History

                    hard work + the right attitude + time = experience to meet your needs

the starting point, petrochemicals - This began in 1992 when an 18-year-old chemical engineering student from rural South Alabama moved to Corpus Christi, Texas, and began work in a world-scale ethylene complex as part of a cooperative education (co-op) program while at the University of Alabama.  After promptly learning not to climb to the top of a process operator's distillation tower without informing them first, the real education began.  Engineers, process operators, and maintenance technicians took this student under their collective wings and taught him what it really takes to run an industrial complex.  After graduation with a chemical engineering degree, a career was launched with full afterburners.  By age 26 and responsible for an operating butadiene extraction unit, engineering, operations, and maintenance capability was proven with a 20% unit debottleneck and a 4-month payout on investment.   

along the path, midstream – The next stop after petrochemicals was the sprawling Natural Gas Liquids (NGL) hub at Mont Belvieu, Texas. Ultimately led 8 direct reports and 48 indirect reports, including 12-hr shift supervisors, maintenance and process safety management (PSM) coordinators, a marine supervisor, a product movement coordinator, shift operators, and pipeline operators.  Responsible for safety and environmental performance, regulatory compliance, controlling the budget for multiple cost centers, and for interfacing with corporate Distribution and Commercial groups on product receipt/delivery planning and operator orders.  Moving product is a 24/7 endeavor.  Decision making capability was honed through many midnight to 2a.m phone calls.  Innovative leadership was proven by providing digital, real-time, salt-dome cavern hydrocarbon storage well inventory tools and by bringing portable laptop technology to pipeline operators in the days when an "air-card" was required for laptops to communicate with corporate servers, allowing the operators to connect to the office while in the field. 

into the fire, liquefied natural gas (LNG) - Nothing tempers career and character quite like creating something out of nothing, having business conditions change, being forced back to "square one", and then succeeding wildly after fighting back to prevent failure.  Supported LNG import and regasification terminal commissioning and cooldown, including design and hazard and operability (HAZOP) reviews, Department of Transportation (DOT) compliant manuals and procedures development, training and qualification of O & M personnel, and cool-down procedures and planning.  Built a grassroots technical organization to support the Sabine Pass LNG facility, including a small capital project management system, management of change (MOC) system, and department procedures. 

In walked shale gas; import and regas were no longer needed.  Just to survive as a business, supported special projects such as hurricane recovery, LNG re-export, and boil-off gas management.  But then, supported Sabine Pass Liquefaction (SPL) project development, including piping and instrumentation diagram (P&ID) reviews, HAZOP reviews, and operational readiness planning.  Successfully demonstrated to customers and lenders that the plant would operate.  With Sabine Pass well underway, moved to Corpus Christi Liquefaction (CCL).  Developed operating (OPEX) and owner’s O & M capital (CAPEX) budgets as well as the staffing plan for 250 direct employees.  Initiated a workforce development program, working with secondary schools and two-year college programs to develop a dual credit high school process technology curriculum for submittal to the Texas Education Agency for use in Texas high schools.  Worked with the Engineering and Construction (E & C) project team and the Engineering, Procurement, and Construction (EPC) company during design development, drawing and HAZOP reviews, and project estimation.

skills expanded, Magnolia LNG -  Along with completing graduate education in Global Business Management, developed a complete Operations and Maintenance (O & M) Execution Plan for Magnolia LNG, including: O & M vision, mission, and values; safety principles; milestone calendar; organization structure; staffing plan; facility functionality chart; office space requirements; technical manual table of contents; draft training plan; and a complete "ready for start-up" task list to serve as the basis for the operational readiness schedule.  Successfully demonstrated to risk auditors, investors, potential customers, and the local community that the plant would operate reliably and safely.  

Further, laid the foundation in the Lake Charles, Louisiana, community for successful integration of a new O & M team by participation in various community activities: Local Emergency Planning Committee (LEPC), the Calcasieu River Waterway Harbor Safety Committee (HSC), and the Turning Basin Users Group (TBUG); also made frequent presentations to various governmental entities and local civic organizations.  Developed marketing materials and assisted in marketing parent company Liquefied Natural Gas Limited’s patented OSMR® natural gas liquefaction process to potential investors and licensees.  Supported development of various potential domestic and global business opportunities involving proposed LNG production facilities.  Led development of Liquefied Natural Gas Limited’s company vision, mission, and values and developed a 20-year company outlook with 5-year achievement milestones.  Led executive strategy sessions focused on adapting to the changing LNG market.  

And, finally, garnered the respect of not only Magnolia LNG, but also other companies as an industry leader when elected as Secretary / Treasurer, Vice Chair, and Chair of the Louisiana Energy Export Association (LEEA),  a voluntary, nonprofit organization formed to foster and promote the interests and welfare of the energy exporting industry, including petroleum and natural gas products, from the State of Louisiana and its offshore waters; the specific focus was LNG development and export.  Represented Magnolia LNG, one of five LEEA founding member companies, on the LEEA Board of Directors; gave annual testimony to the Louisiana House Natural Resources Committee; spoke about LNG development at conferences; and was active in shaping the growth and development strategy for the organization.

right now, ready to meet your needs - There is almost nothing in chemical and hydrocarbons processing that has not been seen or done by Ferro Spiritum 73, LLC.  And, we are looking to the future.  We've done a conceptual study of a Wind Energy project to offset LNG production CO2 emissions.  We, and one of our network partners, are also looking ahead to Hydrogen and Biofuels.  We hope you will let us meet your need, whatever it may be.