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It was an honor to attend the 2014 West Coast Oil and Gas Industry Summit and Awards on Tuesday, October 21th, in Bakersfield, California. Hundreds of oil and gas professionals from across the West Coast came together to discuss the challenges, opportunities, and achievements within the industry. The Summit offered various panel discussions led by industry leaders from Exploration and Production, Midstream, and the Vendor community who shared strategic ideas and offered operational insight. Signal Hill Petroleum’s Chief Operating Officer and Executive Vice President, David Slater, was honored by the invitation to speak on the topic of Corporate Social Responsibility. With more than 30 years of experience within the oil and gas industry, Slater offered valuable insight including the value of serving the community as an excellent neighbor and partner.
“We believe that it’s our responsibility to give back to the community in which we operate and call home. Investing in opportunities that have a meaningful, direct impact within our community allows us to meet the people who are being affected by our efforts.”
– Dave Slater, EVP and COO, Signal Hill Petroleum
Dave Slater has served as the Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer for Signal Hill Petroleum, Inc. since 1998. He guides a team of more than 100 employees in the areas of production operations, drilling, exploration, real estate management, and community relations.
Signal Hill Petroleum was featured in two recent editions of the Signal Tribune. Both articles highlighted presentations made by the Mayor of Signal Hill, Ed Wilson to SHP for their sponsorship of the 2014 Concerts in the Park series and their 30 year anniversary.
The following is an excerpt from the Signal Tribune.
September 19, 2014
Photos by Sean Belk/Signal Tribune
Signal Hill Mayor Ed Wilson (left) recognizes Dave Slater, executive vice president and chief operating officer of Signal Hill Petroleum, and Stefanie Gillett, communications specialist for Signal Hill Petroleum for being a sponsor headliner sponsor of the City’s 2014 Concert in the Park series during the City Council meeting on Tuesday, Sept. 16.
Presentations: Mayor Ed Wilson recognized sponsors of the City’s 2014 Concerts in the Park series. Headliner sponsors included Los Angeles County Supervisor Don Knabe’s office, Signal Hill Petroleum, Graner Oil Company and Mason Environmental. “Rockstar” sponsors included Aleshire and Wynder LLP, EDCO, the Signal Tribunenewspaper and the Signal Hill Chamber of Commerce. Terry Rogers of Coldwell Banker was recognized as the lead senior sponsor. A presentation to give In-N-Out Restaurant a sustainability award was tabled until another meeting.
September 5, 2014
Photos by Sean Belk/Signal Tribune
Signal Hill Mayor Ed Wilson (left) presents a proclamation to representatives of Signal Hill Petroleum, Inc. (SHP) in recognition of the company’s 30th anniversary. Pictured from left are SHP Land Manager Sarah Bobbe, SHP Director of Community Relations and Business Development Debra Russell and SHP Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer Dave Slater
Presentations and introductions Mayor Wilson presented a proclamation to representatives of Signal Hill Petroleum in recognition of the company’s 30th anniversary.
SIGNAL HILL PETROLEUM NAMED FINALIST FOR 2014 COMPANY OF THE YEAR AWARD
Long Beach, CA- Signal Hill Petroleum, Inc. (SHP), a Southern California-based energy company specializing in the production of sustainable oil and gas in urban areas, has been selected as a finalist for the 2014 West Coast Oil and Gas Award in the Company of the Year category. SHP’s entry outlined the company’s overall operational excellence, including their commitment to sustainability and social responsibility.
Last year, SHP won the West Coast Oil and Gas Award for Corporate Responsibility as a result of their ongoing efforts to enhance the community in which their business resides through financially supporting educational programs, as well as local events.
“Signal Hill Petroleum strives to be a leader in industry practices that are sustainable, in regards to both the environment and the community,” said Dave Slater, Chief Operations Officer and Executive Vice President of SHP. “Being a finalist for this award further assures us that we are going in the right direction for achieving this goal.”
The company’s sustainability efforts include pioneering operating techniques and technologies, like using a generator that turns bi-products into electricity and using 3D data for less invasive exploration. They also have a continued commitment to the community. Last year alone, they donated to the Long Beach Police Foundation, the Los Cerritos Wetlands Authority, Movies in the Park and S.T.E.M. programs.
The Oil and Gas Awards recognize the advancements made by upstream and midstream sector companies of the oil and gas industries in the areas of environmental stewardship, efficiency, innovation, corporate social responsibility and health and safety. The awards serve as an opportunity for companies in the industry to demonstrate their achievements and show their commitment to these critical issues.
Winners will be announced at the 2014 West Coast Oil & Gas Awards gala dinner, held in the Marriott at the Convention Center in Bakersfield, CA on October 21. The complete list of finalists can be viewed at www.oilandgasawards.com. The entries were judged by a panel of 104 industry experts.
About Signal Hill Petroleum:
SHP is a privately owned California-based energy company in Signal Hill, California. A local producer of over one million barrels of crude oil annually, SHP owns and operates the majority of wells in the Long Beach oilfield. Through its decades of operating experience, SHP has developed a unique expertise in urban oil and gas production operations, and is committed to educating communities and public leaders on crude oil and natural gas for a sustainable future.
The Long Beach Grunion Gazette summarized the thirty year history of Signal Hill Petroleum, with its grassroots beginning to its current leading stance in technology and community outreach.
The following is an excerpt from the August 7, 2014 Grunion Gazette Newspaper.
Photo courtesy of Long Beach Grunion Gazette: OIL & GAS ENTREPRENEURS. Craig Barto, Debra Montalvo Russell and David Slater stand by the Signal Hill Petroleum office
Signal Hill Petroleum Pumps Into 30th Year
Grunion Gazette, August 7, 2014
By Ashleigh Ruhl Editor
When father and son real estate developers Jerry Barto and Craig Barto purchased a piece of land in Costa Mesa in 1979, their intention was to build condos there.
Instead, they wound up in the oil and gas business.
“We just sort of fell into it,” Craig Barto said, adding that he and his father hired the best people they could to teach them all about oil and gas. “Oil prices spiked upwards, so instead of building condos, we ended up drilling 12 wells – years later, we did build homes there too.”
Soon after that Costa Mesa purchase, when Shell’s lands and leases in Signal Hill were put up for sale in 1982, the father and son owners of Barto Oil Company saw an opportunity that others didn’t. They made the purchase, for an undisclosed amount, and formed Signal Hill Petroleum in 1984; the company is celebrating its 30th anniversary.
“It was a big deal, an icon (Shell) coming up for sale,” Craig Barto explained. “At that time, the 100 acres was mostly not developed, and we looked at it as an oil field as well as a real estate opportunity; whereas, others didn’t look at the property, didn’t look at this urban area as a positive thing, they saw it as a negative.”
They decided to find a way to integrate their background in real estate development into the business model, even though no one had done such a thing before. They wanted their drilling operations – which now include 400 wells and the 90-year-old Discovery Well – to be good, close neighbors with Long Beach and Signal Hill residents and business.
“Shell was focused on offshore projects, and they left this tremendous asset,” Craig Barto said. “Today, we’re producing one million barrels a year and employ 165 people… This spot, Signal Hill, has th most oil per acre, or square foot, than anywhere in the world.”
He added; “We are proud to be a local producer of oil, providing jobs in our communities and strengthening the American economy as a whole. It’s very important for our company in both the long and short term to keep growing, to be a better company, and to be the best neighbor we can be. We are proud to be helping America be more energy independent.”
Dave Slater, who serves as the executive vice president and COO for the privately-owned company, shared similar sentiments. He explained that Signal Hill Petroleum owns 95% of the wells in the Long Beach/Signal Hill Oilfield, which is one of 28 super fields in the continental United States.
“It’s always been an urban field with no fence around it,” Slater said. “That’s not always easy, but we’ve learned by necessity how our workplace can be someone else’s backyard or next door neighbor.”
What sets Signal Hill Petroleum apart from other energy companies, he said, is the company’s commitment to the community and to pioneering new technology – such as the first three-dimensional imaging system that wirelessly measure underground oil levels and seismic activity – as well as hiring innovative employees who find ways to effectively operate in close proximity to homes and businesses in a way that is unprecedented in the industry.
Other energy companies have tried to copy what Signal Hill Petroleum has done, but Slater said none have had the same success. He emphasizes that Signal Hill Petroleum’s best assets are the people who work there, not the minerals in the ground.
One such employee is Debra Montalvo Russell, the director of business development and community relations. She is charged with helping Signal Hill Petroleum give back. For the philanthropic work done by the company, Signal Hill Petroleum was named the 2013 winner of the Oil & Gas Award in Corporate Social Responsibility, among other honors.
Montalvo Russell said Signal Hill Petroleum helps causes that touch the hearts of the employees there. That ranges from preserving the Los Cerritos Wetlands to sponsoring summer concert and movie series to working with local police officers to deliver holiday gifts to the needy, among other causes. The company also supports the geoscience laboratory at CSULB.
“We like to invest in our backyard, in cases that we can feel good about,” Slater said, noting a large bookshelf full of thank you notes and thank you plaques displayed at the entrance to the company’s Signal Hill offices.
“Working so close to homes and businesses, it’s important that we are neighbor-friendly and involved in the community, which is our workplace,” Barto said. “Through our employees – from top, down – we stress the importance for all of us to be good neighbors.”
For more details about Signal Hill Petroleum, including a timeline of the company’s past 30 years, visit www.shpi.net.
Ashleigh Ruhl can be reached at aruhl@gazettes.com
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Signal Hill’s 90 year-old Discovery Well
July 16, 2014 – Signal Hill, CA – Signal Hill Petroleum, Inc., a privately-owned energy company based in Signal Hill recently celebrated its 30-year anniversary. The company, which specializes in urban oil and gas operations, was founded in 1984 by Jerry Barto and his son Craig Barto. Signal Hill Petroleum, which started as a small operation with four employees, now owns and operates approximately 95% of the wells in the Long Beach/Signal Hill Oilfield, locally producing over one million barrels of crude oil annually.
“We are proud to be a local producer of oil, providing jobs in our communities and strengthening the American economy as a whole,” said Craig Barto, President of Signal Hill Petroleum. “It’s very important for our company in both the long and short term to keep growing, to be a better company, and to be the best neighbor we can possibly be.”
Their ability to successfully operate in such close proximity to homes and businesses is entirely unique and unprecedented within the industry. Signal Hill Petroleum has developed in-house production equipment and technology that has allowed for safe drilling in the most urban environments.
“We’ve invested heavily in cutting-edge technology and exceptional talent among our employees,” said Dave Slater, Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer at Signal Hill Petroleum.
As the first company to apply modern 3-D data to the Los Angeles Basin, Signal Hill Petroleum is the industry leader in oil exploration and extraction in urban environments, constantly pursuing in-field as well as green-field availability. The success of their technological advancements relies on recruiting the best talent to operate it.
“What differentiates us is the depth, the character and quality of the people who work for our company. Many oil and gas companies think that their assets are in the ground; our assets are in our people,” added Slater.
In addition to their commitment to being a leader in technology, Signal Hill Petroleum has also made giving back to the community a priority. The company’s commitment to serving their community through investing in education, community programs and philanthropic initiatives made Signal Hill Petroleum the 2013 winner of the Oil & Gas Award in Corporate Social Responsibility.
About Signal Hill Petroleum
Signal Hill Petroleum is a privately owned California-based energy company that specializes in the exploration, development and production of crude oil and natural gas in urban areas. The company’s core assets in Long Beach and Signal Hill include more than 400 wells, including the 90-year-old Discovery Well. With a set of core values rooted in a transparent business philosophy, honest approach, and concern for the environment, the company strives to be an excellent neighbor and community partner.