ARCO Alumni

ARCO alumni gathering at O’Malley’s May 14 included alumni living in LA, Denver, Dallas and Anaconda; an alumnus planning to marry August 3 along with some new faces and many alumni who have become regular attendees.  About one-third of the group are employed by BP or ConocoPhillips; the others are employed elsewhere or enjoying retirement.

Chip Derrick, tanned from sailing with a friend from Cabo San Lucas to Papeete, Tahiti was there with his wife Georganna.  Chip retired in Anchorage after working six years for BP. The trip tested him and his travelling partner to the max with huge waves and swirls, read the complete profile and see pictures from the excursion on ARCO Alumni (link to profile). Carolyn Ellingwood, also retired after working for COP following ARCO, brought along Archie Walker.  Archie works in the Worley Parsons office in LA and is with BP as the CM for the Northern Tier Organization.

Besides BP and COP employees, Russ Doig and Dennis Bickford, both with cosponsor GCI were in attendance.  Mary and Ron Smith came along.  Ron is with URS in the engineering group.  He works in the COP tower, so he shares that he started there in 1977 and is still working in the same building.

Dante Kumerle who has been with ASRC Energy Services for a number of years was in attendance with husband Daryl (CH2M Hill).  This was their first Anchorage alumni event and they caught up with friends including Kathy Godsey who is with COP.  Other new faces included Greg (Pioneer Natural Resources) and Lisa Sanders (State Farm), Patricia Lobel of Petrotechnical Resources of Alaska, Dean (BP) and Diane (FBI) Carson.  Diane was a financial analyst at ARCO and Dean was with ARCO pipelines.

Experienced hires are in demand, and a number of small and medium tier companies are benefitting as they attract ARCO alumni who take their retirement package from the majors, but decide they are not ready to leave the industry.  Even ARCO Vastar alumni happy hours are fertile ground for career development.  Susan Alonso shared that she has been with EPL Oil and Gas, Inc. for two years after sharing at an ARCO drinks night that she was looking to return to engineering.  She is Lead Asset Engineer after years working as a landman.  But it was mostly an evening of socializing when ARCO Vastar alumni and many spouses met at Ninfa’s. 

Sponsors Advancial, Contek Solutions, Noble Energy and SM Energy Inc. were represented.  There for Advancial was board member and regular attendee of our events, Mike McKee and his wife Ann.  Mike Spangler drove to Houston from Dallas to represent Contek Solutions, bringing his wife Katie so they could combine business and pleasure.  

SM Energy is growing and Christopher Simon is a recent addition to the Houston office.  We also learned Charles Strickland left Newfield to join SM Energy’s Denver office.  Christopher is working for SM Energy in the Eagle Ford APC-JV Development Group.  He was with Hess Corporation in the Eagle Ford/Utica/Marcellus Unconventional Development Group and prior to that with Devon Energy. 

Also Advancial employee Amanda Willson who was married in October came along with a number of give aways to share.  Raffle prizes were awarded including to Ben Winkelman’s daughter Samantha who was in town from Texas Christian University and accompanied Dad and Mom, Jean. Samantha won a gift certificate to Macy’s and John Rousey won a Starbucks gift.