November Association and Personnel News

Association News
Personnel Changes
Obituaries

Association News
Grady Bell, vice president of business development for Laney Directional Drilling Co., Humble, TX, discussed the state of horizontal directional drilling at the Oct. 5 meeting of the Pipeliners Association of Houston. While displaying pictures of noteworthy projects performed by contracting firms in the HDD business, Bell said the technology has changed rapidly to meet requirements of clients. He said the trend is toward longer HDD distances and larger pipe diameters.

Personnel News

Charles G. Lutz has joined Tulsa, OK-based Mathey Dearman Inc. as vice president – Africa, Asia, Australia, Latin America, Middle East, and New Zealand. He will support the company’s global expansion strategy.

Dave Latto has joined ROSEN USA as Area Manager. Latto has 18 years of pipeline experience including pre-commissioning, commissioning and inline inspection. His experience has been gained in various global locations with the last 10 years in North America primarily related to ILI services.

Deep Down, Inc.’s board of directors accepted the resignation of Robert E. Chamberlain Jr. as chairman of the board and chief acquisitions officer, effective Sept. 1. Chamberlain will continue to consult through 2010 on acquisitions and any other corporate matters as requested by management.

PG&E Corp. has elected Lewis Chew to its board as well as the board of its subsidiary, Pacific Gas & Electric Co. Chew, 46, is senior vice president, Finance, and CFO of National Semiconductor Corporation in Santa Clara, CA.

The board of directors of Chevron Corp. elected John S. Watson, chairman of the board and CEO effective Dec. 31. Watson succeeds David J. O’Reilly, who will retire from the company and its board after a 41-year career, including 10 years as chairman and CEO.

The Chevron board also elected George L. Kirkland, 59, to be vice chairman of the board, succeeding Watson. As vice chairman and executive vice president of Upstream and Gas, Kirkland will retain responsibility for overseeing global exploration and production activities for crude oil and natural gas.

Houston-based Atwood Oceanics Inc. announced that John R. Irwin, CEO and president, and James M. Holland, CFO and senior vice president and secretary, plan to retire July 31, 2010 and Dec. 31, 2010, respectively, subject to confirmation of suitable successors.

GE Oil & Gas has appointed Vivek Venkatachalam as country leader for India. He will lead efforts to drive commercial growth in the region and expand the global turbomachinery market.