The Quoddy Bay LNG's Team of Professionals
Don Smith, President
Dr. Donald Mitchell Smith is Founder, Chairman and CEO. Dr. Smith is an economist with an undergraduate degree in economics from Harvard University, and a Ph.D. in economics from Brown University. Dr. Smith’s academic area of specialization is regional economic development. After teaching capital budgeting, environmental and energy economics at Southern Methodist University (“SMU”) in Dallas, Texas for four years, he directed research at the Public Interest Economics Center in Washington, D.C. and performed energy research in the Federal Energy Administration. In 1977, Dr. Smith joined U. S. Senator Gary Hart’s staff as an energy economist, where he headed a staff of the Special Senate Subcommittee on Synthetic Fuels. While serving Senator Hart and the Senate Budget Committee, Dr. Smith worked on the Public Utility Regulatory Policies Act of 1978 (“PURPA”), the legislation that helped establish the cogeneration industry in the United States in the 1980's.
In 1981, Dr. Smith moved to Oklahoma to do financial and corporate planning for an independent gas exploration firm. While there, he performed many examinations of the value of gas reserves and used these studies to negotiate financing and sales of natural gas. Since the fall of 1983, Dr. Smith has worked to develop cogeneration projects world-wide. Dr. Smith is chairman and CEO of the Smith Cogeneration group of affiliated companies.
Dr. Smith is joined at Smith Cogeneration by a team of economists, engineers, energy analysts and legal staff who share his skills and experience in the development of energy projects.
Brian Smith, Project Manager
Mr. Brian W. Smith is Project Manager of Quoddy Bay LNG as well as Manager of Development for Smith Cogeneration Management, Inc, in Oklahoma City, OK. Among other responsibilities, Smith manages the Federal, State, and local permitting effort, public relations, and contract negotiation for the Quoddy Bay LNG Import and Regasifaction Project.
Prior to joining Smith Cogeneration, Smith worked as a market research based consultant with Wilson Research Strategies, where Smith focused primarily on the energy industry, especially in Oklahoma, spearheading projects for the Oklahoma Independent Petroleum Association, the Oklahoma Energy Resources Board, Kerr-McGee, Chesapeake, and the National Oilheat Research Alliance. Smith had a variety of other national and international clients outside of the energy industry, including Altria, the United States Chamber of Commerce, and The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.
Smith has also worked to improve his local Oklahoma communities by performing work for local organizations and small companies, frequently donating his services, while co-founding a non-profit organization of " 20-somethings " known as the Alliance of Emerging Professionals.
Smith graduated Cum Laude with a B.A. in Economics from Harvard University. While concentrating on rational and irrational decision making and game theory, Smith spent much of his time focused on the energy industry, with particular interest in the historical and current effects of regulation and deregulation of the electric industry. Smith currently lives in both Eastport, Maine, overlooking the site of the of the proposed LNG facility , and in Norman, Oklahoma, near the primary office of Smith Cogeneration.
Hugh Bereman, Vice President
Mr. Bereman has over 15 years of experience in the development and implementation of exploration, production, gathering, processing, refining, transportation and distribution projects for both major corporations and independent owners in the petroleum and natural gas industry. Mr. Bereman also has over ten years of construction supervision experience on projects including highways, bridges, airports, water/sewer plants, earth-fill dams and commercial buildings. These projects were in both the private and public sector for engineering firms, oil and gas, and electric utilities.
Prior to joining Smith Cogeneration, Mr. Bereman was the Principal Gas Engineer with a Midwestern electric-gas utility company supervising all aspects of transportation and delivery for 3 BCF of natural gas per year. Mr. Bereman also worked as a business engineer for Delhi Gas Pipeline of Texas for several years and as the Operations Manager for a mid-sized independent oil and gas company in Texas.
Mr. Bereman also was site supervisor for architectural engineering projects with J. T. Banner Associates and site supervisor for earth-fill dam construction with Engineering Associates.
Mr. Bereman earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Petroleum Engineering at the University of Wyoming.
Adam Wilson, Deputy Project Manager
Mr. Adam M. Wilson is Deputy Project Manager of Quoddy Bay LNG as well as Assistant Manager of Development at Smith Cogeneration Management, Inc., in Oklahoma City, OK. Wilson, a recent addition to the Quoddy Bay team, assists Brian Smith, Project Manager, with the permitting effort, public relations and the day to day operations of the Quoddy Bay LNG Import and Regasification Project.
Prior to joining the Quoddy Bay team and Smith Cogeneration, Wilson attended Brown University. There he graduated Cum Laude with a B.A. in Business Economics and Modern American History. Throughout his time at Brown, Wilson worked in various law firms in addition to working for U.S. Congressman Frank Lucas (R-OK). Throughout his previous employment, Wilson worked on a variety of issues ranging from assisting with asbestos litigation at Motley Rice, LLC to research on federal laws and bills.
Wilson recently moved back to Oklahoma City where he has lived a majority of his life. He also spends much of his time in Eastport, Maine working on the Quoddy Bay LNG Project.
Andrea Barstow, Community Relations Director
Andrea Barstow is the Community Relations Director for Quoddy Bay LNG. Andrea is a life-long resident of New England moving to Maine from Massachusetts in 1992. She and her family moved to Perry in 1998. Andrea holds an AAS in Business Studies from Washington County Technical College (now WCCC).
She has worked as a freelance writer for a variety of publications including a local weekly newspaper prior to joining the Quoddy Bay LNG team. As a reporter, Andrea researched the project extensively and felt that the project would have a positive impact on the region. She is especially excited by the prospect of up to 100 well-paying permanent jobs for locals.
Andrea makes her home on the shores of Passamaquoddy Bay, with her husband, two children and various four-footed friends. As Community Relations Director, she is available at the Perry office every weekday from 8:30 to 5:30, to answer your questions.
Quoddy Bay LNG's Team of Professional Consultants
Environmental Permitting: TRC
With the primary responsibility of environmental permitting, TRC has been retained to perform the evaluations of the local environment necessary for the writing of the permit applications at both the State and Federal levels. TRC has experience providing project and technical oversight for LNG facilities involving new import and export terminals, expansion of existing terminals and offshore regasification terminals. These include projects in Alaska, Maine, New York, New Jersey, Louisiana, California, Texas and various potential locations along the east and west coasts of the US. TRC’s LNG experience ranges from environmental and engineering feasibility and baseline studies, siting, and risk analysis, to federal, state and local permitting, preparation of FERC filings, and preparation of FERC Environmental Assessments and Environmental Impact Statements. TRC personnel have experience working with agencies focused on the issues associated with terminal siting and development, port operations, channel development and maintenance, and LNG shipping issues.
Facility Engineering: Black & Veatch
QB has chosen Black & Veatch (“B&V”) as its lead engineering contractor. The company is a leading global engineering, consulting and construction company specializing in infrastructure development in energy, water, information and government markets. B&V has been active in LNG projects since the early 1950s and was involved in one of the earliest base load liquefaction facilities at CAMEL in Algeria. Since that time, they have been involved in the design and construction of numerous base load, peak shaver and LNG terminal and storage facilities. B&V’s project experience covers liquefaction units ranging from 4 million cubic feet per day (MMcf/d) to over 800 MMcf/d in both domestic and foreign locations. Their LNG terminal projects’ throughputs have ranged from 200 MMcf/d to 2,000 MMcf/d, both onshore and offshore.
Maritime Shipping & Security: KSEAS
KSEAS, Quoddy Bay’s lead shipping, safety, and security firm, is led by USCG Captain Jerry Kichner (Ret.). Capt. Kichner is a highly motivated and recognized national expert in maritime security, pollution response, risk and crisis management with over 28 years of Coast Guard experience and 2.5 years experience as a senior executive for a small consulting company with expertise and success in the management of high-tempo, high-consequence, high-value, political, media intensive and technically complex operations. Capt. Kichner and his team specialize in defusing and solving technical and politically charged situations as well as successful business development. They bring to the table international experience, both in the private and government sectors, representing both company and high level U.S. interests, leading both business and multi-national and multi-agency teams from areas such as the Middle East, Mexico, Far East, Scandinavia and the Caribbean.
Pipeline Engineering: Coler & Colantonio
Coler & Colantonio has been retained to provide all of the necessary engineering for the sendout pipeline. Coler & Colantonio is also responsible for all of the elevation surveys of the facilities as well as right-of-way access and negotiations with landowners along the pipeline route. Coler & Colantonio, Inc. was founded in 1986 for the purpose of providing high quality civil, surveying, and environmental engineering services. They have been very active in providing consulting services to the expanding natural gas transmission and distribution market. The Pipeline Services Division includes: surveying, civil, mechanical, electrical engineers and environmental scientists.
Pier & Berth Engineering: Moffatt & Nichol
Moffatt & Nichol, as a subcontractor to B&V, has been hired to specifically engineer the pier and berths associated with the LNG Import and Regasification Facility. Moffatt & Nichol has experience engineering liquid bulk terminals, onshore Cryogenic production facilities, offshore storage, and offshore cryogenic facilities. Their services include: screening and evaluating potential sites, designing/analyzing potential marine structures for all loadings including time-history seismic and fatigue, estimating reliable construction costs, schedules and evaluating constructability and transforming remote met-ocean data to the site (design water levels, wave heights, winds, etc.).
Storage Tank Engineering: Mitsubishi Heavy Industries America, Inc.
Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, Ltd. (MHI), as a subcontractor to B&V, has been hired to specifically engineer the three full containment 160,000 cubic meter storage tanks that will likely be the largest investment in the facility itself. MHI, headquartered in Tokyo, Japan, is one of the world's leading heavy machinery manufacturers. MHI's diverse lineup of products and services encompass shipbuilding, steel structures, power plants, chemical plants, environmental equipment, industrial and general machinery, aircraft, space rocketry and air-conditioning systems. MHI has built over 50 LNG tanks, with approximately 26 being full containment.
