Jasper Journal 2019 Q2

JASPER Journal

ANNOUNCEMENTS Congratulations to Pine Cove Camp recipients: Jay Duree, Jason Whitt, and Robert Cheatham. We are excited to hear fun stories from their kids after summer camp.

During the first quarter, the Employee Directed Giving Committee was glad to award Refuge of Light $2,500.00 to support the residents with school supplies and educational needs. To learn more about Refuge of Light visit www.refugeoflight.org.

The Employee Directed Giving Committee welcomes Tonya Smith, Jay Duree, and Fernando Tapia to the committee.

The Jasper Journal is a quarterly publication from Jasper Ventures, Inc. 101 Glenda Street Whitehouse, TX 75791 903.939.1555

May 11th is Jasper Ventures’ first annual fishing tournament benefitting an employee restoration fund. If you are interested in registering a team for fishing, volunteering, or simply attending, please contact: John Lambert at jlambert@veritasgas.com or Melissa Winebarger at mwinebarger@jasperventuresinc.com.

Editorial Advisory Board Aaron Glover Melissa Winebarger Carrie-Ann Jasper-Yearty Leslie Strader

Contributing Editor Emily Davis

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ON THE COVER: A beautiful sunset over some of our gas processing facilities in West Texas.

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CONTENTS 3

1st qtr Values Award winners

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Redeeming Light

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growing pains

16 What is love?

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Grow

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Facilities update

13 Midstream: The past 17 the strength to be humble

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Written by: Carrie-Ann Jasper-Yearty Vice President of People

Each year, to help provide direction for the upcoming year, we pray about and reflect on what God is doing in our company and among our people. In 2018, we were excited to share the hope we have in Jesus.

As we look around us, we see how the world lacks hope. But as we grow in the hope of Jesus Christ, we see hope powerfully shining in places of even the greatest darkness. We are so grateful for this hope – hope for the future that we will be redeemed, hope for the present that we are loved and have a purpose, and hope for the past that we are not defined by our mistakes because of God’s forgiveness and grace.

For 2019, we have prayerfully chosen to focus on how we grow.

Last year we spent time discussing our charge as leaders – to see people for what they could be and raise them up to their God-given potential.

As leaders we want to intentionally think about the growth of our employees. But each of us also has a responsibility to take an active role in our own personal growth.

If you have ever had a garden or done any farming, you know that growth doesn’t just happen; it takes planning, hard work, and determination. So how do we grow as people? We must aspire to grow, work wholeheartedly to grow, and be persistent in growing. Benjamin

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Franklin said, “Without continual growth and progress, such words as improvement, achievement, and success have no meaning.”

There are many ways we can choose to grow, but I would like to share a model for growing like Jesus. Luke wrote, “And Jesus grew in wisdom and stature, and in favor with God and man.” (Luke 2:52)

Growing in Wisdom We acquire knowledge, we learn from experiences, and we gain understanding. In his book Grow Like Jesus, Stephen Caldwell defines growing in wisdom as, “Knowledge and insight from God that benefits you and others and brings glory to God.” Each of us is gifted 1,440 minutes each day and within each day we are given ample opportunities to learn and grow.

Some ways you can grow in wisdom include being open to coaching from your manager, taking a class to learn a new skill, or listening to a relevant podcast on the way to and from work.

Growing in Stature The English word stature has two meanings. One involves the physical: build, height, and size.

The other is about relevance within a group: standing, importance, and reputation. In this verse, “stature” JasperVenturesInc.com

refers to changing physically. We are each given one earthly body, and we are called to care for it so that we can do the work the Lord has called us to do.

To grow in stature, we can begin a healthy habit, like drinking more water or exercising. Or stop a harmful habit that is negatively impacting our health.

Growing in Favor with God Our most important relationship is the one we have with God, our Father. The best way to grow in this relationship is by spending time with Him, getting to know Him through scripture and prayer, listening to Him, and allowing the Spirit to lead us. God shows favor to those who desire to know Him better. Isaiah 66:2 says, “These are the ones I look on with favor: those who are humble and contrite in spirit, and who tremble at my word.”

Find time each day to get alone and spend time in the Word and ask God to reveal to you what He wants to show you through scripture. The YouVersion Bible app has several daily Bible reading plans if you are not sure where to start.

Growing in Favor with People Our lives are meant to be shared with others. In our February Refuel + Refocus, Johnny Russell shared JasperVenturesInc.com

with us about love. He said love is spelled T-I-M-E. Much like spending time with God, the best way to grow in our relationships with others is by spending time together. We are to “do life” in community with one another.

We have our own community right here at work. We are called to be engaged with and walk alongside one another, to encourage and support those around us, and to lift one another up in prayer. In The Unhurried Life, Alan Fadling writes, “Each of us has been planted in particular places among particular people whom we might bless and benefit by sharing something good we are receiving from God’s good kingdom.”

Look around and determine who God has placed in your life and with whom you need to spend more time, then make a plan to connect with that person today. And consider these questions as you evaluate and purposefully plan for your own growth in the coming months: • • • •

In what ways would you like to grow this year?

What work needs to be done to ensure this growth?

How can we encourage and support you in this growth?

How can we pray for you as you grow?

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Written by: Leslie Strader Jasper Journal Editoral Board Member

Whether it’s fighting bulls as a rodeo clown on the weekends or with a welding torch in his hands at the shop in White Oak during the week, Billy Mack Tennison doesn’t mind it when a few sparks fly.

While he’s more comfortable than most with a little danger in his life, he’ll be the first to tell you he flew too close to the flame for too many years. But that’s all changed. He’s still got fire in his belly, but since he started working at Jasper Ventures nearly two years ago, Billy Mack says the real light comes straight from his heart.

With 18 years as a pipe welder under his belt, Billy Mack brings valued experience to the team at the White Oak shop. But he came in to Jasper Ventures a little hot, and with some baggage that was holding him back.

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“After CB&I shut down and we all went our separate ways, I rented a truck and started pipe lining,” Billy Mack said. “But that didn’t work for my family. I prayed to God I could go back to my roots (as a welder). I prayed literally the day before I got the job.”

Billy Mack’s personal life was weighing him down too.

“I wasn’t in a good place for a long time,” he said. “I had to weed out a bunch of bad relationships in my life.

Toxic people. I had to find God again.

We all have a path. A lot of people know my story. Celebrate Recovery is part of mine. It was a hard road, and I’m still doing it today.”

John 15:13 is a verse that lights Billy Mack’s way on a daily basis: Greater love has no man than this, that he lay down his life for his friends “It’s what I wear on my back when I’m fighting bulls and what I try to live by,” he said. “I try to keep God in everything I do, even the rodeos. I just let God work through me.”

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Billy Mack credits the Lord, Celebrate Recovery, and people like Joey Pope – superintendent of the White Oak shop – with bringing him back to life.

He added, “The company is good about bringing God in the picture.

We pray every Wednesday and have conversations during the day about God. There’s always somebody that crosses your path and brightens your day.”

His supervisor Joey has had a front row seat to watch the change and growth in Billy Mack’s life, starting from day one.

“Billy Mack has grown a lot since he started working here, and Jasper Ventures has played a major part in his growth,” he said. “He started over when he came to Jasper Ventures. He didn’t have a car or a place to live. And at the time, he was trusting in a lot of untrustworthy people.

“Now he’s got his own place, a car, and he’s trying to stay clean. He’s

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reading the Bible, going to church.

And he’s always telling me some way he’s seen God work in his life. Folks who knew him in the past know there’s something different about him now.

People know he’s different from when he came.”

Billy Mack sees himself as a leader and Joey does too. Two years ago, Joey said, Billy Mack was trying to convince people his way was best. Today, he leads by example – and the grace of God. “It’s a true blessing coming to work. I enjoy the people I work with. We’re like brothers,” Billy Mack said. “Before, I was trying to mold my life the way I wanted it.

I can look back now at the road I walked and all the crazy blessing that led me here. I want to leave the bad in the past and just move forward.

“There’s a lot of good going on here.

And I hope they can see light shining in me.”

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FACILITIES UPDATE

Construction progress on our new warehouse in Troup

Written by: Les Campbell Vice President of Shared Services

Does anyone remember the good old days – back in 2016? We were designing our “new” 6,000+ square foot office space in Whitehouse, and we closed on what was known at the time as the Challenger facility in Troup, with 17 acres and 60,000+ of enclosed workspace. We thought to ourselves, “We have more than enough space and capacity than we’ll ever need! What are we going to do with White Oak? We can’t possibly need all of that plant capacity, right?”

That seems like ancient history, but in reality it was less than 2 ½ years ago.

Our industry, customers, and subsequently our company have been blessed over the past several years.

Our Whitehouse office staff had already outgrown its shiny new office building even before it opened in May 2018. And anyone who’s been out to Troup or White Oak over the past year knows that we’ve utilized every square foot of space we have. As a result, we’ve continued to expand our facilities’ footprint.

We closed on an additional four+ acres in Whitehouse and are working with Fitzpatrick Architects and RPR Construction to design and build an additional 9,000 square feet of office space. This will primarily serve as the long-term home for our design and

Corporate Headquarters ● Dirt work to begin mid-April with expected completion in Spring 2020 ● Building #3 - designed primarily for Drafting ● Building #4 - designed as a meeting space for large groups (up to 210+ ppl around tables) ● Building #2 – will be renovated to eventually house back-office functions and I&E

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3D renderings of the Corporate Office additions

Before and after photos of our temporary satellite drafting offices in Whitehouse.

Additionally, we closed on four acres adjacent to our Troup plant and are close to completing a large 38,000 square foot warehouse space that will include a 2,000 square-foot break room large enough to hold site events. This warehouse will allow us to convert the existing warehouse to a swing area that can be used as a pipe shop or a structural shop, depending upon customer demand.

drafting department and will also be used to host a variety of large company and community events. During the construction phase, the drafting department has moved to a renovated office building across the railroad tracks from our existing campus at 308 Troup Hwy in Whitehouse. Estimated move-in date for the new Whitehouse office space is spring 2020.

We will enclose the area between the two existing pipe shops, allowing pipe cutting to be done under one roof going forward. We expect the new warehouse will be up and running by June 2019.

The additional acreage allows for considerably more assembly space as we continue to build larger and more gas processing solutions for our customers.

The Jasper Ventures executive team is committed to making sure that our facilities are world-class; places we can all be proud to work each day and that are suited to complete the work at hand.

When that phase of the campus expansion is complete, we will renovate the original Whitehouse office space (the old church) to give it same look and feel as our new building. It will serve as the home for our critical shared support functions like people, finance and accounting, marketing, and procurement.

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Written by: Brent Jasper President of Jasper Ventures, Inc.

Most Gen Xers remember the sitcom “Growing Pains” from their childhood in the 80’s and 90’s. The show followed the Seaver family and highlighted issues most American families dealt with from adolescence through the teenage years. As the Seaver kids grew up, they and their friends faced all kinds of coming-of-age problems in relationships, peer pressure, loss, and other issues. These seemed like the end of the world to budding kids just learning how to navigate life.

Much like the Seaver family, Jasper Ventures has experienced its share of growing pains over the last three years. When we restructured from EPC to Jasper Ventures in 2016, it was like we started over in our adolescence as a company. If not for the solid foundation that was laid by our founder Jon Jasper, through resources, reputation, and values, we would have had a difficult time surviving. As we reverted to an adolescent company, we began experiencing the issues and challenges of finding our way in an ever-changing world and in an

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industry that has experienced its share of changes in recent years.

Three of the big issues that we have encountered at Jasper Ventures have been physical space, partners, and scaling.

Senior management has constantly been trying to figure out how we are going to find space for all the new hires. Through March 2019, we have experienced a 500% increase in employees in the two-and-a-half years since we became Jasper Ventures.

Everyone in the company has felt the strain of physical capacity, and we continue to move people around and expand our facilities. This is also true for many of our clients who are seeing similar growth.

It has been challenging for some of our business partners to maintain growth at similar rates; others have been unable to handle our new complexities. Unfortunately, we have had to part ways with a few partners, while others have continued to grow steadily alongside us.

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One of our greatest challenges has been scaling. Meaning, throwing more people at the additional work that we have taken on does not necessarily mean that we can handle the work in the same way. We are currently experiencing a great need for additional expertise so we can improve processes and procedures. The old days of everyone tracking his or her individual portions of the project have passed. It’s time to find a global solution that pulls all the pieces together and puts everyone on the same page.

In a recent all-managers meeting, I mentioned that we are growing in more ways than numbers through the various trials that we are experiencing.

We are learning and growing in our jobs. Employees are working together in new ways and finding solutions to challenging problems. Some have become frustrated with one another, maybe at management or perhaps with the process, because people are going to bump into each other when spaces get crowded.

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Proverbs 27:17 says, “As iron sharpens iron, so one person sharpens another.” What happens when a steel blade is sharpened? There is friction.

Flecks of metal fall. Sparks fly. Yet in this messy process, the blade becomes sharp – almost like new – and can do the job better than it did before.

My hope for Jasper Ventures is that we are sharpening one another in every aspect – through our work, knowledge, relationships with each other, and spiritually.

Just like the Seaver kids, we have experienced our share of problems.

And it may feel like the end of the world when we are in the moment. We get to decide how we respond. These are the occasions that will define us and be the glue that holds us together in the future. Through the growing pains that we experience today, we will emerge more cohesive and stronger than before.

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Written by: Jon Jasper Founder and Chairman of Jasper Ventures, Inc.

Jasper Ventures is involved with the Midstream segment of the oil and gas industry and focuses primarily on design, fabrication, and installation of the equipment required to process the natural gas of Midstream. This is the first in a series of three articles by Jon Jasper, founder and Chairman of Jasper Ventures.

In the early days of the oil and natural gas industry, the gas was simply vented or flared from the oil/gas separator, since it was a by-product with no value.

There were no steel pipes to gather the gas, or compressors to move it from the oil field to market (or lack thereof).

The turn of the 20th century saw three major developments that would result in exponential growth of the oil and gas industry, including the Midstream segment of the industry.

West Virginia. The gusher, discovered in early 1901, initially produced 100,000 barrels per day, and spawned such major oil companies as Texaco, Humble Oil, Amoco, and Gulf Oil. The discovery that natural gasoline could be recovered from natural gas also occurred early in the 20th century, somewhat by accident. Natural gasoline is a mixture of the heavier hydrocarbon components (5 Carbon atoms or more) of natural gas. The natural gasoline had value by blending it into the gasoline produced in the early refineries. Thus began the processing of natural gas to produce natural gasoline before it was vented/flared, and then later used as a fuel itself by communities and industry in the industrialized Northeast US. Until 1921, there were no specifications for the natural gasoline, and this almost resulted in dooming the

1. The invention and commercial development of the incandescent lamp

by Thomas Edison, followed shortly thereafter by the development of electrical generation plants fueled by coal, oil, and natural gas.

2. Development of the internal combustion engine, the horseless carriage, and by 1913, mass production of Henry Ford’s model T automobile.

3. Discovery of Spindletop, the name of the oil field near Beaumont, TX, where the Lucas Gusher proved that huge deposits of crude oil could be found outside of Pennsylvania and

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infant industry. The natural gasoline was characterized only by its gravity, or more specifically its API (American Petroleum

Institute) gravity. Its API gravity (related to specific gravity, S.G., where the S.G. of water is 1.0, by a simple formula) ranged from the low 70’s to the low 90’s. The API gravity of early American crude oils was in the 30’s to 40’s. Thus, the higher the API gravity number, the lower the specific gravity. A measure of the natural gasoline volatility (or vapor pressure) would have been a better way to characterize the natural gasoline. By 1911, there were 132 companies with 176 natural gasoline plants, mostly all of them being on the Ohio River, in Pennsylvania and West Virginia.

One of the early pioneers of gas processing was Frank Peterson, who realized that not all natural gas yielded natural gasoline. By 1909, he had developed a crude method for determining the “wetness” or “richness” of the natural gas. He worked for the Bessemer Company in Ohio, which charged $5 per sample to run the richness test. If the operating company JasperVenturesInc.com

purchased a gas compressor from Bessemer, the $5 fee was returned to the operator.

Gas-engine-driven natural gas compressors were Bessemer’s primary business. The early natural gasoline plants consisted of one to three stages of compressing the natural gas, with cooling coils between the stages of compression. The cooling coils in the early West Virginia gas processing plants consisted of parallel steel pipes, manifolded together, and laid in a creek bed adjacent to the compressors. The natural gasoline was accumulated in steel pressure vessels at the outlet of the cooling coils.

Peterson and some associates were intrigued with the process, and purchased several plants that were operating in West Virginia. They were soon financially disappointed when they realized that their sale of natural gasoline product did not come close to matching their production rate. Their product was being stored in atmospheric storage tanks, and much of their product was being lost through the tank vents to the atmosphere. The “rich” gas that 2nd QTR 2019

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was being processed also contained a large amount of propane and butane, “although we didn’t know what it was at the time,” according to Peterson. The vaporization of the lighter propane and butane components carried much of the produced natural gasoline with it.

Concurrently with the production and marketing of natural gasoline, the markets for the natural gas were being developed. The Hope Natural Gas Company was organized as a subsidiary of the Standard Oil Company of New Jersey in 1898. It was a “hopeful” venture to produce, purchase, and transport natural gas to the Ohio and Pennsylvania state lines for delivery to other Standard subsidiaries for developing markets in Pittsburgh and Northern Ohio. Apparently, the hopeful venture was a success. In 1913, Hope and other natural gas subsidiaries contributed 13% of Jersey Standard’s net earnings.

Transportation of the natural gas and natural gasoline were part of what we now call the Midstream industry.

The current gas pipeline systems in the US (built mostly after WWII) are now the largest segment of Midstream.

Transportation of the natural gasoline

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product was accomplished mostly by rail in the early days. Riveted, noninsulated tank cars were used.

Between 1910 and 1918, there were 94 deaths and 653 injuries due to gasoline related accidents in rail transport. These tragic accidents were the direct result of lack of natural gasoline specifications, and the misunderstanding of what natural gasoline consisted of. We all know not to try to use motor gasoline to start a fire, and understand the danger of storing motor gasoline near an open flame. This is due to the volatility of motor gasoline. Natural gasoline was much more dangerous because it also contained more volatile components including propane and butane.

In late 1919, Standard Oil of Indiana (Refining) announced that it was no longer purchasing natural gasoline.

Shortly before 1920, railroads banned the transport of natural gasoline on their rails. Prices for natural gas plunged from 20 to 23 cents per gallon to 8 to 9 cents.

It looked like the beginning of the end for the fledgling natural gas processing industry.

Resources: Cannon, R. (1998). The Gas Processing Industry: Origins & Evolutions . Gas JasperVenturesInc.com

What is Love?

Refuel + Refocus recap Written by: Johnny Russell Young Life Northeast Texas Region Associate Regional Director

Love is a funny thing. We say that we love our spouse/ girlfriend, and we also say that we love Whataburger. Maybe Whataburger is your spouse! I don’t know. Regardless, each of us was created to love and to be loved.

Basically what Jesus is saying is, when you learn to love God and love your neighbors, that is where real life is found! And that life is love.

But what is love and how do we find it?

Jesus then told the parable of the Good Samaritan, and it’s an amazing example of love. Yet the parable is challenging as well. The parable teaches the hearers of that day the same thing it shows us today: love takes time. Love takes energy. Love means serving someone. Love means laying down your life for others. Love is engaging. Love is costly. Love is stepping into the mess of others.

Real love doesn’t make sense to our selfish brains, but that is what Jesus calls us to.

If you rely on Hollywood to show you what love is, you will be very disappointed. The average Hollywood marriage lasts about 12 months, it seems! So as believers, we look to God’s Word to show us the truth about love.

Love is a commitment. Love is a choice. Love really is a denial of our flesh.

In Luke 10:25-37, Jesus was asked by a teacher of the Law what he must do to get to heaven. That’s such a great question! Maybe you’ve asked it before. I have.

Jesus asked the guy the same question right back, and the teacher responded correctly – we must love God and love our neighbor as ourselves. Jesus said, “Do this and you will live!”

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But the teacher was not satisfied with the answer. He wanted to know exactly who his neighbor is...

My prayer is that you create some margin in your day for you to share the love of Jesus with others, and be the Good Samaritan to those around you. Live a life of love.

Life is short.

Make it sweet.

And give your life away!

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Written by: Dave Anderson Author of Becoming a Leader of Character

Does anyone really want to follow someone who demands the spotlight?

Do people really respect a leader who needs constant recognition to feel important? We know we don’t. Yet, many of us have been stuck watching a leader act that way.

Some individuals believe they are exhibiting strength and confidence by acting like this. When in actuality, it is pride and insecurity which drives them.

Their ego needs stroked in order for them to feel validated.

Too many people believe exercising Humility is a sign of weakness. We are tempted to believe we can’t be confident and humble at the same time. In fact, some people see Humility as a lack of confidence. This couldn’t be further from the truth. You can be humble and confident at the same

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time. Mother Theresa publicly called out world leaders for their behaviors.

Yet, her Humility is legendary. Her Humility was not a sign of weakness.

It was a quiet declaration of strength.

Leaders — don’t be deceived.

Pounding our chests and boasting about our accomplishments does not inspire people to follow us. Yes. We may have talent and be good at our job. But, needing to talk about how good we are exposes our pride and insecurities to everyone. On the other hand, we inspire trust when we exercise the confidence and Humility to deflect praise towards others.

Pride is the root cause of many of our leadership failures. But, each time we exercise Humility, we make it easier to defeat our pride in the future.

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Consider a few ways to exercise Humility at work and at home this week: ● Eliminate “I” and “me” from your vocabulary. Use “us” and “we” instead. ● Admit when you don’t have the answer and ask for help. ● Get out of your chair to help your spouse, no matter how tired you are. ● Apologize to your spouse or child when you use a poor choice of words.

While it is true we all struggle with pride in some form, we can win those battles by exercising Humility and believing and acting like “It’s not about me.” This does not prove we are weak.

It proves we are strong and worth following.

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Dig Deep Questions: Have you ever observed a leader who exercised Humility, yet who had great confidence? If so, what stands out to you about their example?

What is one situation that is likely to come up this week which will give you an opportunity to exercise Humility?

Taking responsibility and exercising Humility is a lifelong journey for not only you, but your team. We want to partner with you as you make Humility part of your organizational culture. When it comes to remembering the definition of Humility, let us help to make it easy to keep it visible.

To learn more about Dave’s book and leadership coaching visit his website at www.becomingaleaderofcharacter.com.

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