West Virginia Executive Spring 2019 | Page 63

SPECIAL ADVERTISING SECTION Local. Responsive. Operational Focus. Natural gas production in the Marcellus-Utica region is projected to supply 45 percent of the nation’s pro- duction within 20 years. To reach this level of production, tri-state operators must maximize production while still adhering to strict environmental regulations. With growing demand, operators must ensure they have a highly qualified technical engineer- ing team—a team they can rely on to quickly mobilize/respond to urgent needs and that can engineer and design from the operator’s perspective. “Having an Appalachian regional office in Morgantown gives us a distinct advantage over larger met- ropolitan firms,” says EARTHRES Director of Energy Services Howard G. Murphy Jr., P.E. “Our on-the-ground presence enables us to partner with regional clients as an extension of their operations, able to urgently respond should their pipeline infra- structure or processing facilities go down. In one instance, our NACE- certified engineers quickly mobilized to test our clients’ pipeline system for corrosion, which if undetected can create an environmental hazard. We were able to specify/oversee immedi- ate repairs and recommend a main- tenance schedule ensuring long-term pipeline compliance and safety.” EARTHRES’ other advantage is that it approaches each project as the operator would, engineering and designing for maximum uptime with minimal expense. “We ask the right questions and design from the opera- tor perspective,” says Murphy. “Quite often we have been asked to re- engineer other firms’ designs that didn’t consider proper equipment or facility placement. We understand that proper placement/orientation of equipment and facilities pays big dividends in operations, maintenance and retirement costs.” With its operational focus and local presence, success stories are common- place for EARTHRES’ clients. “Being located in West Virginia has enabled us to react proactively to our clients’ urgent needs,” says Murphy. “This is a win for the client and the West Virginia economy.” Building a Better Mountain State With humble beginnings in a two-person office in 2012, Earthres Group, Inc. now employs 16 people at its Morgantown location and continues to grow organically by employing graduates from West Virginia’s colleges and universities. The company’s professional engineering and design services, focused mainly on energy, provide a positive economic impact in the region with new job creation, increased tax revenue and support for other growing and expanding energy businesses. With large diameter gathering and cross- country pipelines costing roughly $4 million or more per mile to engineer, permit and construct, EARTHRES works to keep as many pipeline professional services dollars as possible in the Mountain State. Appalachian Regional Office, PO Box 794, Morgantown, WV 26508 www.earthres.com | 800-264-4553