Summit Energy Services and Q&A with President Michael Sweeney

Summit Energy Services was formed in 2010 to fill the need for logistical services in the Bakken when the oil fields went from exploration to production. Based in Williston, North Dakota, Summit offers a wide array of oil field support that allows rig operators to concentrate on doing what they know best—look for oil—without getting caught up in all of the other necessary tasks.

From the beginning, Summit Energy Services has backed them up with a full roster of environmental construction options such as pipe laying, erosion prevention, land reclamation, environmental monitoring and control, and oil field support services such as site maintenance, snow plowing, runoff control, and security fencing. Summit has grown from an initial complement of six people on staff to more than a hundred in just two years. This exponential expansion testifies to the fact that Summit always gets the job done on time and on budget.

In today’s era of environmental sensitivity, Summit knows that a light footprint on the land is essential to oil field development. They are experts in water movement and quality control. Summit knows how to channel snowmelt and runoff safely. More importantly, Summit Energy Services knows how to bring that dirty water up to acceptable standards before shunting it offsite. Proper erosion control and reseeding is also part of their repertoire. Summit can take even the most ground-up site and make it look like nobody had ever been there before.

Technical performance is always a balance between formal training and field experience. With Summit, that balance starts at the top, with Owner/President Michael Sweeny. A graduate of both the Naval Academy in Annapolis, Maryland and the navy’s Supply Corps School, Mr. Sweeney has had a lifetime of experience in moving large quantities of materials in the most efficient way possible.

After obtaining his degree in Civil Engineering, Chief Operating Officer William Reedy has built a career out of water management, treatment and discharge. On down the line, Summit is staffed by people who have the academic background and the dirty hands that enable them to distinguish between the theoretical and the practical aspects of any project. They all know how to get results.

One hundred strong and growing, Summit Energy Services is a can-do organization that is ready to make your oil field service problems disappear.

Five Questions for Summit Energy Owner and President Michael Sweeney –

You have quite a varied background, from the Annapolis Naval Academy and Supply Officer in the Navy, to commercial banking and then water treatment for the oil and gas industry. How has this range of experience served you as an entrepreneur in the booming oil fields of North Dakota?

I think that all my educational and work experience has played a significant part in the development of Summit Energy Services. I learned a great deal about leadership and financial management in the Navy, discovered the importance of good banking relationships during my time as a commercial lender and developed a respect for the energy industry and the opportunities it provides to be a good steward of our resources while financially benefiting our nation.

You first came to North Dakota in 2009, as a regional manager for a company in the oil, gas and construction business. What was the state of the oil boom in ND then, and how have you seen it change in the last two years?

When I arrived in the Fall of 2009 the market saw a small slowdown from the initial fervor of activity. By the Spring of 2010 it appeared that the gloves were off and this was going to be really exciting. I remember, soon after arriving in Williston in 2009, driving down Million Dollar Way on a Saturday morning and commenting to my wife that this seemed to be a pretty sleepy town as I could only see two vehicles in any direction. Today, I (and everyone else) try to avoid Million Dollar Way most of the time because the traffic is nearly insane.

Summit provides quite a broad spectrum of oil field services. Can you talk a little about how you started out, and in what areas you see the most growth in the future for your company?

We are very fortunate to have such incredible employees who bring a wide array of experience to Summit. We started out installing flow lines between wellheads and grew to add maintenance/roustabout services. Some of our earliest jobs involved site fencing and stormwater/erosion control measures. The services that we have developed are all in response to our customer’s requests. Our customers have come to trust us to be a solution partner. In the future, I think the most growth will revolve around our gravel sales and increased maintenance activities.

Hydraulic fracturing has been in the news recently over concerns about ground water contamination. What are your thoughts about the dangers posed by fracking in the Bakken, from drilling and wastewater disposal? How responsibly do you think these risks are managed currently, and will continued growth in the future undermine these efforts?

This is a fairly heady question that I am certainly not scientifically qualified to answer. My opinion on the matter is that sending fracturing fluid ten thousand feet below the surface has a pretty low chance of contaminating drinking water sourced from thousands of feet removed from that activity. However, I think that it is wise to test and investigate these issues in an effort to be good stewards of the land, water and resources. I would personally love to see intelligent discourse based upon real science in contrast to the current Chicken Little rhetoric that permeates the newsfeeds.

The job market in the U.S. is pretty bleak for a lot of people right now, and North Dakota has the lowest rate of unemployment in the country. How is the supply of workers keeping up with demand, both for Summit and in general? What advice would you give to people thinking about looking for a job in the area?

My experience has taught me that there is always a supply of job seekers – the supply of qualified and hard working job seekers is always the issue, here in ND and abroad. Summit has a corps of great people – some we found, some found us. The advice I would give to Bakken job seekers is 1. Be prepared to live in conditions similar to that of a soldier, 2. Don’t expect to find riches here without a lot of hard work and 3. Check out the companies you apply with – ask around to make sure they treat their employees well and have a good reputation before you find out the hard way.