CWJJ Episode 132: OGA Live

Thursday, September 1- This week Jason Crowe subs in for Jim and helps to bring focus to the Oklahoma Gas Association’s Annual Conference. Join us for another live show!

Quick Links:

James Cross on Linkedin
Jason Crowe on Linkedin

Episode Transcript

 [0:00] [music]

Jason Crowe:  [0:24] Good to see you, brother.

James Cross:  [0:25] Good to see you. So, we are live for those who don’t know. It’s kind of strange. We’re sitting here. Let me break this down for you. We’re actually recording with Mr. Tom Rider.

Jason:  [0:44] That’s right.

James:  [0:46] And we are promoting this very event that we’re at today. And we were on this call, and Jimmy and I were talking. I said, “You know what? We’re not going to be able to bring the show to the OGA,” and we were upset about that. I jokingly said I would challenge Mr. Crowe…

Jason:  [1:06] Give your brother Crowe a call. Give brother Crowe a call.

James:  [1:11] Officially to join us and stand in for Jimmy. Fast forward and here we are.

Jason:  [1:16] Here we are.

James:  [1:16] Challenge accepted.

Jason:  [1:17] Exactly. The gauntlet has been put down. I’ve been working on my hand gestures. I don’t have any glasses, but I’m going to do my best to make sure we’ve got this continuing.

James:  [1:27] If Jimmy was here, he would say, “It wouldn’t take much.”

Scott Fite:  [1:30] It wouldn’t take much, yes.

Jason:  [1:31] That’s for sure. You get a crash course.

James:  [1:34] We’re live. It’s day two. It’s day one, but we were here yesterday.

Jason:  [1:39] Yes.

James:  [1:40] We had a little bit of a reception last night, but a lot of the vendors would get off. There was a play shoot. All kinds of fun going on.

Jason:  [1:47] It was great.

James:  [1:48] We’re live, Jason.

Jason:  [1:50] Good to see you, brother.

James:  [1:52] Welcome officially as a co‑hosts.

Jason:  [1:54] Thank you so much. Yes, it a great day. I did not need to change play golf or shoot clay’s. I was tied up with some responsibilities here, but I heard it was a great turnout of the golf tournament. A lot of people had a lot of fun. We had a little bit of weather, I think they kind of closed it down clothes.

James:  [2:09] We’re safety.

Jason:  [2:10] Yes, safety organization.

James:  [2:11] organization, so we’re to shut it down. There’s a little bit of lightning, which then turned into a big storm. We are all hunkered down here at the Embassy Suites and enjoy ourselves.

Jason:  [2:19] Welcome to Oklahoma. Welcome to Oklahoma. The reception last night, we had a good turnout, good number of people. I’m a fellowship.

James:  [2:26] As the cookers going outside.

Jason:  [2:28] Oh my goodness.

James:  [2:29] I can smell it.

Jason:  [2:30] I tell you.

James:  [2:31] If you like brisket, steaks.

Jason:  [2:32] Oh, so good. If you’ve not been to this conference before, we wish you were here. The barbecue alone is worth the price of admission. It’s a great time of networking, and you get to know people, some education, but people…

James:  [2:44] Some great vendors.

Jason:  [2:45] Yes.

James:  [2:45] We are live from the hall today. Behind us, we’re seeing people more, now. We plan to bring on a ton of people…

Jason:  [2:52] Yes.

James:  [2:52] like we do at live shows. For anybody who has joined us for some of the live events, this year. This will be no different. [laughs] Besides that, Mr. Crowe’s going to be staying.

Jason:  [3:01] There you go.

James:  [3:02] It should be fun. We’re still work‑shopping the big question…

Jason:  [3:06] Yes.

James:  [3:06] The big question that we’re going to ask people. We’re going to come up with something to ask everybody, to get some great answers. We hope to bring out some board members.

Jason:  [3:15] Yes.

Scott:  [3:17] Some of our associates?

Jason:  [3:18] Absolutely, giving you a chance to really get to know the OGA a little better from the inside, and the conference.

James:  [3:25] So, Crowe, for those that don’t…or for yourself, maybe…part of the goal for us at these events, is to bring this event back to the folks who can’t make it. So, whether you’re in Oklahoma, whether you’re in Arkansas, Texas, wherever you’re at, you’ll be able to experience this to see if you want to get involved. We’re always looking for more associate members, and more members all around.

Jason:  [3:50] Absolutely.

James:  [3:51] Say the word, I’m sure.

Jason:  [3:52] Yes, reach out to me. Reach out to James, we’ll make sure we get to lined up with the best information we can.

James:  [3:58] Should be fun. We’re going to be doing this probably for the next day and a half, in and out, but we’ll probably do the majority during the reception, tonight. Like you said, it’s going to be a blast. We’ll see how it turns out.

[4:09] We miss Jimmy. Wish you were here, bro, but we’ll be fine.

Jason:  [4:14] I’ll do my best. I’ll do my best.

James:  [4:16] Well, hey we’ll be right back. We’ll bring on some folks.

James:  [4:21] And we’re back.

Scott:  [4:22] There it is, Steve Taylor.

Steve Taylor:  [4:23] Hey, Scott.

James:  [4:24] I just learned something about Steve Taylor in the last three minutes that I didn’t know, and that’s that he’s quite the supporter of YouTube and other platforms, is what he said, for his daily motivation.

Scott:  [4:43] Well, I’m just downloading TikTok.

Scott:  [4:41] I’m 58 years old and I’m just now learning TikTok.

James:  [4:45] I think we’re going to get on just fine.

Jason:  [4:48] I didn’t realize you were on all these other platforms. When I met Steve for the first time was at the Oklahoma Defamation Summit, two years ago, I was star‑struck.

James:  [5:00] I was star‑struck, and at a loss for words. Those of you who know me, I’m rarely at a loss for words.

Jason:  [5:05] Believe me. Steve…If you’re not following him on LinkedIn or some other platform, I encourage you connect with him. It’s going to be something that will brighten your day, but it’s good to see you, Steve. I want to thank you.

Steve:  [5:15] You don’t have to thank me. This is great here.

Jason:  [5:17] You know, Steve did a great job in serving this to the board of the Oklahoma Gas Association.

Steve:  [5:20] Right.

Jason:  [5:21] It helps provide a lot of great information. That way, this live event we’re at right now…

Steve:  [5:24] Right.

Jason:  [5:24] The annual conference. He should be speaking tomorrow on how to be a Natural Gas Champion.

Steve:  [5:30] How to be a Natural Gas Champion. “Know your elevator talk.”, that’s going to be the basis.

Jason:  [5:38] I know with COVID everything’s been thrown off as far as live conferences. You’ve been to the OGA and you’ve come to this a few times.

Steve:  [5:43] Oh yeah, probably about half a dozen over the years, twenty‑three years.

James:  [5:48] So Steve, this is my first time, what tip can you give me as a first time OGA attendee?

Steve:  [5:53] Be attentive. There are always good nuggets of information coming from all the speakers, that’s for sure. We had several this morning that had good nuggets of information that you can take back and use in your daily work. I stole a book and I’ve got my daily nuggets. I’ve had about ten or twelve just in the last couple of hours.

James:  [6:20] Just for the record, you earned that book.

Jason:  [6:22] Absolutely, after years of service.

James:  [6:25] We may have to take a couple of pages back.

Jason:  [6:27] Let’s talk about the nuggets. Thank you.

Steve:  [6:30] You bet.

James:  [6:30] Thanks for all you do for the OGA, but also…

Jason:  [6:27] For the industry.

James:  [6:28] And I can’t wait to get on that.

Steve:  [6:40] I’ll tell you what, you have nothing to be ashamed of.

Jason:  [6:40] That, but also we need your daily motivation again.

Steve:  [6:45] We need a lot of encouragement. We need a lot of encouragement.

James:  [6:48] Thank you. We’ll be right back. We don’t really have a plan to open tomorrow.

Jason:  [6:54] Tim, it’s good to see you.

Tim Teel:  [6:55] It’s great to see you guys again.

Jason:  [6:59] I’ll tell you. Are you enjoying the conference so far?

Tim:  [7:02] It’s just really good. I always say that every time I’m in‑person. But there’s just something about being in‑person, shaking hands and sitting up.

Jason:  [7:14] Yeah, look at that.

James:  [7:15] I know a little product placement there.

Tim:  [7:17] I love that.

James:  [7:18] Let’s lean in about energy in OGA.

Tim:  [7:21] For all of your OK needs, and if you haven’t seen Tracer yet, Jim is…

Tim:  [7:27] I’m kidding.

James:  [7:28] Tim, you will speak this afternoon.

Tim:  [7:30] I will.

James:  [7:31] I’m looking forward to it because I wasn’t able to catch you at [inaudible] earlier this year and I was upset about that. So I was pumped to find out that you’re later this afternoon, so I will be catching you up.

Jason:  [7:59] Absolutely. I believe you’re set for just after, James.

Tim:  [8:03] I know, I’ve got to fall in.

Jason:  [8:06] Hey, thank you

Tim:  [8:07] For those of you who don’t know, I’ll share this story. You may not have heard it. In 2019, I was brand new in…

James:  [8:00] I have heard this story.

Tim:  [8:02] I go to Springfield Missouri to a CGA event up there, and this guy was speaking, I can’t remember what the title of the session was.

James:  [8:12] Leading People Not Like You.

Tim:  [8:13] Leading People Not Like You. So I’m taking notes and I was taking my screenshots of his PowerPoint presentation, and I told him that out of that entire conference, that is the only presentation that stuck with me. Fast forward to this year, we run into each other at the [inaudible] conference, and I’m like, Dude, it’s the first time we met.

Jason:  [8:34] Oh, OK.

Tim:  [8:34] We’ve seen each other on LinkedIn, and we’d connect and all that stuff but it is the first time we met in‑person. And I pull my phone out and I show him the screenshot of his presentation.

Tim:  [8:47] I took everything that I learned from his and I applied it to my speaking session and so full‑circle, now, we’re speaking at a conference together.

Jason:  [8:52] Now he’s the one that’s star‑struck with you. How awesome.

James:  [8:55] I’m going to hand the pointer to him.

Tim:  [8:57] Right. But I still had to come and follow after him today.

James:  [9:01] You do a great job.

Tim:  [9:02] No.

Jason:  [9:03] I saw your presentation at OGA and it was fantastic.

Tim:  [9:05] Yeah. I’m working on it, you know.

Jason:  [9:07] Well, you’ve been at OGA for a number of years.

Tim:  [9:08] Yeah, right.

Jason:  [9:08] So this is your warehouse.

Tim:  [9:10] Well, and a lot of that was difficult because during COVID, everything was…So it’s one thing to present over a team’s meeting, or click their PowerPoint, and you can have your notes right there in front of you. It’s going to be totally different when you’re standing in front of a crowd.

Tim:  [9:26] I am too.

Jason:  [9:26] Really?

Tim:  [9:27] I am too.

Jason:  [9:28] Really?

Tim:  [9:28] I’m so much more comfortable behind…

James:  [9:30] So weird, yeah.

Jason:  [9:32] It’s funny you guys say that because I need the visual feedback of the group to…

James:  [9:36] You know, I can work through my spaces, don’t get me wrong, obviously, we hope so, right?

Tim:  [9:41] Right.

James:  [9:42] But in Zoom, I can get comfortable. I can have them explain in your face while I’m going on. Not that I read but it does. I do write out mine completely because that’s how I function but I don’t read in it. I’m just saying it’s there when I first go through and then I hone, and I hone, and I hone, and I hone.

Jason:  [10:04] Understood.

Tim:  [10:04] I’m always a hundred times better when it’s an open dialogue, so I might open a topic and I want some feedback, but when it’s like crickets in the room, it’s like, “OK, so I’m just going to stand here and talk and you guys are just going to listen?”

Jason:  [10:18] Yeah.

James:  [10:18] You know, I oddly read it after lunch, nobody wants to talk about…

Jason:  [10:25] Everybody will be full and quiet.

Tim:  [10:27] Maybe you’ll wake them up for me, and then I’ll put them to sleep. [laughs]

Jason:  [10:30] There you go.

Jason:  [10:31] for you.

James:  [10:32] People fall asleep during mine all the time. It’s not that big of a deal, it’s more on them than me. Well, Tim, we appreciate you, brother.

Jason:  [10:43] Yeah, pleasure to see you.

Tim:  [10:45] Great being here with you guys.

James:  [10:47] Thanks for being here, thanks for being on the agenda. Couldn’t do it without you.

Tim:  [10:28] Alright. Thanks, guys.

James:  [10:31] [laughs] We’re back, we’re having a blast here at OGA. We’re calling now a fellow board member.

Jason:  [10:57] Yes, if you don’t know him, a fellow’s near here tomorrow, it’s Scott Fite, Scott Fite’s been in the industry a number of years. He’s been a true asset to the OGA board. Brings a lot of ideas, helping to develop a lot of content for this annual conference. He’s got a lot of great experience and there’s a lot to think about…

James:  [11:13] Scott, in the last session, the first session of the day, sat next to me and got to watch me ugly cry during…

Jason:  [11:20] Hey.” As he…

James:  [11:22] He’s consoling me, like, “It’s alright, big guy. It’s OK.”

Jason:  [11:24] Well, in his defense, I don’t know if it was a console more than a laugh‑fest for the both of us, truly.

James:  [11:32] Oh, yeah.

Jason:  [11:31] It was a great leadership message with good humor and things involved. It was a wonderful experience. It’s always a good reminder to have the opportunities to do these things as well.

James:  [11:42] We’re so passionate about leadership here at OGA, so much so that we had a leadership conference earlier this year. We try to make that on the agendas everywhere. We get a shot because of how important it is. I loved his messages. Now it’s your turn, right?

Jason:  [11:57] Yes.

James:  [11:58] I know you got to go bang the dishes, wake everybody up, right?

Jason:  [12:01] Now we’re really involved. Carry the torch. What are you doing?

James:  [12:01] Get everybody drinking some coffee. Scott, this isn’t your first OGA.

Scott:  [12:05] No, I’ve been coming to the OGA for so long now, I can’t remember when I started, but at least half a dozen or more years.

James:  [12:15] What is your favorite thing about coming to the OGA Annual Conference?

Scott:  [12:19] You know, outside of the networking, one of the greatest things I’ve always taken away from here is the ability to be inspired. By others around me, as well as those who speak, and it really helps get that balance back that he was talking about between being a workaholic or, you know, brings some fun back and some energy.

[12:40] So, it’s a tough thing, but it’s good to have that reminder. Sometimes it seems like the same ongoing message, but we all can get complacent. Even in leadership, as well as our safety box at home.

James:  [12:52] Especially in leadership, right? Man, it’s great to be back in person.

Jason:  [12:56] It is.

Scott:  [12:57] Amen.

Jason:  [12:57] It’s so good to see you. I tell you, it’s been, what, 2019…

Scott:  [12:59] 2019 was the last time we had this space.

Jason:  [13:02] Was the last time we did one of these lives.

Scott:  [13:04] Yeah, it’s so good to be seeing everybody.

James:  [13:05] So, full disclosure, I have never been to an OGA event. In my life.

Scott:  [13:11] Oh, you didn’t make the earlier one this year, did you? That’s right.

James:  [13:15] I did not.

Jason:  [13:16] No, you had a scheduling conflict. That’s right.

James:  [13:14] I didn’t get involved with OGA until right when the pandemic started.

Jason:  [13:16] You’ve now been to a live event, that’s correct. And this is really…

James:  [13:23] I wasn’t a part of this before, so this is my first time, and we’ve been working on this event for two years.

Scott:  [13:29] Exactly.

James:  [13:30] Waiting to have this event, building this agenda. We might’ve all got it done in the last month, but…

Scott:  [13:38] Oh, nice.

James:  [13:39] We’ve been working on it for two years, so it’s been something I’ve been excited to see come off live.

Scott:  [13:43] It is wonderful just to be back in person, be back amongst such a large industry, but it’s such a small family.

Jason:  [13:50] Oh. All right.

Scott:  [13:51] That’s the thing about it that makes us great. It really does. We’re huge, but we’re small. We’re Titans.

James:  [13:57] I hear that all the time.

Jason:  [13:58] Like I said, it’s like a family reunion.

Scott:  [13:59] Exactly.

Jason:  [14:00] what it feels like.

James:  [14:00] Thanks, Scott.

Jason:  [14:01] Thanks for joining us.

Scott:  [14:03] Appreciate it.

James:  [14:03] Thank you, brother. I hope you have a good time.

Scott:  [14:08] Good to see you, brother.

James:  [14:10] Thank you, man. I’ll see you at the barbecue pit, I’m sure.

Jason:  [14:11] Taste time coming.

James:  [14:13] It’s coming in hot. We’ll be right back.

James:  [14:12] We don’t even wait.

Nathan Henson:  [14:14] Nice.

James:  [14:14] When we get a guest, we just…

Jason:  [14:15] Hop in.

James:  [14:16] haul him in, we’re like, “We got to get this guy.”

Jason:  [14:18] There you go. Hey, Nathan, we’re glad you’re here.

James:  [14:20] Hey, man.

Jason:  [14:21] Nathan, good to see you. It’s good to see you.

Nathan:  [14:22] Thanks, folks. It’s been so long.

James:  [14:23] Just jumps right in.

Jason:  [14:25] Nathan, is this your first time here at this OGA conference?

Nathan:  [14:27] It’s my first time.

Jason:  [14:28] Oh, really?

Nathan:  [14:29] Yeah.

Jason:  [14:29] Really? What do you think so far?

Nathan:  [14:32] It’s been great. We had a great keynote this morning, and looking forward to some…

James:  [14:33] It’s a good way to start. I cried. I literally cried over in the corner. My name’s Scott Fite. Man, that grandpa story there.

Jason:  [14:40] Oh, God.

James:  [14:41] Just got it?

Jason:  [14:42] It just ripped me right in the fields. Right in the fields.

James:  [14:44] Good story.

Jason:  [14:45] It was.

James:  [14:46] Hit on burnout. A lot of things that a lot of us are talking about, mental health, self‑care.

Jason:  [14:50] Absolutely. Absolutely.

James:  [14:52] What an on‑ramp to this week.

Nathan:  [14:54] New.

Jason:  [14:54] Yeah. Rev. Dr. Chuck Jackson. If you don’t know him, I’d encourage you to look him up.

James:  [14:58] He’s a good guy.

Jason:  [15:00] It’s definitely worth it.

James:  [14:59] Nathan, first OGA.

Nathan:  [15:01] First OGA.

James:  [15:05] Did you have expectations coming in? Did anybody level set for you what to expect? The amount of barbecue you eat, or?

Jason:  [15:12] [laughs]

Nathan:  [15:14] Nothing from that perspective. Just really looking forward to getting to know…as somebody who works for EWN in Oklahoma, getting to know more of our colleagues and customers here in the area, some of the vendors in the area, and just kind of networking and grow up closer with them.

[15:30] I know we’ve got some sessions coming up this afternoon. We’ve got a great culture with some presentation that’s going to be coming up.

Jason:  [15:37] A little bit.

Nathan:  [15:38] At least I hear

Jason:  [15:40] Heard the speaker’s pretty charismatic as well, but I doubt that. Rumor.

Nathan:  [15:41] Rumor.

James:  [15:41] These are award‑winning podcasts.

James:  [15:43] I tell you that. That is confirmed. Nathan. For those that don’t know, Nathan Henson is our project manager. He’s like amazing. What’s your title? Is it Director of…?

Jason:  [15:56] It’s Director of our project management office.

James:  [16:00] That means he knows me a lot

Jason:  [16:02] To write him off to it.

James:  [16:05] I’m just kidding.

Jason:  [16:05] Over kidding.

James:  [16:06] We give Nathan a hard time, but he shows up everywhere we are. Last year around people loved him, because he asked questions, because he’s inquisitive and curious and people like that.

Jason:  [16:22] And we stop being curious.

James:  [16:22] I’m trying to plug it in over here at OGA. I think you’ve made it work.

Jason:  [16:24] Yes. He’d be an asset to the team. For sure.

Nathan:  [16:28] That is for sure. That is for sure.

James:  [16:28] Nathan, thanks for joining us.

Nathan:  [16:30] Really appreciate you. Thanks for the opportunity. Hope you have a good time.

James:  [16:35] How about Jason Crowe stepping in? He’s basically…

Jason:  [16:39] We’re trying. We’re trying.

Jason:  [16:40] Hey, we’ll be back.

James:  [16:42] Jason Hart, good to see you.

[16:41] Jason Hart: How is it going, guys?

James:  [16:44] We follow each other around the country.

Mr. Hart:  [16:47] We try. We try.

James:  [16:46] All the time, everywhere we go. It’s one of those things that some people you see, it feels like everywhere.

Nathan:  [16:52] All the events. I don’t know.

James:  [16:54] It feels creepy that you follow them around.

Jason:  [16:57] You’re one of them.

James:  [16:57] No.

James:  [16:59] We see them like…For sure. No matter where we are at.

Jason:  [17:02] You cover a much bigger region than…Seeing James all over the place, you’re in Texas and all those things?

Mr. Hart:  [17:08] I’m rarely in Texas, but I cover Arkansas, Oklahoma, and Kansas.

Jason:  [17:11] Got you.

Nathan:  [17:12] Fair enough.

Jason:  [17:12] You are traveling.

Mr. Hart:  [17:13] I’ve got a little bit of ground to cover.

James:  [17:17] Little bit overlap. You’ve been to OGA before?

Mr. Hart:  [17:20] Yes sir. Yes sir. It’s good to be back.

James:  [17:22] Long‑term veteran?

Mr. Hart:  [17:23] I’ve been coming since 2014.

James:  [17:26] All that about?

Mr. Hart:  [17:29] There’s definitely people longer than me, but I’ve been here a while.

Jason:  [17:32] What have you enjoyed about coming to the conference historically?

Mr. Hart:  [17:34] I’ll be honest with you, the biggest thing is network in general. I started as a customer and now I’m on the opposite side of that table. So, seeing both ends of it, there’s always those relationships that maybe you only see a few times a year and it’s nice to catch up with those folks.

[17:54] At the same time, just building new relationships, new folks that come in and trying to be of service to them.

James:  [18:01] Like me.

Jason:  [18:01] There you go.

Mr. Hart:  [18:03] Absolutely.

Jason:  [18:03] Well, you’ve been to this conference many times. This is James’ first time here live. You have any pointers for James while he’s scared for the first time, OGA?

Mr. Hart:  [18:14] Practice cornhole.

Jason:  [18:15] Practice…

Mr. Hart:  [18:17] You need to get in the groove and start throwing bags.

James:  [18:21] I should have played in.

Mr. Hart:  [18:22] It is a thing.

James:  [18:24] I didn’t know.

Jason:  [18:24] We’re all learning.

James:  [18:26] It’s so competitive. I would have brought our boards and like [inaudible].

Jason:  [18:29] Next year.

Mr. Hart:  [18:31] It is a serious thing. It’s not like the other fun things we have going on here.

James:  [18:35] Like the barbecue?

Mr. Hart:  [18:37] It’s equally as serious as the barbecue.

James:  [18:39] Hold on.

Jason:  [18:40] That’s pretty serious.

James:  [18:41] You heard it here first.

Jason:  [18:42] Jason Hart, GROEBNER and Associates.

Mr. Hart:  [18:44] Thanks a lot, guys.

James:  [18:45] I’ll see you at the next stop.

Mr. Hart:  [18:47] There we go.

Jason:  [18:48] Thanks, Jason.

James:  [18:50] We’re back. We do cold opens now.

Jason:  [18:53] We do.

James:  [18:53] Like we’re professionals, we’re just rolling with it. Like it’s a real podcast.

Stephen Lazenby:  [18:57] I like it. I like where your heads are at.

James:  [18:58] I have never met…

Stephen:  [18:59] Stephen Lazenby.

James:  [19:00] Stephen, nice to meet you sir.

Stephen:  [19:03] Nice to meet you.

James:  [19:03] If we have, I don’t remember.

Jason:  [19:04] Stephen Lazenby with Summit Utilities out of…?

Stephen:  [19:07] Fort Smith, Arkansas.

James:  [19:08] Fort Smith as well. We’re on a run now.

Jason:  [19:10] We are. Stephen, what is it that you do for Summit there?

Stephen:  [19:12] I’m operations manager for the service department.

James:  [19:14] Are your OQs up today?

Stephen:  [19:16] I certainly hope so. I’ll check into that soon as I can, when I get back.

James:  [19:20] Hold on. I’ll check on that. You go ahead and interview him.

Jason:  [19:23] What you have been thinking of the conference? I know this is not your first one.

Stephen:  [19:25] I love it. It’s good information. Great leadership stuff here. Every presentation I’ve been to has been fantastic. It is good to connect with people. It’s just been a blessing to be able to do this.

James:  [19:38] You’ve been here before?

Stephen:  [19:39] This is probably my third or fourth one.

James:  [19:43] You were on cook teams before?

Stephen:  [19:45] I believe 2019, I was on a cook team.

James:  [19:48] So we did talk earlier. I’m sorry. I met so many people today.

Jason:  [19:51] You guys do an amazing job.

James:  [19:52] They kicked you off, right?

Stephen:  [19:54] No, no.

James:  [19:54] I’m kidding, I’m kidding. Oh, no way.

Jason:  [19:55] Easy, easy.

Stephen:  [19:59] I just want to say, I appreciate what you guys do. It’s just awesome.

Jason:  [20:01] What’s your biggest takeaway from this event today? You mentioned the networking and the sessions. Is there something else that stood out?

Stephen:  [20:08] The information about where the industry is headed. The direction it is going right now. It’s been very informative.

Jason:  [20:13] We’ve got two good speakers tomorrow on, from the American Gas Association. Then Steve Taylor about…

Stephen:  [20:21] Former colleague of mine in Oklahoma. Great guy.

James:  [20:24] First class.

Stephen:  [20:25] He’s got a great testimony, too.

Jason:  [20:28] You have any pointer for James, it’s being his first…

James:  [20:31] It’s my first one, man.

Jason:  [20:31] Live OGA conference.

James:  [20:33] I’ve been involved with the OGA since 2019, but right after the conference and we plan this event the whole time since I’ve been involved. So it’s my first time.

Stephen:  [20:42] Soak it up. It’s good stuff and…

Jason:  [20:43] Soak it up.

Stephen:  [20:44] there’s a lot of good Networking going on here.

James:  [20:46] It really has been, I really enjoyed it.

Jason:  [20:48] Stephen, good to see you brother.

James:  [20:50] Thank you so much.

Stephen:  [20:50] Pleasure being honored. Thank you so much. Take care, guys.

James:  [20:53] We’ll be back.

James:  [20:54] And we just come back, just like that.

Jason:  [20:58] There you go.

James:  [20:58] We’re back about our brand new friend.

Jason:  [21:01] A new friend.

Stacie Smith:  [21:01] Yes.

Jason:  [21:02] Good to meet you.

Stacie:  [21:03] Wonderful to meet you.

Jason:  [21:02] Stacie, Jason Crowe and…

Stacie:  [21:05] Nice to meet you.

James:  [21:06] James Cross. It’s really my show. He’s standing in from my cohort, Jim Schauer. His…

Jason:  [21:14] Stunt double, if you will.

James:  [21:15] Let’s see how he does.

Stacie:  [21:16] Absolutely.

James:  [21:17] Stacie, how’s the conference going forward?

Stacie:  [21:18] The conference has been great, from the motivational speaker, in the beginning to the barbecue at lunch. These guys are making Kansas City look very sorry. It was phenomenal.

Jason:  [21:32] Are you from the Kansas City area?

Stacie:  [21:33] I love Kansas City barbecue, but after my experience today, it was incredible

Jason:  [21:38] But you’re not from the area? I grew up in, that’s why I asked.

Stacie:  [21:41] No, no. But that’s where you go to get barbecue but it’s all happened in Oklahoma.

James:  [21:45] Stacie, what do you do?

Stacie:  [21:47] I do corporate affairs for some utilities.

James:  [21:49] Very nice. Decline, shut up.

Stacie:  [21:52] Yes.

James:  [21:53] I’ve never been here before. Is this your first time? Or you’ve been here multiple times?

Stacie:  [21:56] I went in 2019 but then I think we’ve been on a two‑year pause unfortunately. But…

James:  [22:02] It’s not your first time?

Stacie:  [22:03] Not my first time.

James:  [22:04] Therefore, so any anything just jump out at you more so than others or any tips for me. This my first time.

Stacie:  [22:15] You know, the sessions have been great, I love the oranges sessions…

James:  [22:20] So, 10 sessions.

Stacie:  [22:20] Yeah, 10 sessions.

James:  [22:21] Eat the barbecue.

Stacie:  [22:24] Eat the barbecue, play cornhole, I was in and then I was out. [laughs] But, it’s just been a great, great time. All right, thank you so much.

James:  [22:37] That was easy, right?

Stacie:  [22:38] Easy‑peasy. Thank you.

James:  [22:40] We’ll be back.

Jason:  [22:41] Will Wood, so good to see you.

Will Wood:  [22:44] doing this.

Jason:  [22:45] You’re back, good to see you again man.

Will:  [22:48] Yeah, you guys too.

James:  [22:50] Nice to meet you.

Will:  [22:51] Yeah.

James:  [22:52] We just met like one minute ago.

Jason:  [22:54] Pretty close, pretty close. How are you enjoying the conference so far?

Will:  [22:52] Very much? It’s nice to be back after all the COVID, and three years ago and come back now, I can definitely see a lot of familiar faces I haven’t seen in a minute, very exciting.

Jason:  [23:02] I’ll tell you what. I know this isn’t your first time here at the OGA. You’ve been here, at least three or four times, right?

Will:  [23:07] Yes.

Jason:  [23:08] This is James’s first time here in the conference. There is any pointers and tips you could share with James from your perspective on getting the most out of the conference?

Will:  [23:15] Keep on cleaning. Keep on cleaning well.

James:  [23:18] [laughs] I was trying to think of something right there. Exactly. Make sure I’m keeping it clean.

Will:  [23:19] People remember to watch this through the Internet.

James:  [23:23] Don’t eat too much of the snacks you see on the table, is probably not a good idea. You don’t want to get too much of a sugar rush, at all.

Jason:  [23:29] That’s good, and also to make sure you have room for?

James:  [23:32] Brisket.

Jason:  [23:33] Barbecue.

Will:  [23:34] Barbecue. Barbecue is exactly what I was thinking.

James:  [23:36] Holy cow.

James:  [23:37] Let’s talk about that for a half hour.

Will:  [23:40] Barbecue?

James:  [23:40] Let’s talk about the barbecue today.

Will:  [23:40] Man, I’m still feeling full from that.

James:  [23:39] Did somebody eat dinner?

Jason:  [23:40] I didn’t.

Will:  [23:41] I’m telling you, our whole table was so full from lunch, it was so good that we were sitting there just barely even eating the chicken.

James:  [23:54] What’s your favorite thing? Be honest.

Will:  [23:57] Favorite thing…

Jason:  [23:58] In the barbecue.

Will:  [24:00] Outside of the food, really just…

James:  [24:03] No, no, I mean in it. In the food world. I’m in this category. We’ll move on to the important stuff.

Will:  [24:07] Oh, in the food. I think the brisket was my favorite.

Jason:  [24:10] Brisket was good.

Jason:  [24:14] Armadillo leg?

Will:  [24:15] Armadillo legs. Listen, I like spicy food, I travel all the time, in that West Texas kind of area. So spicy food is my thing. However, I didn’t get to try but I heard it was very good.

Jason:  [24:27] It was pretty good, the ribs.

James:  [24:28] I liked the ribs too.

Jason:  [24:30] The ribs were good.

James:  [24:31] The ribs are bomb, but that brisket, whatever the sauce was, that’s what a bought for.

Will:  [24:35] I mean, everyone I’ve talked to was more or less saying they couldn’t decide because it was also good. So is there a battle between‑

James:  [24:42] Absolutely, that was an ultimate win‑win.

Jason:  [24:45] There’s so much food, so much.

James:  [24:47] Now back to the conference. What was your favorite thing about the conference?

Will:  [24:52] Everything about the conference. Once again, I have a lot of customers here. So being around them, being able to enjoy them, talk to them. This is a time for, I think, a lot of them, they get to enjoy the training and go through that, but also get, get to escape from work and enjoy each other.

James:  [25:09] Talk.

Will:  [25:09] Exactly, talk and enjoy.

Will:  [25:10] Going back.

James:  [25:11] Yeah, a little bit.

Jason:  [25:13] A little bit.

James:  [25:16] I mean, right back here we got cornhole going on. There are some ninja stars or something over here.

Jason:  [25:21] Game night and all that.

James:  [25:23] Game night tonight. It’s a fun night.

Will:  [25:26] Oh, of course, and then we did the shooting, the sporting clays. We also had the gulf and although rain did cut into it a little bit, everyone that I’ve talked to enjoyed it.

James:  [25:34] It’s a blessing for me because it was hot.

Jason:  [25:38] And Will, I can’t agree with you more. Coming to this event as an exhibitor, you look at the money you spend in gas nowadays and hotels to go run around and see all these people.

[25:46] A lot of people you may already currently do business with, to be able to have everybody in one spot really get a chance to have some kind of fellowship connection, it’s hard to beat. I agree with you.

Will:  [25:56] I noticed too, we had some new sponsors too. Although we have a uniqueness as a sponsor ourselves what we’re trying to sell, evaluating and seeing other new products that I have not seen before, very unique and helpful.

James:  [26:08] Good point. A lot of tech. A lot of tech here right now, love it.

Jason:  [26:13] Speaking of Will, is there something new and cool going on with KGM that we should be aware of?

Will:  [26:19] There’s always something new and exciting going on with us.

James:  [26:22] your answer.

Jason:  [26:25] There you go.

James:  [26:26] Marketing will be proud of that.

Will:  [26:26] I tried to make that happen as much as I can.

Jason:  [26:28] Fare enough.

James:  [26:29] We love you, Marketing, all of you.

Jason:  [26:31] Fair enough. Well, Will, we’re grateful for you being here.

Will:  [26:30] Thanks, guys.

Jason:  [26:31] It’s always good to see you in‑person.

Jason:  [26:39] Good to see you again.

James:  [26:39] Hey, we’re going to go get some snacks.

Will:  [26:44] Thank you guys.

James:  [26:45] Thanks.

James:  [26:46] Relax. We’re laughing. Every time we come here we’re laughing because we’re always with somebody new and one of our good friends, Mr. Jon Smith from Veteran Horizons.

Jon Smith:  [26:56] Great to see you again.

Jason:  [26:58] You bet, yeah, it was a great pleasure to meet you at the EWNCON back in May.

Jon:  [26:58] It was a pleasure meeting you in EWN back in Maine. We had a chance to connect…

James:  [27:02] It was a pleasure playing six holes of golf with you yesterday.

Jon:  [27:05] Until the weather got real, real nasty.

James:  [27:07] Yeah.

Jon:  [27:08] It’s better to walk away from six holes of golf than to not walk away.

James:  [27:11] I’ll tell you what, I’ve never seen a more compliant group on the golf course than us falling in line and getting off the golf course. That says something about safety in our industry.

Jon:  [27:22] You need to pay me a little more if you’re talking about compliance on that. I know the route we took. It was not…

James:  [27:30] We took some backroads, but look at us, we’re all standing here. It was safety and compliance.

Jon:  [27:40] Absolutely.

James:  [27:40] So, Jon, you’re at the OGA first time?

Jon:  [27:44] First time at the OGA. As I said, that’s for the EWNCON.

James:  [27:48] Did you come here because I promoted it? Be honest.

Jon:  [27:42] Actually, because we met at the EWNCON. And actually, that’s part of what I’m trying to do for my clients, to get them more involved in Regional conferences. To talk about smart technologies that are coming into the gas space, measure that out. In the program we had some great things we talked about today and just…

James:  [28:00] That was awesome.

Jon:  [28:00] That kind of dialog…

Jon:  [28:03] at the regional conference, because when we go to…AGA and SGA are fantastic events, great industry events, but we talk about 30,000 for the level. When we get to an event like this, we start talk about what are individual companies doing? What are individual associations doing? Where are we going as a region?

Jon:  [28:22] Everybody’s got different strategies. As I talk to more and more companies, that’s what you need to have. You need to have that perspective of what the individual strategies are because there is so much interest in the energy and infrastructure space right now. It’s just off the charts.

James:  [28:39] Dude, Jon goes off on tangents sometimes. I like when he’s on. He’s one of my favorite guests.

Jon:  [28:45] There’s a lot to talk about.

Jason:  [28:48] Jon, if I’m hearing you right, then one of the things you find to be most beneficial about this conference is it really helps you get your finger on the pulse of what’s going on more regionally in the industries, so that’s good to know. I appreciate the perspective.

Jon:  [28:57] Absolutely. Even when you go across conferences like that, you have the ability to talk to people like yourself about, “Hey, what’s Texas doing? What’s Louisiana doing? What are all these others doing?” Maybe, next conference, there’s an opportunity to talk about those things.

[29:12] It just moves everybody forward. That’s what this industry has to be about, is moving forward.

Jason:  [29:18] Well said.

James:  [29:18] Jon, you’ve been on the show many a times. I respect you from a business sense. You’ve got a smart head on your shoulders. What’s going on in the industry? What are you seeing out there? Any trends, anything, if you had to bet on? I don’t even know how to ask you.

James:  [29:37] You know what I mean. What’s going on out there?

Jon:  [29:40] There’s a couple of things going on right now. First of all, there’s a realization that we, as an industry, have to keep moving forward in how we’re qualifying new opportunities and new products. We, as an industry, have to start moving at the pace we’re faster than technology and digitization in many ways.

[29:59] That’s a challenge for this industry, it has been a long time. That’s one of the biggest things I see internally from the outside, which is really interesting since stepping away and now forming Veteran Horizons. My discussions outside the industry, looking in, are very interesting because there’s so many people who want to know about this industry.

[30:18] So many people who want to talk about it, who want to find out more about the infrastructure, the gas, how do we do things? Not only that, but I think they’re more interested what’s the potential in the future. Then, lastly…

James:  [30:33] You talking VC money, some of it?

Jon:  [30:36] Some investments, some VCP‑type money. Lastly, the other thing that I get excited about and that I enjoy work with clients on is how do we tell that story of natural gas in an ESG environment?

Jon:  [30:50] How do we get better at it? I was just talking over here, we’re having the discussion that…One of the things we do is we’ve talked in generalities too much in natural gas. We’ve got to start being able to quantify and show not only the amount of improvement we’ve done for the environment.

[31:05] Also, we need to be able to monetize it, so that we can show what is that payback to companies that adopt this technology. How do we really show investors that natural gas is actually one of the industries that’s moved the farthest, in the past decade, towards reducing emissions and doing what we do for the environment.

[31:26] I’ve worked with a couple of companies already on this. It’s a black hole right now. People don’t know how to do it, but I think we, as an industry, are going to move and get better at doing that here. What a great conference. You come here, you got barbecue for lunch, you got cornhole over our backs back here, which is not my sport.

Jason:  [31:46] Mine either.

James:  [31:47] Little bit of everything.

Jon:  [31:49] Seeing the camaraderie here is fantastic.

Jason:  [31:52] Jon…

James:  [31:53] Lots of sessions here today. Did I steal your thing that you were about to ask?

Jason:  [31:56] No, no.

James:  [31:58] Lots of sessions. Have you caught any sessions, anything that you’re going to take away and bring home?

Jon:  [32:05] The opening session on leading was certainly good. You can always learn more about leadership, I would say.

James:  [32:12] Every perspective is amazing, isn’t it?

Jon:  [32:15] Absolutely. I got to give a shout‑out. James, your talk today about culture and about kick‑starting your culture.

James:  [32:22] That wasn’t a setup, I swear.

Jon:  [32:24] I know it wasn’t. Except that it ain’t money on the table.

[32:32] Because culture is so important. We can talk all day about what we do, and there were some fantastic sessions about what we’re doing in the field, what we’re doing for that.

Jason:  [32:41] More the hard skills, yes.

Jon:  [32:42] If we can’t hold onto the talent that is in this industry through establishing a culture that they want to be a part of. If we can’t keep them involved and energized to keep us moving forward, we won’t get there. That to me is the unknown secret with your discussion today.

James:  [33:04] Look, we’re going off on a tangent.

Jason:  [33:05] That’s alright.

James:  [33:06] This is a nine‑minute, long‑form episode. No, you’re right. We could talk about it, it’s all good.

Jon:  [33:12] There’s so many things happening.

Jason:  [33:13] People being our greatest assets in our company. It’s easy to get caught up in all the equipment and sort, but none of you look at the team and what they bring.

James:  [33:22] I’m blasted away that we’re even out here just talking. Jon and I earlier had a 20‑minute conversation about tech at a natural gas conference in Oklahoma. That’s where we’re at right now, and I think we’re silly if we don’t lean in.

Jason:  [33:37] Absolutely.

Jon:  [33:38] The best part about it is we’re going to carry those forward to the next gathering, the next meeting, whenever we’re all together again. It just spurs innovation.

Jason:  [33:46] Can stir you to share and serve, absolutely.

Jon:  [33:48] That’s right, absolutely.

James:  [33:49] Always a pleasure, my friend.

Jon:  [33:51] Glad to see you again, my friend.

Jason:  [33:54] Good to see you, brother.

Jon:  [33:56] Good to see you, we’ll be in touch. We’ll keep talking. Thank you.

Jason:  [34:01] Take care, I’m looking forward to it.

James:  [34:04] We’ll be back.

Jason:  [34:05] Excited to be here, Jeffrey.

James:  [33:57] Look who showed up, Mr. Jeff Kaufmann.

Jason:  [34:00] Jeff Kaufmann.

James:  [34:01] Already a friend of the show.

Jeff Kaufmann:  [34:03] Triple J right here, J‑Cube.

Jason:  [34:05] Oh my goodness.

James:  [34:06] Where’s Jimmy?

Jeff:  [34:08] Jimmy not here, I hadn’t really noticed. Love you, Jim Schauer. You’re our brother from another mother, you know that.

James:  [34:16] He’s texted me so many times, so jealous of this week.

James:  [34:21] I just want you all to know that because he would be here if he could, for sure. Jeff Kaufmann, how’s your day going? Are you busy man today?

Jeff:  [34:30] I’m with the Oklahoma Gas Association. Had a great day. We’ve had a lot of stuff going on. We’re on roller skates here. We’re moving and grooving. Had some great content. Guy named James Cross spoke on culture, Energy World Day.

Jason:  [34:48] Pretty good session.

Jeff:  [34:48] Good session. It was right after lunch.

James:  [34:50] Now booking.

Jeff:  [34:53] Right after lunch and I didn’t doze off at all. Some really powerful stuff. Great fellowship here tonight. Lot of great natural gas professionals here in the building.

James:  [35:02] Are you proud?

Jeff:  [35:05] I’m proud of us. I think that we look at a couple of things. Our staff, Michele Danner, who keeps the glue together.

James:  [35:13] Rock star.

Jeff:  [35:14] Tom Rider, our executive director. Then we have some board members. This guy right here is our chairman. Maybe he’s the heart and soul, he is the passionate. James has joined our board in the past few years. Just a great add, great brain, a great mind working for a great company. Really dig what they have to talk about.

Jason:  [35:37] Jeff’s very modest. Jeff and Michelle and Tom keep everything on this conference on the rails. They keep me focused on what I need to do.

James:  [35:49] That’s all you’re playing.

Jason:  [35:50] Amazing. Yes

James:  [35:51] Handed you a play book

Jason:  [35:52] I know, I was a little overwhelmed…

James:  [35:54] But it was the wine menu.

Jason:  [35:57] Here at the OGA but Jeff we’re grateful for you.

James:  [36:01] This one was a long time coming.

Jason:  [36:03] Absolutely.

James:  [36:04] I mean we have been planning this I’ll just be honest, I never know if we’d have it because since I’ve been a part of this Association and involved, we’ve been planning this event, I realize I got my entire life involved with OGA. Has been planning this event.

Jeff:  [36:22] To be here in this moment.

James:  [36:23] Yes.

Jeff:  [36:25] I want to talk a little bit about the book really quickly. You know we have a book to our chair, gives some directions on things that we should be talking about as he introduces our speakers? There’s a couple of things that are in that book that we probably need to talk about that are coming up.

Jason:  [36:40] Yes, we’ve got a couple of events.

Jeff:  [36:41] What are they?

Jason:  [36:42] We’ve got two events coming up in October. October 12th, we’re doing a line located at St. Francis School.

Jeff:  [36:48] Where’s that?

Jason:  [36:48] Pryor, Oklahoma.

Jeff:  [36:49] Who’s hosting?

Jason:  [36:50] Our hosts are Heath Consultants Green Equipment and the good people of Pryor Municipal.

Jason:  [36:56] We want to get involved. I don’t know how but we want to get involved. Where’s the workshop?

Jeff:  [37:02] We’re going to workshop that. Then later that week…

Jason:  [37:08] October 15, we’re doing a scholarship ride. Our partners in Energy Worldnet that have helped design an amazing‑looking T‑shirt.

[37:15] We’ve got both of these things on our website. If you’d like to register, those you know me I’m not a golfer but I’m excited about this event, going to raise some money for the scholarship. Okgas.org. Go ahead, login. Thank you.

James:  [37:30] I’ll have a good product placement. Jeff Kaufman, thank you for your work, man. Appreciate you.

Jeff:  [37:36] Can we group hug? I’m just going to get weird. Jim’s right here.

James:  [37:41] We love you Jim really.

Jason:  [37:43] There you go.

James:  [37:44] We’ll be back.

Jason:  [37:45] We are live with JimBob!

James:  [37:58] This is why we’re here, to share laughs, have a good time. Mr. JimBob Sims joining the show.

Jason:  [38:06] Good to see you JimBob.

JimBob Sims:  [38:08] Jason, good to see you both.

Jason:  [38:07] JimBob, I tell you it’s been a minute.

James:  [38:10] A legend! A legend in the industry. Everyone knows JimBob.

Jason:  [38:15] And how long have you been in Damage Prevention?

JimBob:  [38:17] What?

Jason:  [38:17] How long have you been in Damage Prevention? We’ve known each other for a number of years.

JimBob:  [38:21] Oh Gosh, I don’t know.

Jason:  [38:21] A minute?

JimBob:  [38:22] A minute.

Jason:  [38:23] Or two.

JimBob:  [38:22] About 20 years.

Jason:  [38:22] 20 years?

JimBob:  [38:23] About 20 years.

Jason:  [38:23] Fantastic! Jim. If I remember you were talking earlier about you meeting one of our other board members in [inaudible] back in March and he had sparks of conversation with you about this event.

JimBob:  [38:35] He did.

Jason:  [38:35] And if I remember, is this your first time here?

JimBob:  [38:37] This is my first time at the OGA.

James:  [38:39] Same, me too. It’s my first time too.

Jason:  [38:40] So, what is your takeaway from the first day? What is something that you know…?

JimBob:  [38:44] Man, I…it’s just so great to be past the pandemic thing, past the mask thing and be back interacting and building those relationships, it’s just great. And of course, Oklahoma Gas Association. I mean, almost everybody here is one of my clients. So it’s a great place for me to come and see so many people, see old friends and make new friends.

Jason:  [39:18] That’s exactly what it feels like for me. I mean being here live it’s like a family reunions. It’s live and a chance to catch up.

JimBob:  [39:24] Exactly.

James:  [39:24] JimBob you got anything cool going on?

JimBob:  [39:26] Oh man, we got lots of cool stuff going on at Paradigm all the time. We’re always trying to come up with the next great thing, to help these operators any way we can with their public awareness, damage prevention, stay in Regulatory Compliance.

[39:48] We’ve got some new tools out there to help them stay in contact, your emergency responders and whatnot. We love to talk about that stuff.

Jason:  [39:57] Well make sure you get a chance to connect with JimBob if you got any questions about those things.

James:  [40:02] You’re one of my favorites. Good to see you brother.

JimBob:  [40:04] So good to see you James.

Jason:  [40:06] So good to see you Jim.

JimBob:  [40:06] Thanks Jason. Thank you all.

Jason:  [40:08] Thank you.

James:  [40:08] these are the cold open. If you come in ain’t real…What’s the word? This episode and this physique is sponsored by barbecue.

James:  [40:22] Well, we’re back. Look who joined us? We can’t even tell.

Jason:  [40:34] I got chicken.

James:  [40:36] We obviously at lunch time here at the OGA annual meeting and we have a special guest and don’t forget our co‑host as well.

Jason:  [40:45] Still here.

James:  [40:46] Special co‑host.

Jason:  [40:47] Still here.

James:  [40:48] Special guest, Coleman Sterling, our CEO at Energy Worldnet. Coleman, what is this episode 15 for you?

Coleman Sterling:  [40:56] 15, yeah, at least. In the beginning I was wondering when I was going to get on and now I’m on.

James:  [41:01] Now we won’t leave him alone.

Jason:  [41:02] Now you can’t get away. Well, this is what, at least the third, fourth time you’ve been at the OGA conference? Second at least.

James:  [41:08] You have spoken here before, have you?

Coleman:  [41:09] Yeah, I have spoken here before. Pre‑pandemic of course, but probably my third time. I guess all in that I’ve been here.

Jason:  [41:18] Still one of my favorite parts of this conference.

Coleman:  [41:21] You got to come back for the barbecue. I love the barbecue set up that you all have here.

James:  [41:24] I recall first time for me, I mentioned it, and first thing Coleman said, “You have never been to barbecue in the parking lot?”

James:  [41:28] I know what I was missing. I’m a snob. I’m a barbecue snob.

Jason:  [41:34] You are…

James:  [41:35] Legit.

Jason:  [41:36] What do you think?

James:  [41:37] I’m ready to go through the line and eat all the things.

Coleman:  [41:40] Well, our friends over at one of the Gas Distribution companies, he’s out of Fort Smith. One of the guys there has a restaurant called Links the chapter Crossing and this is from their team, we’ve got other teams here.

Jason:  [41:54] How many teams?

James:  [41:56] At least four or five.

Coleman:  [41:58] There’s a lot of food up there.

James:  [42:01] I hope you don’t hear smacking too hard but it’s so good. Coleman, you’ve been here before, any tips for me, I’m a first‑time or anybody else that maybe hasn’t been to an OGA event. Anything you’d leave them with?

Coleman:  [42:18] Of course we joke about the barbecue out in the parking lot but that’s where you get to meet all the people. That’s where you get to have a good conversation. I was here, there’s the barbecue here and how they do their contest.

[42:29] They bring it all in. They have the People’s Choice. You get to be part of the contest and then part of everything. It’s unique at OGA of all the other conferences that I’ve been to. That are…Excuse me, we had the chicken. [laughs] That I’d really enjoy it. I’ve already told you my tip.

Jason:  [42:49] To spill.

James:  [42:50] It’s really about breaking bread with people.

Jason:  [42:53] It really is.

James:  [42:54] We say it over and over, but you need to sit with somebody, you eat a little barbecue, all of a sudden, the walls come down and world’s a better place.

Coleman:  [43:04] There’s a macaroni and brisket and sausage thing over here that we need to go grab

James:  [43:12] Look for your time. We’re going to have to get out it. Normally, I would shake your hand Coleman, but I will opt out today. Thanks for joining us. Thanks for all the time and effort that you allow me to be involved here at the OGA. Makes a difference and it’s felt throughout events.

Jason:  [43:31] Energy Worldnet has done a great job of contributing to content for the Oklahoma Gas Association.

[43:35] One of the biggest things that we face as a group is providing value to all of our members and Energy Worldnet has been a key player in helping provide valuable information to your organization and our members.

[43:47] I’m grateful for you for that. Thank you so much.

Coleman:  [43:48] We love the OGA. We love that we can help and anybody out there wants to come and have a great barbecue, it’s at the OGA camp.

James:  [43:58] Look at this. We’re back live this year. How amazing to be back.

James:  [43:59] two people.

Coleman:  [44:01] That’s still the line.

James:  [44:03] We jumped the line.

Coleman:  [44:04] We had the same Jason…

James:  [44:05] snuck in. All right, we’ll be right back.

Jason:  [44:09] Are we on the record button?

James:  [44:12] We’re already back.

Jason:  [44:13] We’re already back on. Ladies and gentlemen, we got to do it for a dear friend Carrie Miller with LineQuest.

Carrie:  [44:16] Halo‑halo.

Jason:  [44:17] Carrie, It’s so good to see you again. Carrie and I met at the, we all met at the Hokey 811, Oklahoma Damage Prevention conference back in March.

Carrie:  [44:26] This place.

Jason:  [44:27] Yes, back in this hotel a few months ago. Carrie, from what I remember, this is your first time at the conference?

Carrie:  [44:33] Yes, we are first‑time exhibitor.

Jason:  [44:35] This is James’ first time here at the conference as well. What are your thoughts? Initial feedback, day one, what do you think?

Carrie:  [44:41] Day one’s been great. A lot of people, a lot of traffic coming through, a lot of interaction. It’s been really great.

Jason:  [44:48] Would you say so far it’s been a good bang for your buck as an exhibitor here?

Carrie:  [44:53] Absolutely. We will definitely be back next year.

Jason:  [44:56] That’s fantastic. What’s been your favorite thing so far aside from any chance to interact with all the attendees?

Carrie:  [45:03] The games have been really fun this evening. Just having that interaction. More low‑key, relaxed atmosphere? The dinner. Wait, I can’t miss out the lunch.

James:  [45:16] Let’s talk about the barbecue and the food coma that followed the barbecue.

Jason:  [45:25] Who actually had dinner tonight? None of us, right?

Carrie:  [45:26] I had a drink. Just one.

James:  [45:28] Supposedly. Allegedly.

Carrie:  [45:30] Maybe two.

James:  [45:30] Please don’t sarcasm. The food was amazing. I think they voted on the teams. What won, the ribs?

Jason:  [45:41] Yes, I believe you it was the ribs. Our friends, the ones we sampled earlier…

James:  [45:45] On the show!

Jason:  [45:46] On the show.

Carrie:  [45:47] You guys did some taste testing before?

James:  [45:52] We did. We might have pulled a card or two.

Jason:  [45:54] Might have pulled a member card.

James:  [45:56] Got a little snack to eat right on camera, but it was good. It was totally worth it. Carrie, thank you for joining us.

Jason:  [45:59] It was so nice to see you.

Carrie:  [46:01] Thank you guys.

James:  [46:02] Thank you so much for your support.

Jason:  [46:04] You’ve got any contract locate needs, right? LineQuest is who you work for?

Carrie:  [46:08] Yes. Absolutely. Any damage prevention contract, any line locating.

Jason:  [46:12] Good deal. You’ll be able to see her next year.

James:  [46:15] Shout out clients.

Jason:  [46:16] There you go. In an energy world we’re partners.

James:  [46:19] We’ll be back.

Carrie:  [46:19] Bye, guys.

Jason:  [46:20] Have you met my dear friend Matt Waldrop?

Jason:  [46:22] He just rolled right in. How’re you doing, Matt?

Matt Waldrop:  [46:21] Matt Waldrop.

Jason:  [46:24] James Cross.

Matt:  [46:25] Nice to meet you, James.

James:  [46:25] Welcome to the show.

Matt:  [46:26] Yes, sir.

James:  [46:27] So I really have a podcast and I really have a co‑host but he was unavailable.

Jason:  [46:34] I’m number two. I’m the stunt double.

James:  [46:36] Who better to have on board than Jason Crowe, am I right?

Matt:  [46:41] Most definitely.

James:  [46:42] One of the nicest guys in the industry that I have ever met. Now he’s my co‑host today.

Jason:  [46:49] I feel the same about Matt. Matt’s a great guy. We’ve known each other a number of years in industry.

James:  [46:53] A number, that’s when you know it’s a lot.

Matt:  [46:56] We left decades out of it.

Jason:  [46:58] Decades, yeah. It’s been quite a few. Matt’s been a good friend. You’ve been a long‑term supporter of the Oklahoma Gas Association.

Matt:  [47:07] Most definitely.

Jason:  [47:08] You’ve been to this conference I know more than a few times.

James:  [47:10] A number of times.

Jason:  [47:11] This is James number of first time at the conference. Do you have any pointers or suggestions for James at how he can really get the most benefit of this conference?

Matt:  [47:21] The whole benefit to OGA is you’re getting all the people of this organization, the gas utility markets together and the support of basic sponsors, whatever, but we support this industry. You’re looking at Oklahoma, Arkansas utility companies which, of course, is such a crucial infrastructure, but this is peers.

[47:45] You’re like Jason and I. We’ve known each other for years in different sides of the road, but we’re all driving down the same lane and it’s to the betterment of this industry. Well, these guys do keep some of the lights on, or gas on per say.

Jason:  [47:59] There you go.

Matt:  [48:00] Yeah, make it right, but it’s such a crucial infrastructure, and coming here you get to network with everybody and meet and greet, rub shoulders of peers. Good relationships.

James:  [48:12] How cool to be… I hate to say it, I feel like I’m wearing it out, but being knee‑to‑knee with people this week and being in person, really being able to have conversations, you know most move forward in different areas, collaborate. There’s so much tech and innovation and stuff going on in our industry, so many awesome vendors here that showcase that. Man, it’s a great time.

Jason:  [48:35] James, you hit the nail on the head with collaboration. That’s how Matt and I go back. It’s difficult to be a subject matter expert in so many things, so you align yourself with people of great integrity and great knowledge and servant hearts like Matt to help.

[48:51] When you’ve got a friend or a customer or client that’s got an issue, you may not be the person, but you know the person. And that’s… I think it’d been a big benefit.

James:  [48:58] I know a guy. I know a guy.

Matt:  [49:00] It’s easy to do good things when you’re dealing with good people.

Jason:  [49:02] There you go.

Matt:  [49:03] And that’s…

Jason:  [49:06] That’s it, you know speaking of good things with good people… I know Matt you’re very passionate about the AMPP Central Group at Tulsa and I think you guys got some exciting things coming up here soon. Can you share a little about that?

Matt:  [49:19] You bet, yeah. AMPP used to be NACE, National Association of Corrosion Engineers. We joined to merge with SSPC, which is coding people. Now you have a coding world.

[49:31] Which all these people are involved with, our industry, and you have a cathodic protection, which protects the pipe lines together. We’re having our big Central Area event coming up, September 26, or 28. We’ll have about 500‑plus people there. Some of the people here will be attending, because we’re all in the same boat.

James:  [49:52] What event is that, Matt?

Matt:  [49:55] It is the Central Area conference for AMPP, what used to be NACE. Instrumentations, everything. Matter of fact, one of a couple months ago, we had Jason come up to speak at one of our chapter events in Tulsa.

Jason:  [50:09] Absolutely, and damage prevention.

James:  [50:12] Let me ask you a question, just because we have some overlap in different areas. Do you know Jim Kunkle?

Matt:  [50:17] I believe I do. Yes sir.

James:  [50:20] He does a podcast or video stuff. We had him on the show at some point. We’ve had some different folks in that segment as well, so I was just wondering.

Jason:  [50:28] Before we get off of that, that AMPP conference coming up, where’s that going to be at?

Matt:  [50:31] It’s going to be in Tulsa, in Renaissance Center, off of 71st Street.

Jason:  [50:35] OK. Off of 71st and 169 at the Renaissance Hotel, the 26th, 27th, 28th. If I want to get some more information about that conference, where would I go?

Matt:  [50:44] You can go to the AMPP Tulsa chapter website, or Facebook site.

Jason:  [50:50] Facebook site, so A‑M‑P‑P Tulsa chapter.

Matt:  [50:55] Central Area.

Jason:  [50:56] Google it up. Central Area. It’s going to be a great event. Matt, first class.

James:  [51:01] Good to meet you brother.

Jason:  [51:03] Always good to see you, brother. Good to see you.

Matt:  [51:03] Take care.

Jason:  [51:04] Take care.

James:  [51:04] We’ll be back.

Jason:  [51:06] Pam, it’s good to see you. Thank you so much for being here tonight.

Pamela Thames:  [51:08] It’s good to see you.

James:  [51:10] Thank you for joining us. Pam, what do you do? Where are you out of? Tell us a little bit.

Pamela:  [51:12] I am Pam Thames. I am out of Fort Smith, Arkansas, with Arkansas Oklahoma Gas, Summit Utilities.

James:  [51:19] I’ve heard of them. I’ve heard of them. Client. Shoutout for sure.

[51:24] First time here, you’ve been here before?

Pamela:  [51:26] Been here many times, always a great conference.

Jason:  [51:31] Not only have you attended the live conference. You spoke at our virtual conference, didn’t you?

Pamela:  [51:35] I did at Tracy Bryant night, public awareness.

James:  [51:40] There we go. I was about to say. Now I’m connecting dots. I remember.

Jason:  [51:44] Your session was very impactful from what I remember.

Pamela:  [51:48] Thank you.

Jason:  [51:49] You may have been.

James:  [51:53] We’re best friends.

Pamela:  [51:54] We’re best friends.

James:  [51:56] This is my first time here. What we’re asking people, just selfishly, what advice could you give me? What do I need? What do you think?

Jason:  [52:08] What is James need to know about finding the OGA annual conference, to really get the most benefit?

James:  [52:13] Bangs from above? Keep it clean.

Pamela:  [52:16] OGA is always great content. It’s the big selling point for the OGA is the quality of the speakers. It’s just spot on what’s going on in our industry and what’s coming up. New technology…

James:  [52:37] Love all the tech.

Pamela:  [52:38] code changes, the networking. We always just have a great group of people here. It’s a 10, it’s a great conference.

James:  [52:49] 10 out of 10. You heard it here first.

Pamela:  [52:51] That’s right.

Jason:  [52:52] Pam, we’re excited. From what you’ve seen today, what’s one thing that really stood out to you at the conference today?

Pamela:  [53:01] I really enjoyed our first speaker.

James:  [53:07] over there in the front raw, I couldn’t even have said that.

Jason:  [53:10] Absolutely.

James:  [53:10] The grandpa part. That was my grandpa. He described my grandpa to…

Jason:  [53:16] Shawn Jackson is amazing.

Pamela:  [53:18] Well, he really highlighted that play is a big part of everything that we need to do and then we take time to network and bond and, and…

Jason:  [53:28] Great time for…

Pamela:  [53:29] Play Cornhole and go golf and shoot and barbecue. Mixed in with all the other things we do, um, we’re all so busy but then you come here and you realize how much it’s needed, if just to reset.

Jason:  [53:44] I agree.

James:  [53:45] So we sharpen ourselves, right?

Pamela:  [53:47] Uh‑huh. Yes.

James:  [53:48] Absolutely. Lovely.

Jason:  [53:49] Fantastic.

James:  [53:49] Thank you so much for joining us. Hope you have a good time.

Pamela:  [53:53] Thank you. You too.

James:  [53:53] Thank you so much.

Pamela:  [53:54] Thank you.

Jason:  [53:54] Have a good night.

James:  [53:55] We’ll be back.

[53:56] We’re back.

Jason:  [53:57] We’re back. One of my dearest friends.

James:  [53:59] Sometimes we fight before. Get going Josh.

Jason:  [54:02] Newest member of the Oklahoma Gas Association Board, Josh DeWitt.

Josh DeWitt:  [54:06] Yes.

Jason:  [54:06] Big friend of mine.

Josh:  [54:07] Yes, sir.

Jason:  [54:07] You bet.

James:  [54:08] When did this happen?

Jason:  [54:09] In December.

Josh:  [54:09] It was right before the term…

James:  [54:13] What did I miss?

Jason:  [54:12] You were there in the December meeting.

Josh:  [54:14] It was last month, last year.

James:  [54:17] I was still deciding then.

Josh:  [54:18] I appreciate that.

Jason:  [54:20] You owe it all to James. We all owe it all to James.

James:  [54:24] We don’t even know what that means. How many times you’ve been at the OGA event? At all? First one ever?

Josh:  [54:33] OGA, I’ve been in the industry for ten years. Came on, did four, five, six years of it. I took a little hiatus and had to be doing some running around, done other shows. I haven’t been at OGA probably 18?

Jason:  [54:46] There you go.

Josh:  [54:46] Pre‑COVID? It’s changed a little bit. It’s a great place to be. I really enjoy the show. It’s got some separate stuff than other shows I’ve been to.

Jason:  [54:58] Like what?

James:  [54:59] Barbecue.

Josh:  [54:59] Barbecue. The cook‑off.

James:  [55:01] See how I bait everybody with that?

Josh:  [55:04] All the big shows you go to, you go to Texas Gas show, they’re not doing a cook‑off. You think Texas barbecue? No they ain’t doing. Oklahoma Arkansas do it.

James:  [55:14] That sounds like a challenge. You hear that Darrel?

Jason:  [55:16] Darrel, the gauntlet’s been thrown.

Jason:  [55:18] It has been thrown down by Oklahoma.

Josh:  [55:20] You got some stuff that set itself apart. Barbecue’s the first, the cook‑off’s the first one. Jason Crowe is number two.

Jason:  [55:32] I’ve been called much worse.

[55:35] Josh, you’re one of the newest board member at the OGA and we’re excited about you getting your perspective and your viewpoint in industry. What are some things that you’ve taken away from the board in general being a part of this group?

Josh:  [55:46] Board, it’s a diverse group, but it is very close‑knit.

Jason:  [55:52] Well said.

Josh:  [55:52] Everyone is very close, well‑spoken, not afraid to speak their ideas and come to a common agreement, understanding. It is a wonderful group to be with, it really is.

Jason:  [56:03] There you go, there you go. I know we’re both excited about a couple of events coming up in October.

James:  [56:08] I was going to say, which one’s specifically…

Jason:  [56:11] Which one’s specifically is coming up in October that you might be excited about?

James:  [56:14] that you’re most excited about?

Josh:  [56:15] I’m excited about scholarship ride.

Jason:  [56:17] What are you excited about with that, my friend?

Josh:  [56:19] For getting a group of guys together…

James:  [56:20] I think it’s just a free T‑shirt

Josh:  [56:22] Maybe it is…

Jason:  [56:23] It’s not a free T‑shirt.

James:  [56:24] No, they paid for…

Jason:  [56:26] They paid for T‑shirt, were raising money for the scholarship, but Josh is putting a bigger role in trying to get that event organized and…

Josh:  [56:32] Trying to get the route laid out.

Jason:  [56:34] Exactly. I think you and I had planned about inspecting that ride maybe a day or two.

Josh:  [56:38] We probably should…

Jason:  [56:39] Just for safety…

James:  [56:40] Just to be safe, we’re a safe…

Jason:  [56:44] Safety organization, absolutely. Josh, it’s always good to see you brother, grateful for you. Thank you for your contribution, the energy, and I’m look forward to seeing you.

James:  [56:51] Josh and I hung out‑ without you one time.

Jason:  [56:53] I’m not surprised.

James:  [56:54] We’ve seen each other at a conference before I’ve seen u at a conference.

Jason:  [56:58] Really?

James:  [56:58] SGA.

Josh:  [56:59] SGA bro.

Jason:  [57:01] There you go.

Jason:  [57:02] Good.

James:  [57:02] No big deal.

Jason:  [57:04] I’m glad you guys had a chance to connect.

Jason:  [57:07] I wish I was.

James:  [57:07] Great to see you, brother.

Josh:  [57:09] Thanks for having me. I really appreciate it.

Jason:  [57:11] Appreciate you, buddy.

James:  [57:13] I think we’re back.

Jason:  [57:13] I think we’re live. Good.

James:  [57:15] We’re just going to…

Jason:  [57:15] We’re on. OK. Fantastic. Are we good?

Katherine Birnie:  [57:17] Your editors have a lot to edit out.

James:  [57:20] No, we don’t edit anything…

Jason:  [57:20] We just do this raw

James:  [57:21] It’s called a “cold open”.

Katherine:  [57:23] I just hope this is not a live feed.

Jason:  [57:23] No…

Jason:  [57:23] No, it’s not live.

James:  [57:21] But we won’t edit it either way

Jason:  [57:22] No.

James:  [57:23] You’re here with some new friends?

Jason:  [57:25] Yes, new friends and old friends. We have Larry Alspaugh, industry ambassador…

James:  [57:30] Industry legend, icon.

Jason:  [57:31] Long term icon with the OGA board.

James:  [57:42] Yes.

Jason:  [57:43] And our dear friend, Katherine, from Summit…

Katherine:  [57:46] Yeah, Summit Utilities Peaks Renewables.

Jason:  [57:48] It’s good to see you. So thankful you’re making the trip all the way from Maine, is that right?

Katherine:  [57:54] Yes. It’s great to be here.

Jason:  [57:57] Larry said you had some feedback about your session, you came down specifically to speak on.

Larry Alspaugh:  [58:02] Yeah, one of the things that we’ve always enjoyed doing at the OGA is having some really good technical sessions, but I especially like to look at the future, what’s on the horizon for the gas industry.

[58:18] One of the things we pursued this year was hydrogen, and hydrogen blending, and the future natural gas systems, so we are fortunate to have Katherine join us, and she did a fantastic presentation. What are some of your reflections of your sessions today?

Katherine:  [58:40] Oh, thanks Larry. It was great to see a big turnout at the conference just in general. After a couple years of being virtual, nice to see everybody in person and met a great crew at the hydrogen session that asks lots of really good questions. I think that’s the benefit of being here together in person.

[58:59] The conference is we can learn from each other. I learned from bunch of the questions and it’s just a great exchange of ideas and seeing friends, new and old.

Jason:  [59:12] There you go, it’s fantastic. Katherine, this is your first time here at the OGA, right?

Katherine:  [59:16] Yeah.

Jason:  [59:16] And did you make it in yesterday or did you make it in this morning?

Katherine:  [59:19] I made it in yesterday.

Jason:  [59:21] Yesterday, did you had a chance to experience maybe the reception last night and then this morning sessions and lunch and sort?

Katherine:  [59:27] Yes. All of the above and everybody has been incredibly friendly and welcoming. It’s great to meet folks from other companies in the industry. I think that’s the benefit of all coming together here and the lunch was epic.

James:  [59:44] Epic.

Jason:  [59:45] Wow.

James:  [59:46] What was your favorite item?

Katherine:  [59:48] Oh, I think the Sunday which was this delicious compilation of pulled pork…

James:  [59:54] Macaroni.

Katherine:  [59:55] mac and cheese with smoked Gouda.

James:  [59:57] Oh, yeah.

Katherine:  [59:59] And some sausage on top.

Jason:  [1:00:00] Good stuff. Well, I’m glad you enjoyed lunch and we’re thankful for you being here and you know, Larry actually done some presentation for us in our virtual conference…

Larry:  [1:00:10] Yes.

Jason:  [1:00:11] year to back, on that topic. So I’m really glad that you all got a chance to get connected…

Larry:  [1:00:16] Absolutely.

Jason:  [1:00:17] at this year’s conference. Very well. We’ve got you, I know you’ve been a member of the board for a long time and you know, you’ve been such a passion for the industry.

Larry:  [1:00:26] Sure.

Jason:  [1:00:26] And this organization. If you got just a quick second to reflect back, what is the OG meant to you?

Larry:  [1:00:33] Well, I think probably…

James:  [1:00:34] Let me just say, I’ve been waiting to ask this question, Larry, for a long time on camera.

Jason:  [1:00:39] That’s why we…

James:  [1:00:40] No set, no set up.

Larry:  [1:00:41] Katherine and I have been through worst.

James:  [1:00:44] Katherine just bailed out. She’s like, “Bah.”

James:  [1:00:47] I love it. I love it. Help us here Larry.

Jason:  [1:00:51] Let me adjust the spotlight but you have been a tremendous asset to this organization for a number of years. Even after you’ve retired from your professional position, you continue to be an industry ambassador even in operational times.

James:  [1:01:02] I mean you’re still here.

Larry:  [1:01:06] What was your question though?

James:  [1:01:07] I don’t know. I forgot.

Jason:  [1:01:09] The question was, what is it about? What is the OGA mean to you?

Larry:  [1:01:13] Well, the best part of it is we have a good combination of attendees. We have fantastic folks from the field, we have engineering, we have management for the operations groups, but then we have a great group.

[1:01:34] I don’t know if you’ve done any kind of a walk around, but a real fantastic group of exhibitors that it gives everybody a chance to connect. It’s the networking that goes on and that’s the value of it.

[1:01:52] Back to Katherine, for a second, it was fantastic that she was here because we were looking at the future and it’s this combination of today’s technical with tomorrow’s horizon. We have managed to do a great job of that as we plan this.

[1:02:13] As we look at this, you had said earlier when a couple of your presentation saying, “If anybody thinks of topics that they would like to suggest, get with the board and let them know what’s interesting because that’s how we get better and we have a better program every year, is inputs saying, this is what’s important to us.” We strive to do that.

James:  [1:02:39] Larry, you have been a champion of getting involved in the industry and on many board committees task force, you name it right along the way.

[1:02:52] What would you say to folks that maybe are looking for a seat at the table or wondering how they can get involved anywhere from your experiences, what you’ve done in the industry, is there a spot for them?

Larry:  [1:03:05] Absolutely. One of the things that we’re going to be trying to strive to do as the board, is develop, and I hate to say subcommittees, but working groups. That’s helped drive those topics of interest.

James:  [1:03:25] Special interest groups.

Larry:  [1:03:26] Absolutely, and it’s sort of like we’ve had some really great programs on line detection. We’ve had some great leadership conferences. We’ve had legislative summits that we’ve learned from. I think, partly, is just contact somebody from the board and say, this is important too.

James:  [1:03:47] This why we meet.

Larry:  [1:03:49] This is what’s important to you.

James:  [1:03:51] We work for you.

Jason:  [1:03:52] That’s right.

James:  [1:03:53] I think that’s the confusing part, right? Like, we get them back and make the decisions, but the truth is that we bring all these values from all these partners and stakeholders to really make educated decisions.

Jason:  [1:04:04] Absolutely.

Larry:  [1:04:05] Perfect,

James:  [1:04:05] That’s better from really perfect.

James:  [1:04:09] If you think back, actually Larry is the reason why I got involved with you, obviously.

Jason:  [1:04:13] back 11 years, probably 12 years ago, Larry did encourage me to just come and sit, and participate, and listen in some of the board meetings, and you know. A few years later‑

James:  [1:04:23] And the reason I’m here is because of Jason. It’s a lot.

Jason:  [1:04:31] So, get in the phone. [crosstalk]

James:  [1:04:33] You’re not a leader till you make a leader that makes a leader. Here we are. Let’s go.

Jason:  [1:04:29] I’ll tell you.

Larry:  [1:04:30] And so now, the legacy will be someday they’ll say, “Larry, who?”

Jason:  [1:04:44] No.

Jason:  [1:04:45] Larry, one of truly my favorite people, not just in the industry, but one of my favorite people all around. Larry, it’s always so good to see you, my friend.

Larry:  [1:04:52] It’s a pleasure.

James:  [1:04:52] And Katherine, such an honor to get to meet you. Please come back here. Such an honor to get to meet you.

Katherine:  [1:04:58] Thanks for having me, guys.

James:  [1:05:00] We’ll be back.

Jason:  [1:05:02] Take care.

James:  [1:05:02] Crowe, we are to bring this thing to a close.

Jason:  [1:05:09] Yes, it’s been a good day. So far kicking off with the Board meeting. And then our first Speaker, Steve Taylor on how to be a natural gas Champion.

James:  [1:05:19] Great session lots of Engagement. You know, you always wonder about those sessions and whether they’ll land because you want to believe everybody is a natural gas Champion, right? But then it’s so eye‑opening when we get into a room and just start talking about how we can be better, you know, advocates for our own industry and that one was no different.

Jason:  [1:05:41] Yeah. I was always impressed with Steve Taylor and how he’s able to get people engage in the sessions. You know, he spoke our Leadership Summit. So that’s good. We’ve got Sue Forster.

James:  [1:05:50] Yeah, so I didn’t know she was in the back. We were in Steve’s session and I shamelessly, or unashamedly, plugged the AJ’s Playbook, and then from behind I like “Hi. I’m from AGA.” And right there was Sue Forster, so I went back and actually apologized to her. I was like, “I’m so sorry, wasn’t trying to steal your thunder” and she goes “No, no, no. Advocate away.”

Jason:  [1:06:15] I think you just cheated up for us. It’s what you did.

James:  [1:06:16] Absolutely. So I’m pumped to go talk with her. She said, “Tell me how many you need and where to send them.” And we had already been talking with her trying to get her on the podcast. So I’m hoping we can get her on. Do some advocates for you as well? Sue’s awesome. So, she speaking, you know, Great event. I said it before. We’ve been planning this thing for two years.

Jason:  [1:06:39] Yes, yes, it’s been in fruition since 2019, constantly evolving. Since we’ve had to virtualize for the last couple of years, we’ve had to shift speakers and topics around, wanted to focus on quality in‑person engagement. We’ve achieved that.

James:  [1:06:52] Yeah, you’re proud like a proud.

Jason:  [1:06:53] Oh my goodness.

James:  [1:06:54] Proud Papa.

Jason:  [1:06:55] My bucket is full.

Jason:  [1:06:56] My heart is full for being here at this event. Getting a chance to connect with everybody, I’m having flashbacks to 2019. Like I said, I told you before…

James:  [1:07:06] Never speak of it again.

Jason:  [1:07:08] it’s like hosting an event. A Cookout at your house with 150 people and get a chance to become a fellowship and learn from each other. A great event.

James:  [1:07:20] I’ll say I was impressed with it. Very happy. A lot of quality connection, a lot of time to sit down with folks and chat.

Jason:  [1:07:26] [inaudible] as you said.

James:  [1:07:28] Absolutely. Then again, the content is rock star. We had some awesome sessions, and you don’t get that at every conference, not every time. When you get to work on things for a couple of years. [laughs]

Jason:  [1:07:42] Absolutely, you may have little time to plan…

James:  [1:07:44] You’re going to have your act together.

Jason:  [1:07:44] It’s a testament to some of the great people we have on the board.

James:  [1:07:48] That’s a great point. We should take a little bit of time and think a lot of people…

Jason:  [1:07:53] There’s a lot of people who put this together. Yes, we get a chance to stand here and talk and give you a flavor for what this event is, but…

James:  [1:08:01] Behind the scenes, behind the curtain.

Jason:  [1:08:03] there is so much that goes on behind the scenes. The executive staff, Tom Rider, our executive director.

James:  [1:08:09] Friend of the show, on the show promoting.

Jason:  [1:08:12] Tom is first class.

James:  [1:08:14] One of those silent type of folks that knock it out of the park and then all the sudden you like, “This thing wouldn’t be anything without Tom.”

Jason:  [1:08:24] He’s a designated hitter. It’s really who he is.

James:  [1:08:25] Consistent and amazing.

Jason:  [1:08:27] Jeff Kaufman, our communications director. Michelle Danner, that she’s able to be here. The whole group is really what keeps, I feel that are board are on the right path to tell put these types of events together. Without them we would not have the success that we would.

James:  [1:08:44] Obviously the board members. Just a great group. A lot of synergy there. We went through a lot of change and growth.

[1:08:52] Honestly, probably, in the last couple of years and just our mindsets and our vision and seeing that group get together this week was awesome. Makes me excited for the return.

James:  [1:09:06] Look at that. We should have wished for something better. Tom just showed up like that. Jason, man…

Jason:  [1:09:17] Good to see you brother.

James:  [1:09:19] Thanks for doing this. I know you did Jimmy proud.

Jason:  [1:09:23] I hope so. Jim, thank you for giving me the opportunity to participate and sharing this fun. Always an honor.

James:  [1:09:31] I hope those back at home got to see a little bit of what the OGA is about, and if you’d like to get involved, okgas.org?

Jason:  [1:09:38] Yes.

James:  [1:09:38] Always. Reach out to me, reach out to this guy. It doesn’t matter how you reach out, you can text us using LinkedIn. It’s whatever you need to do, but let’s get involved. Let’s get you out here. We’ll figure it out.

Jason:  [1:09:50] Do us a favor in the coffee with Jim and James, not Jason and James. Be sure that you follow. You link up with Kinect and continue enjoying the great contact the Jim and James put forth for us.

James:  [1:10:05] Till next time, till we see live, appreciate everybody. We’ll see.

Jason:  [1:10:08] Love you all. Take care.

[1:10:09] [music]

Transcription by WatchingWords