ACTION NEWSLETTER
JULY 2018 Vol. II • Issue II
James Porter CEO/Publisher GateHouse Media/Repository Chairman Dennis P. Saunier President & CEO Steven M. Meeks Chief Operating Officer Collyn Floyd Editor and Director of Marketing Molly Romig Advertising Sales / Action 330.833.4400 Sarah Lutz Graphics Manager ACTION NEWSLETTER (USPS 989-440) is published quarterly for the members of the Canton Regional Chamber of Commerce, 222 Market Ave. N., Canton, OH 44702. The subscription cost is $25 per year and is included in the price of membership. Periodicals postage paid at Canton, Ohio. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to ACTION NEWSLETTER, Canton Regional Chamber of Commerce, 222 Market Ave. N., Canton, OH 44702. Reader questions and comments are welcome and encouraged. Contents may be reprinted with credit. Address all inquiries to: Editor, Action Canton Regional Chamber of Commerce 222 Market Ave. N Canton, Ohio 44702 or call (330) 456.7253, or e-mail news@cantonchamber.org Advertising rates are available for Chamber members. Advertisement does not constitute endorsement by the Canton Regional Chamber of Commerce.
Oil & Gas News July 2018
OIL & GAS: BOOM OR BUST? For decades those who are familiar with the industry have seen the boom and bust cycles. Where are we now? Boom or bust?? Like everything else in life and business, it depends upon your perspective. In the early days of the Utica Shale play, Canton and Stark County Ohio played a major role surrounding all the activity. Downtown was bustling with people from Texas, Colorado, Louisiana, just to name of few of the states where the “migratory” oil & gas workers came from. Canton declared itself the “Utica Capital” due to proximity to the play and major corporations locating to and investing in Canton and Stark County. As the drilling slowed down, we began to see the pick-up trucks heading towards southeastern Ohio counties and the Ohio River. In the background, skilled labor was connecting the wells with gathering lines and laying pipe to transport oil & gas south to the Gulf Coast, North to Sarnia, Ontario and east to be loaded onto ships and sold to foreign countries. How does Stark County benefit? Will Stark County and eastern Ohio be “producer/ exporters” or “producer/consumers” of the Utica shale play? (Feel free to e-mail me your thoughts and perspective.) As the opportunities in our area change, we need be talking about petrochemicals and plastics. In the coming months we will focus on how Stark County can benefit from the
downstream activity. Will the Shell Polymer Complex in Monaca, PA benefit our area? Could other potential petrochemical facilities along the Ohio River benefit Stark County? Do we have the appropriate infrastructure? Can we repurpose existing facilities and find appropriate land for new facilities? In April 2018, the Utica Midstream event was held at Walsh University. Presentations from this event can be found at www. uticasummit.com. The next Utica Summit will be October 10, 2018 at Walsh University. The focus will be on the downstream buildout. (Hint: This is where the REAL opportunity will be for Ohio, West Virginia and Pennsylvania and Stark County!) A great lineup of speakers has begun to be announced. Register to the Utica Summit website before it is sold out. I would be remiss by not mentioning the Canton Regional Chamber of Commerce’s David Kaminski (now happily retired!) for his hard work to put Canton top of mind regarding Utica Shale. We can be thankful to the Canton Regional Chamber of Commerce and ShaleDirectories.com for beginning the Utica Capital Series and growing it to what it is today. Bryce Custer, SIOR, CCIM Ohio River Corridor, LLC bryce@OhioRiverCorridor.com