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Oil patch owners, suppliers move to shale, but some can’t follow
Most oil patch owners, contractors and suppliers have learned the hard way in recent years that they must either adapt to a leaner low-oil...
Millennials might be getting a bum rap
Fear not. There appears to be plenty of drive and tenacity coming out of the next generation. Given the success-oriented trajectory of those featured...
My toughest challenge: Newton Thomas
Position: Owner
Company: The Newtron Group
What they do: Headquartered in Baton Rouge, The Newtron Group is one of the largest privately owned specialty industrial construction companies in the...
With productivity and safety on the line, industry races to outpace drug test dodgers
Louisiana’s industrial complex has a shrewd opponent in the fight against workplace substance abuse—the internet.
Even as drug testing technology becomes increasingly sophisticated, some workers...
Lake Charles banks on upcoming LNG projects in the wake of Sasol’s GTL pullout
Sasol’s decision to abandon plans for a $15 billion gas-to-liquids plant in Lake Charles late last year was essentially a nonevent, as economists and...
Insight: The whys and hows of maintaining the oil price rise
The new year is bringing welcome relief to U.S. producers. As of mid-January, crude oil prices have climbed by 30% since August 2017, to...
People: Women in charge
In January, Gloria Moncada became the first-ever female manager of ExxonMobil’s refinery. But the firsts ended there, as women are no longer a rarity...
Insight: The lifeblood of a community is capital investment
In recent years, the Baton Rouge region has had the good fortune to be the recipient of many new and expanded industrial plants.
The decision...
Industry leaders have ‘boring’ wish list to create the perfect petrochemical world
What does industry see as the perfect formula for growth? Ask leaders what they envision in that scenario and one thing is clear—they want stability, whether it...
Workforce spotlight: Diving for dollars
Robbie Champagne is the founder of C-Dive, a Houma-based commercial diving company with 100 employees serving independent oil and gas producers in the Gulf...
Weeks Marine finds growth and diversification in the expanding coastal restoration and LNG markets
Aproliferation of coastal restoration projects and LNG facilities has reinvigorated Weeks Marine Inc.’s decades-long presence along the Gulf Coast. Its strategically placed equipment yards...
Insight: Industrial wage pressures after the 2017 hurricanes
The storms of late summer 2017 were reminiscent of the year 2005. For those of us who remember that year, and many of us...
Will Louisiana remain a major energy player when oil is no longer king?
Looking to the faraway, distant economic landscape of 2035 and beyond, industry leaders are beginning to accept the likelihood of flattening or declining oil...
Insight: Taxing energy infrastructure
Amendment 1 was recently passed by the voters to remove what was becoming a very real opportunity for entrepreneurial tax assessors to tax energy...
Sophisticated software and an abundance of data are allowing owners to ‘educate’ their processes
The new era of “smart manufacturing” has arrived along Louisiana’s industrial corridor. In increasingly greater numbers, the industrial community is turning to digital processes,...
Megaprojects require complex negotiations involving multiple stakeholders—particularly when it comes to logistics
Operating in a global economy involves partnerships within and across industries. This is evident with a number of large-scale, complex projects taking place across...
The big picture: The giant of the Gulf
HALFWAY AROUND THE WORLD
In October, Ingleside, Texas, welcomed the hull of Shell’s Appomattox production platform, floating aboard a massive heavy-transport vessel, after its journey...
From trusting contractors to losing workers at the start of hunting season, Louisiana’s top...
Robert Chandler, Turner Industries’ senior vice president for maintenance and specialty services, says the 3,200 or so turnaround workers he oversees are “a different...
The South Louisiana Economic Council stays ahead of the curve during the oil slump...
Unlike a lot of economic development groups, the South Louisiana Economic Council is more about business retention than attraction these days. Given the post-2014...
Insight: Invest in people
Each year companies invest countless dollars in maintaining and upgrading their equipment, technology, products and services. Yet many fail to invest in their employees’...
