100 Vendors Seek Shale Business at Today's Expo
YOUNGSTOWN, Ohio – Vendors from across the country were busy Wednesday afternoon hoisting banners, setting up exhibits and displaying samples of their products in preparation for what they think is the one chance to get their names before the biggest names in the energy industry today.
"Ohio is where it's happening," said Bob Lalwani, president of Duramold Inc., based in South Bend, Ind., as he and an assistant were putting the final touches on their booth in the Covelli Centre.
Lalwani and some 100 other businesses from the region and elsewhere in the United States plan to make the most of the Youngstown Ohio Utica & Natural Gas, or Young, Conference and Expo set to kick off this morning. (CLICK HERE for schedule of events)
The second annual conference, sponsored by the Youngstown/Warren Regional Chamber, has sold about 1,100 tickets this year, and the event is billed as a business-to-business expo intended to introduce companies to an industry still relatively new to Ohio.
Duramold's Lalwani felt it was worth the trip from South Bend to Youngstown. His company provides refurbishing services for engines used in oil and gas equipment. The company also provides filter units to recycle wastewater leftover from the hydraulic fracturing process, diesel fuel heaters, and "frack" water containment systems for the oil and gas industry.
"We think Ohio has got shale that is less porous, so it doesn't create a whole lot of pollution," he said. "They're going to need bigger and bigger tanks."
Lalwani believes that his company could win some business as oil and gas exploration in the Utica shale intensifies.
The conference kicks off at 9:15 and consists of a morning session that includes speakers such as V&M Star President Joel Mastervich, Harry Schurr, general manager for Consol Energy and Hess Energy Utica shale joint venture, and David Mustine, JobsOhio's managing director of energy, chemicals and polymers.
John Bonn, president of NiSource Midstream Services LLC, and Sean Clawges, director of global manufacturing expansion for Exterran, headline the afternoon lineup.
Simultaneously, the conference will host a series of presentations on doing business in the shale industry in Ohio, public relations, air quality issues and risk management practices and insurance coverage for companies in the business.
The event concludes Friday with panel discussions at the Holiday Inn-Boardman that are geared toward developing the Utica shale supply chain, logistics in midstream development and water technologies the industry uses
"We're looking forward to having conversations with key players in the industry," said Jennifer Logan, marketing manager for Strad Energy Systems, based in Calgary, Canada, but with its main U.S. office in Denver.
Strad Energy distributes drill pipe, environmental and access matting, surface equipment, provides waste management services, communication systems and various types of manufacturing equipment used in the industry.
The Young conference is Strad Energy's first foray into Ohio, but it has done business with companies in Pennsylvania when exploration was hot in the Marcellus shale. "We have also have offices in Wyoming and North Dakota, where drilling activity in the Bakken shale play is very active, Logan said.
It's also likely that the company could set up an office in Ohio should it secure enough business in the Utica, Logan said. "We go where the action is," she noted.
Longtime local companies also see opportunities in the shale industry.
"Hopefully, this will bring more business into our dealership," said Richard Simerlink, a salesman at Cerni Motor Sales Inc., Austintown. Cerni specializes in heavy-duty International brand trucks, tractors and trailers.
Simerlink said that companies providing water services to drilling sites often need to replenish their fleets, and he believes his company can boost business by selling large water tank trucks and even smaller trucks used for welders.
"It's starting to come north," Simerlink said of the increased drilling activity. "There are a lot of permits in Columbiana County, but I think by next year, you'll see a lot of action in Mahoning County."
EDITOR'S NOTE: Look for The Business Journal and ShaleLink, our new joint venture Farris Marketing, at the expo. ShaleLink launches today. READ STORY.
Copyright 2012 The Business Journal, Youngstown, Ohio.
Copyright 2012 The Business Journal, Youngstown, Ohio.