Pertra AS he is already well acquainted with Pertra.

Hataway added to PRB as a director

PRB Gas Transportation Inc. has hired Billy Ross Hataway as director of field operations. Hataway joins PRB from J.M. Huber Corp. where he spent 24 years in oil and gas production. From 2000 through 2005, he served as area production foreman in the Powder River Basin where his primary responsibilities encompassed all aspects of production, including oversight of pumping, production rigs, gas measurement, regulatory compliance, and public relations. William F. Hayworth, president and COO, stated, “As our director of field operations, he is responsible for all aspects of PRB’s oil and gas activities, including production and drilling, plus regulatory compliance and public relations. These activities are especially important to our integrated business approach encompassing the drilling, production, gathering, processing, transportation and marketing of natural gas.” PRB Gas Transportation Inc. is dedicated to production and development, production and marketing of oil and gas reserves, as well as construction and operation of natural gas gathering and processing facilities in the Rocky Mountain region.

Hiland Partners appoints Hill VP, business development

Hiland Partners LP has appointed Ron Hill as vice president of business development.

Randy Moeder, Hiland Partners president and CEO, said, “Hiland Partners is very pleased to announce the addition of Ron Hill to our management team. His extensive knowledge and experience in the energy business should be extremely beneficial as we continue to execute our growth strategy.” Hill has spent 29 years in the oil and natural gas industry with a 25-year focus in gas processing, midstream gas gathering, transportation, and NGL marketing. He has spent the majority of his career serving in a variety of commercial roles for Tipperary Corp., Union Texas Petroleum, Western Gas Resources Inc., and most recently served as vice president of gas supply for Pioneer Gas Pipeline Inc. located in San Angelo, Texas. Hiland Partners LP is a publicly traded midstream energy partnership engaged in gathering, compressing, dehydrating, treating, processing, and marketing natural gas, and fractionating, or separating, natural gas liquids, or NGLs. The company also provides air compression and water injection services to an oil and gas exploration and production company for use in its oil and gas secondary recovery operations located primarily in the Mid-Continent and Rocky Mountain regions of the United States.

Object Reservoir names Downey to board of directors

Object Reservoir Inc., a technology company focused on lifecycle modeling, had added Marlan Downey to its board of directors. Downey worked in research and operations at Shell Oil for 30 years and served as president of Shell Oil Co.’s international division, Pecten. After retiring from Shell, he became the president of ARCO International.

He is a past president of the American Association of Petroleum Geologists (AAPG), a former Sarkeys Energy Center chief scientist and a past Bartell geoscience professor at the University of Oklahoma. Downey is also an elected fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science, an international non-profit organization dedicated to advancing science around the world. In 2001, Downey organized and chaired the Conference on a National Energy Policy in Washington, D.C. The following year, the Institute for Study of Earth and Man (ISEM) honored him with the Hollis D. Hedberg Award in Energy for his contributions to understanding the earth and its resources. Object Reservoir has offices in Austin, Houston, and New Orleans.

Trans Energy restructures with new leadership

Trans Energy Inc. has done some restructuring. James K. Abcouwer, a 25-year energy industry executive and former CEO of Columbia Natural Resources Inc. was elected president and CEO of the company. As CEO, Abcouwer replaces Clarence E. Smith, who has resigned to pursue other interests, but intends to remain a shareholder of the company.

The company has also agreed to sell to Clarence and Rebecca Smith its well-servicing and maintenance business, Arvilla Oilfield Services Inc., in exchange for half of the approximately 1 million Trans Energy common shares issued to them when Trans Energy acquired Arvilla Oilfield Services in January 2005, and certain other considerations.

Jim Abcouwer was formerly president and CEO of Columbia Natural Resources Inc. He also was president and CEO of EnergyUSA, a unit of NiSource Inc. with more than 3,000 employees and $1 billion in revenues. He is a 1975 graduate of the US Military Academy at West Point, and received an MBA degree from Harvard Business School in 1982. Abcouwer is co-owner of Northstar Energy Corp. of Charleston, W.Va., an independent oil and gas development corporation.

The company also promoted William F. Woodburn to COO and has begun a search for a CFO. Woodburn was previously secretary/treasurer of the company. He has been actively engaged in the oil and gas business for 20 years, including several years supervising oil and natural gas production and managing pipeline operations of Tyler Construction Co. and Tyler Pipeline. He holds a BS degree in civil engineering from West Virginia University.

Trans Energy Inc. specializes in the exploration, completion, drilling, and production of oil and natural gas in the Appalachian and Powder River Basins. Further, the company is actively involved in the transmission, transportation, and sales of oil and natural gas.