American Oil and Gas Reporter - June 2017 - 109

ConventionSection: Virginia Oil & Gas Association

VOGA's Messaging Uses Social Media
ABINGDON, VA.-Trying to educate
the public about energy issues when your
state's natural gas production is limited
to seven remote counties calls for a costeffective response. Beth Stockner, public
relations manager for the Virginia Oil &
Gas Association, sees social media as
the perfect vehicle to convey the association's messages.
"There is a lot of education involved
in Virginia, because early on, a lot of
people were not even aware that the commonwealth had natural gas production,"
she relates. In fact, Stockner says Virginia's
production industry, which started in 1931,
has been around for quite some time. She
adds Virginia ranks fourth in coalbed
methane production in the nation.
Social media offers one of the association's most effective ways to reach the
public, because VOGA is a very small
association, Stocker points out, saying,
"Social media provides the best bang for
the buck when it comes to being able to
do outreach across the entire state, not
only in the producing counties. The association started with about 100 Facebook
followers, and now has more than 4,000.
It also has a reach of approximately 1
million Virginians and their friends a
year, through targeted advertising and
organic engagements."
The association identified the need for
a very robust public relations effort five
years ago, says VOGA President Ian Landon.
"It is pushing to educate the people
who will listen," says Landon, manager of
operations for EnerVest Operating in Abingdon. "There are areas in the state that have
not seen traditional oil and gas development.
The association is fighting a difficult fight,
but it will keep after it. Virginia will have
a new governor this year, and hopefully, it
will get one that is more business friendly.
That would go a long way."
Stockner says the VOGA Board of Directors is very receptive to what the association can do on social media, and its members understand that the approach is one of
the better ways to reach people for less
money. The social media program includes
content creation and management, as well
as news stories and posts from other groups
and associations, she describes.
"It's interesting when you look at
which posts make the most impact. The
ones that tend to get the most responses
are those that point out the hypocrisy of

the other side or highlight the special
restoration projects the association has
been doing, such as bringing back Virginia's elk population," Stockner reports.

Energy Bowl
VOGA is launching a public education
program in conjunction with the American
Petroleum Institute and the Virginia Coal
& Energy Alliance, Stocker reports. Preparations are being finalized for the inaugural
4-H energy bowl quiz competition, geared
toward fifth-graders, which she says will
take place during the 2017-18 school year.
"The pilot program will start in the
gas- and coal-producing counties in southwestern Virginia this year, and I hope to
expand the program during the next couple
years to cover the entire commonwealth,"
Stockner indicates. "The program includes
realistic information on how we use energy,
and where energy comes from."
It focuses on science, technology,
engineering and math (STEM) components, and it also meets Virginia's standards of learning (SOL), she adds. Many
of the Energy Bowl's questions originate
in fifth-grade science textbooks
"Hopefully, the association will be able
to reach kids in ways it never has before,"
Stockner assesses. "The SOL requirements
can make school programs difficult, because
if something is not on the SOL, it does
not happen in schools since those educational classes are geared so much toward
the testing. That is why VOGA has made
this program to fit the SOL testing."
Some Energy Bowl questions may
not come from the SOLs, she says, but
those give the association a chance to
share information on both the benefits
and the drawbacks of all energy sources,
including alternative energy.
According to Stockner, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University,
which coordinates the Virginia 4-H extension service, has been working with
VOGA on this program. "I am hoping
this will be very successful. I have been
very pleased with the reception the outreach program is receiving," she says.
Annual Convention
Landon promises VOGA's 40th annual
convention will offer an agenda full of diverse speakers, covering all facets of the
natural gas and manufacturing industries.
"Over the years, the association has

moved the annual meeting around the state,"
he recalls. "It seems meetings get the best
attendance in a beach environment, and
association members like to meet in Virginia
Beach. Virginia Beach does a great job
hosting the VOGA meeting, and the association has a great relationship with the
Hilton Garden Inn, which hosts the meeting.
The meeting is on the other side of the
state from where all the production is, but
it is a great family-oriented venue."
Stockner adds VOGA works to keep
the meeting a family-oriented event. "Not
all events are conducive to bringing your
family, but this meeting is geared toward
families while still providing a lot of education and networking opportunities. It
is a good event for both business and
families," she asserts.
After the Board of Directors meeting
opens the convention on Wednesday,
June 21, Landon says the focus shifts to
family and recreation, with a fishing excursion and golf tournament on the schedule. The general membership meeting
will precede the barbecue and auction
that closes out the day's activities.
"Proceeds from the auction go to the
association's general operating fund," he
says. "Friday morning, the technical session will be held, and then on Friday
evening we will have the closing dinner.
This is the 40th anniversary for the annual
meeting, so it will be a big one for
VOGA. The association will recognize
how it has grown through the years." r

AVAD Energy Partners
Gets Equity Commitment

DALLAS-AVAD Energy Partners LLC
has raised $77.5 million in equity commitments from Pearl Energy Investments, NGP
Natural Resources XI LP and management.
According to AVAD, its three founding
partners have a history of success. Chief
Executive Officer John Davis co-founded
Alpine Gas Company LLC, which has
acquired and developed assets primarily
in Texas and the Gulf Coast. Tom Quigley,
senior vice president, has more than 25
years of engineering experience, including
service with Alpine, NSAI, Exxon, Hunt
Petroleum Corp. and Encana Oil & Gas
USA Inc. Crystal Blackstone, vice president,
has worked with Davis and Quigley as an
analyst as NSAI, Hunt and Alpine.
r
JUNE 2017 109

American Oil and Gas Reporter - June 2017

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