AOGA Names Winners of 2023 Industry Awards
Santos occupies the former BP building in Midtown Anchorage.
Alaska Business
In advance of its annual conference in Anchorage at the end of August, the Alaska Oil & Gas Association (AOGA) named the winners of its 2023 Industry Awards. The trade group is giving out four awards recognizing two individuals and two companies for environmental stewardship, safety, and service to the oil and gas industry.
Lifetime Achievement
The Marilyn Crockett Lifetime Achievement Award goes to an executive of Santos, the Australian company developing the Pikka project on the North Slope. Cindy Bailey is senior vice president of community affairs. Before a project begins, Bailey personally meets with stakeholders and community members, listens, and learns. Her example shows that success is earned one relationship and one conversation at a time. She has spent her career working to minimize any adverse effects of industrial activities and deliver meaningful benefits to the Iñupiat people and all of Alaska. According to AOGA, North Slope leaders’ phrase, “You need a Cindy Bailey,” pays testament to her impact on the lives of those she works with. Her focus has always been on getting to know people.
The Marilyn Crockett Lifetime Achievement Award is named in honor of a former AOGA executive director in recognition of an individual’s devotion of time, effort, thought, and action for the betterment of the oil and gas industry in Alaska.
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The Contractor of the Year Award for Safety Performance, sponsored by the Alaska Support Industry Alliance, goes to NANA Management Services (NMS) for a second year in a row. NMS has repeatedly been recognized by the National Safety Council for its culture of safety and continuous improvement. NMS has a thorough training program for staff to ensure proper protocol and best practices, as well as a “Good Catch and Near Miss Reporting” contest with prizes to reward employees reporting safety incidents. Safety is NMS’ top priority, ensuring safe work environments for not only staff, but customers, clients, contractors, and visitors.
Alyeska Pipeline Repeats
An aerial view of the Trans-Alaska Pipeline transportation system in Big Delta.
Wirestock | Envato
The Project of the Year Award for Environmental Stewardship and Innovation, sponsored by law firm Stoel Rives, goes to another repeat winner: Alyeska Pipeline Service Company. Its Squirrel Creek Oil Response Capability Enhancement Project involves a structure that mimics natural eddies, resulting in calmer water and a deeper pool that naturally collects debris. After completion, the enhanced containment site proved to perform perfectly after an Oil Spill Contingency Plan exercise: sections of containment boom diverted water into the collection pool, allowing the skimmer to recover product if necessary and pump into a vacuum truck with road access.
Last year, Alyeska won the same honor for its Sag River Remediation Project, mitigating erosion damage along the Dalton Highway and pipeline right of way.
AOGA’s fourth annual award goes to an assistant program director at Alaska Resource Education, Taylor Burgh. The nonprofit, founded in 1982, distributes instructional materials that align with state science standards. Burgh is credited with having a transformational impact on oil and gas education, quickly rising through the organization’s ranks and spearheading initiatives such as Powerful Opportunities for Women in Resources, which breaks down the stereotype that oil and gas jobs are for men. She also teaches that resource development coexists with environmental protection.
The awards will be formally presented at AOGA’s annual conference, August 30 and 31 at the Dena’ina Center in Anchorage.
Making History
The track of oil and gas development in Alaska shows the footprints of bold companies and hard-working individuals who shaped the industry in the past and continue to innovate today. The May 2024 issue of Alaska Business explores that history while looking forward to new product development, the energy transition for the fishing fleet, and the ethics of AI tools in business.