Underground Infrastructure - January 2023 - 24

Tulsa Pipe liners
and technical advancements of the pipeline industry. Like
PLCT, these professional groups consistently played a major
role in keeping membership informed of the ever-changing nature
of the industry.
In the 1970s and 1980s, Tulsa witnessed the beginning of
what some describe as the great petroleum industry diaspora.
After more than a half century of drawdown from the state's oil
reserves to fuel America's burgeoning industries, and with no
seaport available to a landlocked, prairie city, Tulsa watched
helplessly as oil industry consolidation began peeling away
some of the many oil companies instrumental in building the
robust metropolis on the plains.
With offshore drilling coming into its own in the Gulf of
Mexico and Houston offering bustling seaports and access to
what was fast becoming the global oil market of today, many
major oil companies moved their headquarters out of Tulsa.
Anchored in Tulsa
Not so with PLCT. The organization remained rooted in Tulsa.
Longtime supporter of the organization, former Tulsa mayor,
and CEO of Keener Oil & Gas Company, Dewey Bartlett, Jr.
believes in spite of the cyclical, up and down nature inherent
in the pipeline industry, the club has found ways not only to
survive but to thrive.
" There's no better place than Tulsa for an organization
with such a storied past, " Bartlett pointed out. " We have an
energy-based legacy here in the state and in the city of Tulsa
with great companies able to keep an organization like PLCT
vibrant and relevant. "
From the beginning, the overarching goal of the organization
is best stated in what has become its mission statement:
" The Pipe Liners Club of Tulsa is dedicated to the advancement
of pipeline engineering, maintenance and operating practices
for the benefit of members and the industry. "
To that end the organization has continued to serve a membership
consisting of operational, service and manufacturing
companies, with updated information on subjects ranging from
technological advancements to best practice safety protocols.
The advent and impact of high-end technology has made staying
ahead of the information curve more challenging than ever.
Like many employers these days, the pipeline industry finds
itself in continuous competition for talented youth to replace
an aging population of workers in every relevant field in the industry,
including equipment operators, engineers and administrators.
The scholarship committee was formed to address
this ongoing challenge.
Pictured is the entrance to The International Petroleum Exposition, circa
1940 in Tulsa, Okla. The world-renown exposition was established by Tulsa
oilmen in 1923 to exhibit the latest oil industry technology and provide a
venue for purchasing up-to-date equipment and continuing education for
industry workers and administrators. In keeping with those same goals of
informing and educating, the Pipe Liners Club of Tulsa was formed by Tulsa
Oilmen in 1947. (Photo courtesy the Beryl Ford Collection/Rotary Club of
Tulsa, Tulsa City-County Library and Tulsa Historical Society.)
The program began in 1955 with a letter from the scholarship
committee to R.L. Langenheim, dean of engineering at
the University of Tulsa's College of Petroleum Sciences and
Engineering, offering a scholarship in the amount of $350 for
the 1956-57 school year. From there the fund grew in accordance
with the need for skilled employees and the rising cost
of higher education. To date, the fund has provided more than
$2.5 million benefiting some 2,500 students.
Last year's PLCT's president, Terry Flynn of Tulsa Rig Iron,
understands how important recruiting talent can be to an industry
that demands a wide spectrum of work skills.
" Like all industries, pipeline construction, service and manufacturing
are faced with the challenge of continually replacing
its workforce with well-prepared workers at all levels. I'm
proud to be a member of an organization that not only understands
this challenge but consistently and collectively invests
in human capital. "
This year's club president, Shawn Lowman of Pipeline
Equipment Solutions, believes PLCT's scholarship program
further illustrates the organization's longtime commitment to
education as a means of maintaining the highest level of industry
professionalism.
PLCT's officers for 2022/23 are from left: Patrick Nwakoby, Secretary;
Shawn Lowman, President; Renato Sanchez, Treasurer; along with outgoing
president, Terry Flynn. Not pictured is David Sowards 2022/23 vice president.
24 JANUARY 2023 | UndergroundInfrastructure.com
" We understand how rapidly the pipeline industry has advanced
over the years and the importance of keeping abreast of
changes in our industry, " he said. " Ongoing education is how
we maintain best-practice methodology throughout the pipeline
industry. We continue to learn from the past and prepare
for the future. " UI
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