Magnolia Marine Transport to Purchase NGL Energy Partners’ Assets

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Magnolia Marine Transport Company (MMT), a wholly owned subsidiary of Ergon Inc., has signed a definitive agreement to purchase a substantial portion of the marine assets of NGL Energy Partners LP. The transaction is expected to close at the end of March 2023, subject to customary closing conditions.

“This acquisition will further Magnolia Marine’s strategic plan to better serve existing and prospective new customers in the inland marine segment,” commented Joel Pastorek, Executive Vice President of Ergon Integrated Services & Logistics.

Founded in 1968, MMT is based in Vicksburg, Mississippi, with satellite operations in Wood River, Illinois. With a fleet of 27 towboats and 102 tank barges, MMT moves a variety of products throughout the Mississippi River system, most western rivers, and the Gulf Intracoastal Canal from Panama City, Florida, to Corpus Christi, Texas.

About Ergon

Ergon is a family-owned organization comprised of a wide array of businesses. Established in Mississippi in 1954, the Ergon family of companies serves customers in more than 90 countries around the world. Business segments include Energy & Specialty Solutions, Pavement & Coating Resources, Exploration & Production, and Integrated Services & Logistics, of which MMT is a part.

Contact:
Kathy Potts
Vice President – Marketing Communications
Ergon Inc.
kathy.potts@ergon.com
601-933-3000

Ergon Logistics Built to Handle Low Water Events

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Michael Carpenter is Senior Port Captain for Magnolia Marine Transport Company (MMT), in Vicksburg, Mississippi. Part of the Ergon family of companies, MMT operates one of the largest inland waterways petroleum transportation fleets in the United States. With 24 towboats and more than 88 barges, they transport asphalt, crude oil, process oils, fuel oil and additional products on the Mississippi River and intracoastal waterways of the Gulf of Mexico.

Due to the low water levels from recent dry weather and drought conditions, the Mississippi River is low enough to create transportation issues for cargo ships and barges, with many companies across the marine industry having to significantly slow down or even stop deliveries.

Carpenter spoke with Mississippi Public Broadcasting about the ways MMT is adapting to these extremely low river levels — https://www.mpbonline.org/blogs/news/dry-conditions-causing-low-water-levels-on-mississippi-river/. MMT’s operations plans ensure that security of supply is protected in situations like these where loads need to be lightened to reduce draft and traffic is slower due to low water or congestion along certain segments of the route.

Ergon is a global organization delivering products and services essential to manufacturing and infrastructure needs to customers in more than 90 countries around the world. The diversified logistics provided by a variety of businesses, including MMT, mean that when one area faces hardships, others are ready to step up to get the job done. In this case, when waterways are impacted, Ergon’s trucks and railcars can assist with transportation of products.

That same ability to adapt is one of MMT’s strengths. According to Carpenter, “Challenges are nothing new for MMT. We take them as they come. Whether it’s near record-high water levels, hiring employees for our growing fleet of boats and barges, or our present low water situation, adapting to an ever-changing environment is one of our major strengths.”

Public Awareness and Pipeline Safety, Priority for Ergon Terminaling

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A key responsibility for Ergon is operating our facilities in a safe manner — a manner which protects our facility teams, the local community and the environment.

This is certainly true for Ergon Terminaling – Magnolia, which operates a 38-mile, 8” pipeline (Magnolia Pipeline) that begins at our terminal in Magnolia, Ohio, and ends at Ergon-West Virginia (EWV) in Newell. The pipeline delivers crude oil to EWV through Carroll and Columbiana counties in Ohio, as well as Hancock County in West Virginia. Because this pipeline runs through privately held land and near residential areas, it’s imperative that we maintain open lines of communication with the local landowners and residents.

Public Awareness
In order to accomplish this, we developed a Public Awareness Safety Program. Through this program, Ergon Terminaling – Magnolia conducts annual public safety campaigns to reach the affected public living and working along the pipeline. This is to ensure residents understand pipeline operations and are aware of who to notify in the event of a pipeline emergency. Helping the public understand their significant role in preventing accidents caused by third-party damage and right-of-way encroachment will decrease the amount of pipeline hazards each year.

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The objectives of the Public Awareness Safety Program are to:

  • Improve public safety, property and environmental protection through increased public awareness and knowledge.
  • Make residents aware that pipelines are in their community.
  • Ensure stakeholders know how to recognize, react and report pipeline emergencies.
  • Educate emergency response agencies of the proper actions to take in response to a pipeline accident or emergency.
  • To educate excavators of the steps they should take to prevent third-party damage and respond properly if they cause damage to a pipeline.
  • To educate public officials of the presence of liquid pipelines in their community, hazards that they present and prevention measures to be taken in the event of a pipeline incident or emergency.

As part of the Public Awareness Safety Program, Ergon Terminaling – Magnolia also participates in the Ohio One Call Program, where landowners and residents can call to be notified of work along the pipeline.

Through our safety program, we are taking a proactive approach to minimizing accidents and third-party damage. This is an important part of our goal of doing right and protecting our family of employees and those in our communities.

Paula DeYoung Joins Alliant Construction as Preconstruction Director

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Alliant Construction, a Division of Ergon Construction Group Inc., is pleased to announce Paula DeYoung has accepted the position of Preconstruction Director. In this role, Paula will lead all preconstruction service activities while maintaining client, architect, and subcontractor relations through the design, budgeting and construction phases.

Paula has over 25 years of construction-related experience in the public and private sectors. Her most recent position, before joining Alliant, was Assistant Deputy Director and CCID Project Director for the Mississippi Department of Finance and Administration.

A native of Clinton, Mississippi, Paula earned a Bachelor of Fine Arts in interior design from Louisiana Tech University. In addition to being a Certified Interior Designer, Paula is also National Council of Interior Design Qualification (NCIDQ) certified and Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design – Accredited Professional (LEED AP) certified.

Nathan Witt, President of Ergon Construction Group, stated, “We are excited about welcoming Paula to Alliant. She is well-respected, both personally and professionally, and her track record of success speaks for itself. Paula’s presence sends a strong message about Alliant Construction’s commitment to being a market leader in anticipating and meeting the needs of our customers and partners.”

Kris Patrick, Ergon’s Chief Operating Officer, added “Paula is an excellent addition to the Alliant Construction team and Ergon family. Her attention to detail, exceptional customer service and solutions-driven approach to doing business fit perfectly within our organization. We look forward to Paula’s leadership and contributions in the years ahead.”

About Alliant Construction:
Alliant Construction is a commercial general contractor offering experience and expertise in designing, estimating, building and managing commercial construction projects. Alliant is a division of Ergon Construction Group, which specializes in general contracting, industrial maintenance and specialty construction services.

About Ergon:
Ergon is a group of privately held companies that operate under six primary business segments: Refining & Marketing, Specialty Chemicals, Asphalt & Emulsions, Oil & Gas, Midstream & Logistics, and Construction & Real Estate.

Contact:
Kathy Potts
Vice President of Marketing Communications
Ergon Inc.
601-933-3000
kathy.potts@ergon.com
ergon.com  | alliantconstruction.com

Ergon Team Walks 13K Miles Toward a Healthy Lifestyle

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On this National Walking Day, we introduce you to a new program Ergon Terminaling Inc (ETI) has implemented to help promote a healthy workforce. Read below as Steve Clark, ETI Environmental, Health & Safety Compliance Specialist, expounds on this step in a healthier direction.

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At Ergon, we are family, and we look out for each other. The health and well-being of our employees are the top priorities for Ergon and our family of companies, and our goal is to have every employee return home safely at the end of each day.

Beyond Ergon’s safety initiatives, ETI wanted to encourage employees to be healthier and more active. We launched a new health and wellness program — Ergon Active —on February 14, 2022, inviting ETI employees and some departments from Ergon Inc. to participate. This voluntary program encourages teams to be more active through fun and friendly step/walking challenges on the MoveSpring mobile app. Each participant’s activity is logged in the app by syncing with the user’s Apple Watch, Fitbit, iPhone or similar activity tracker. To reduce any barriers to participating, we provided a FitBit free of charge to any team member wishing to join in.

Ergon Active began with 38 participants or Steppers and has grown to 82 Steppers and counting. Since the launch, Ergon Active Steppers have logged over 30,000,000 steps and more than 13,000 miles.

Added Benefits of Ergon Active
Through the MoveSpring app, ETI can share health-related information with participants. The app provides chat and friends features so Ergon Active Steppers can connect and encourage each other across multiple Ergon locations. So, in addition to promoting health, we are also upholding Ergon’s reputation as a relationship-driven organization.

We’re Just Getting Started
Going forward, we want to continue to create fun step challenges to align with our goals, but we also want to provide awareness of our other corporate health and safety initiatives. Stressing the importance of proper hydration and pre-activity stretching are two examples of where Ergon Active can help prevent common workplace injuries.

For more information about Ergon Active, or to learn how you can implement a similar program for your team, please email ergon.active@ergon.com. We’re happy to help.

Happy Stepping!

Women at Ergon Bring Solutions to the Construction Industry

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Ergon is proud to provide opportunities for women to join the Ergon family and advance in construction-related careers, one of the fields where women continue to be underrepresented.

For Women in Construction Week 2022, we’ve highlighted a few women who help move Ergon’s construction-related operations forward with quality, safety and customer satisfaction in mind. We hope to inspire and encourage all women to think outside the box and push past barriers when it comes to choosing a new career path.

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Meet Ergon’s Women in Construction

Many women have contributed directly to Ergon’s goals to meet needs, support families and serve customers in their construction/infrastructure related roles. Meet a few of them below.

Rosita Martinez – Ergon Asfaltos México

Rosita serves as Technical Manager for Ergon Asfaltos México (EAM), a subsidiary of Ergon Asphalt & Emulsions. She joined EAM in 1999 and has since played a vital role in the development of asphalt and emulsion products and systems for roads within Ergon’s Mexico markets. Additionally, she is responsible for the coordination of the Pavement Engineering Division and other technical services, managing the Quality Control/Quality Assurance (QA/QC) program and managing intellectual property.

“Rosita has immense knowledge in all areas of asphalt and emulsions,” said Scott Watson, Senior VP – Technical Operations. “It is very difficult to have such a grasp of formulations, production, applications and performance evaluation, but Rosita has mastered them all.”

Rosita shared her experience working in construction in hopes of inspiring women who desire to do challenging, exciting and purposeful work to consider the field as well: “Working in construction offers constant challenges and opportunities since it’s a constantly changing field,” she said. “I enjoy testing and seeing the results of our work on roads. It’s also an exciting career that provides enormous satisfaction from being able to contribute meaningful work to improve infrastructure — something that impacts people daily.”

Catrina Franklin – Alliant Construction (Ergon Construction Group)

Catrina serves as the Project Management Assistant for Alliant Construction, a division of Ergon Construction Group. In this role, she is involved in many aspects of the business, including accounting work, estimating, operations, handling daily office duties and more. Catrina joined Alliant in September 2020 and has already had a huge impact on business operations.

“Catrina Franklin is a valuable asset for us,” said Andy Measells, VP & General Manager of Alliant Construction. “Because Alliant stays focused on delivering the highest quality customer and partner experiences, our service, speed, integrity and professionalism matter. And that’s why it’s so great to have an experienced team member like Catrina, who understands all the puzzle pieces, so to speak, and helps keep our operations running smoothly and efficiently.”

Catrina encourages women who are interested in learning new things and seeing concepts come to life to consider careers in construction. “Construction has been an exciting career for me,” she said. “Every day is different and I’m always learning new things. I love every aspect of it from estimating to operations.”

Amy Walker –  Ergon Asphalt & Emulsions

Since 2004, Amy has excelled as Area Sales Manager (ASM) for Mississippi — the home of Ergon’s headquarters.

For Amy, her job is about more than convincing various agencies to buy Ergon’s asphalt and emulsion products. It’s about building relationships based on exceptional service, technical support and education on best practices to advance the goal of improving America’s infrastructure. “Amy is very service oriented and is always available to answer questions, teach and help our customers be successful,” said Larry Tomkins, Ergon A&E’s VP – Southeast Region. “She has the unique ability to be able to connect with people, and her contribution to the industry and Ergon has been felt all across Mississippi.”

In her role as ASM, Amy has excelled at building relationships with county supervisors, road managers, county engineers, consulting engineers, representatives from Departments of Transportation and also city agencies. “We work together to assess the needs of the roads within their network, as well as assess proper application and site selection,” she said. “And I provide support to ensure a successful project and troubleshoot when needed.”

In addition to overcoming stereotypes in the construction/infrastructure field, Amy is also the first member of the third generation of the Lampton family to be appointed to Ergon’s Board of Directors.

Brandi Julian – Crafco

Brandi Julian is Director of Organizational Development (DOD) for Crafco, a subsidiary of Ergon Asphalt & Emulsions and the world’s leading manufacturer of packaged pavement preservation products. “Implementing Organizational Development, which is a new initiative at Crafco, requires a leader who not only has the vision, but also the strength to educate and inspire employees to embrace positive change,” said Gary Johnson, Crafco President. “Brandi is that leader, and I cannot think of anyone better to guide us through the development and execution of this monumental effort.”

As DOD, Brandi plays a vital part in growing the construction industry by providing opportunities for employee retention, growth, development and performance management — opportunities she ensures are extended to groups, like women, who remain underrepresented in the industry. “I believe diversity of any employee base adds value to new thoughts and new ways of operating and improving processes,” said Brandi.

In addition to doing her part to ensure a competent and diverse workplace, Brandi encourages women to think outside the box when it comes to their careers and not limit themselves to traditional roles. “There are vast opportunities for women in the construction industry, and I would encourage women, especially those currently pursing degrees, to think outside of traditional female fields and roles,” she said.

Women of Ergon Breaking Barriers
This list doesn’t scratch the surface of the many female employees overcoming stereotypes within the various industries Ergon serves. If you’re interested in a company committed to respecting and providing spaces for the diversity of ideas and of people, visit ergoncareers.com.

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Construction Services at Ergon
Ergon provides specialized services within various sectors of the construction industry, including industrial and commercial construction, maintenance and related services through our Construction & Real Estate segment. We also produce, market and distribute asphalt, emulsions, specialty coatings and sealants for road construction and maintenance through our Asphalt & Emulsions segment.

Ergon Terminaling Receives ILTA Safety Excellence Award

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Jackson, Miss. – Ergon Terminaling, Inc., (ETI) has been awarded the International Liquid Terminals Association (ILTA) Safety Excellence Award for its exemplary record of zero recordable incidents in 2018. The award was presented at ILTA’s 39th Annual Operating Conference and Trade Show in Houston, Texas.

This accomplishment is evidence of the effectiveness of ETI’s Target Zero campaign. Launched in 2016, the goal for this campaign is to increase hazard awareness and promote individual safety ownership in order to achieve zero recordable incidents and zero lost time events.

“Even though we perform a broad scope of functions within Ergon Terminaling, all team members, managers and operators alike have come to recognize that our most important function is to look out for each other by working safely,” said Craig Rohr, ETI North Regional Manager and Manager of the company’s terminal in Magnolia, Ohio. “Through good and thorough task analysis, and by keeping everyone keen and alert through constant safety awareness, we strive to make sure that everyone goes home to their families in the same or better condition than they came to work. For us, safety is much more than just something we talk about or read about on a poster. Safety is the key element of our mission.”

To date, ETI has gone 3.5 years with zero recordable incidents and looks forward to many more years of hitting Target Zero.

“ILTA is an international organization that is made up of a global network of terminaling companies, so it is a privilege for Ergon Terminaling to be recognized amongst our industry peers for our focus on safety,” said Joel Pastorek, ETI president. “This recognition validates the efforts that each person has contributed to making safety personal, which at its core, means protecting each team member so they can return home to their families.”

About Ergon Terminaling, Inc.
Ergon Terminaling and its subsidiaries own and operate strategically located storage terminals and service providers that are critical factors in the company’s ability to respond to market conditions and customer needs. The terminals feed raw material to Ergon’s refineries, store finished products and meet the special requirements of customers, including major oil companies.

About Ergon
Ergon is a group of privately held companies that operate under seven primary business segments: Refining & Marketing, Specialty Chemicals, Asphalt & Emulsions, Oil & Gas, Midstream & Logistics, Construction & Real Estate, and Corporate & Other.

Contact Information
Kathy Potts
Director of Marketing Communications
601-933-3000
kathy.potts@ergon.com
ergon.com | ergonnsa.com

ISO PANELS RENAMED ISO SERVICES

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ISO Panels, established in 1979 to manufacture and install pre-engineered thermal insulation panels, announced that the company name has been changed to ISO Services. In addition to energy efficient insulation systems for tanks, piping and equipment, ISO Services provides scaffolding, coatings, fireproofing, lead and asbestos abatement, heat tracing, thermal imaging, energy surveys and engineering assistance.

“Our new name reflects our desire to better communicate the full portfolio of industrial services available from our experienced teams, beyond the insulation systems we will continue to offer,” explained Chad Watts, ISO Services vice president. “Our staff and footprint have expanded, and we are excited to put our expertise to work for even more customers across various industries.”

As a division of Ergon Construction Group, Inc., ISO Services has benefitted from the vast experience and knowledge gained through decades of service to companies within the Ergon organization. Ergon is a group of privately held companies that operate under seven primary business segments: Refining & Marketing, Specialty Chemicals, Asphalt & Emulsions, Oil & Gas, Midstream & Logistics, Construction & Real Estate, and Corporate.

ISO Services has locations in Richland and Vicksburg, Mississippi; Newell, West Virginia; and Holden, Louisiana, and provides materials and labor for projects throughout the U.S.

Contact Information
Beryl Billiot
Business Development Manager
601-761-0128
beryl.billiot@isoservices.net
isoservices.net