Eight individuals were recognized for their contributions to the oil and gas industry at the 14th biennial Saskatchewan Oil and Gas Show, with the luncheon awards ceremony held at the Weyburn Curling Rink on Wednesday.
Seven of these men were inducted into the Oil Industry Hall of Fame, and one was named as the Saskatchewan Oilman of the Year. These awards were nominated and presented by the Saskatchewan Oil Industry Board of Governors, a group of petroleum industry executives who are from Saskatchewan by birth.
The Saskatchewan Oilman of the Year is Scott Saxberg, CEO and president of Crescent Point Energy. This award recognizes an individual or team currently working in the Saskatchewan oil and gas industry, who is making significant contribution to the growth and success of the industry.
In accepting the award, Saxberg noted this year is the 10th anniversary for Crescent Point, and said Ken Cugnet of Weyburn, a director on the company's board, "has been a real mentor for me."
He acknowledged that while he was born in Brandon, Man., he grew up in Saskatchewan, graduated from university here, and met some of his best friends and work colleagues here, as well as watching his first CFL game here.
"It's great to see more people are moving here; maybe they'll grow up here like I did," said Saxberg.
Fresh out of college, he first worked at SaskOil, later renamed Wascana Energy, in the Pasqua Resources then he was with another company, Numac Energy, until 1996. A group he had worked with at Pasqua began a startup company called Magin Energy, where he started as a senior engineer.
After the company was acquired in 2001, he decided to move to Calgary where the energy industry was booming, and he and partner Paul Colborne launched Crescent Point in 2001. Their first acquisition was in Manor in 2001, and they have risen to become one of the defining companies in the Bakken play.
In 2010, Crescent Point ranked second in Saskatchewan for overall oil production, and is top-ranked for production in the southeast. The company is the most active driller in the southeast, with 184 wells drilled in 2010; Crescent Point has now grown to be a $4 billion company with goals for much more growth to come.
The Hall of Fame recognizes Saskatchewan-born individuals who have made significant contributions to the industry, both within Saskatchewan and beyond.
The recipients are as follows: John Reid, Mike Chernoff, Art Dumont, Al Schreiner, Tim Hearn, Doug Annable and Charlie Fischer.
Reid, born and raised in Carlyle, spent several years doing engineer work for a number of oil companies until he joined Colt Engineering in 1974; by 1983 he assumed the role of president and CEO of the Colt Companies, a position he held until 2006 when he retired. He is currently a director on the board of five oil companies, and is involved in a number of community organizations, including serving as the president and a trustee of the Manning Innovation Awards.
Chernoff, born in Kamsack, earned a B.Sc. in geological engineering in 1959 and worked as a geologist for several companies through the 60s, including California Standard, Pinnacle Petroleum and Ulster Petroleums, and worked as an independent geologist before forming Strom Resources in 1979. He sold this company to PennWest, and worked for a while in B.C. In 1987, he and son Bruce formed Pacalta Resources, which developed oil and gas operations in Canada, Ecuador, Colombia, Guatemala and the U.S. before the company was sold off to Alberta Energy Company in 1999.
Dumont was born and raised in Kennedy, and began his oil career with Gulf Canada Resources where he held a number of engineering-related positions before he became the Canadian vice-president of Bawden Drilling in 1975. By 1985, he rose to become that company's senior vice-president of operations; through the 1990s, he worked for a number of companies, and by 2000, had served as president of Cactus Drilling in Texas; president of Kenting Energy Services, Chief Operating Officer for Precision Drilling, president and CEO for Rock Bit Company, and president and CEO of CenAlta Energy Services.
He also served as chairman and CEO of Technicoil through most of the 2000s.
Schreiner grew up in the Humboldt area and graduated with a degree in mechanical engineering in 1963, going to work for British American Oil in the Estevan area. In 1966, the year he married, he joined Dominion Oilfields Supply, later known as Dofasco, in Calgary, remaining with them until 1995, rising to the position of president and overseeing a period of growth and success.
In 1995, he joined Stream-Flo Industries as president and Chief Operating Officer, and has been retired since 2009, although he maintains directorships on seven companies.
Hearn was born and raised in Regina, and he joined Imperial Oil in 1967 as a marketing representative, rising up through the ranks until in 2002 he assumed the position as president of Imperial Oil, and shortly after was appointed chairman, president and CEO.
He retired as chairman and CEO in 2008. He is the immediate past-chairman of the board of the C.D. Howe Institute, and is on the board of the Royal Bank of Canada and Viterra Inc.
Annable was born and raised in Saskatoon, and obtained his Bachelor and Master's degrees in Chemical Engineering from the U of S. He began his oil career with Shell, or British American as it was first known, and then moved into a management role with Fish Engineering, rising to president and Chairman of the board by the 1980s. He also held senior roles at SNC Inc., Canuck Engineering and AMEC, and retired in 2006 as president of energy and mining of AMEC. He has also supported and participated in many industry and community organizations.
Fischer was born in Saskatoon, and graduated in chemical engineering from the U of C, leading him to work in the engineering end of the oil industry for Dome Petroleum and Hudson's Bay Oil and Gas. He served in increasingly senior roles in companies like Bow Valley Industries, TransCanada Pipelines, Encor Energy, Talisman Energy and Nexen, serving as president and CEO of Nexen from 2001 until retirement in 2008. he remains active in the industry as a director of Pure Technologies and Enbridge, and serves on the boards of Climate Change and Emission Management Corporation, and Alberta Innovates, and is a participant in the clean energy dialogue between Canada and the U.S.
