NM man featured in trade group’s national campaign

 

After a brief meeting with Zach Conrad last summer, representatives from the American Petroleum Institute (API) were so impressed by Zach Conrad, 24, they reached out to Coterra Energy (formerly known as Cabot Oil & Gas) to have the young completions engineer participate in their “Progress is Made in America” campaign.

“Progress is Made in America every day by people like Zach,” said API Executive President and COO Amanda Eversole. “The men and women working in our industry are using technology and innovation to supply affordable, reliable energy while continuously improving environmental performance. We are pleased to highlight the important work of people like Zach who are providing crucial energy and striving to improve the communities and environment where they live and work.”

Conrad is a 2016 graduate of Blue Ridge High School in New Milford. He went on to attend Marietta College in Marietta, Ohio, majoring in petroleum engineering. During his college breaks, he interned with the drilling company with time spent “swinging a hammer” out on a pipeline to time spent as a completions intern on the fracking side of the operation.

“The week after I graduated I started with Cabot, now Coterra,” Conrad said. “I wanted to start as soon as possible.”

It was that same drive and determination that led him to an energy conference in State College where he first met Coterra spokesperson George Stark.

Stark said he was so impressed with his initial meeting with Conrad that he asked the company recruiter to put him on his radar when he visited Marietta. The recruiter, in turn, was equally impressed.

For the API piece, Conrad spent a day filming at Blue Ridge High School. “It was awesome be able to go back and see the teachers that really had an impact on my life,” he said. Conrad said his high school education laid the foundation for his success. “High school teaches you how to learn, how to be part of a class and part of a team. That’s the really important takeaway to be successful in everything you do,” he said.

But Conrad is not just busy working as a completions engineer. Last year, he was elected to serve as a member of the New Milford Borough Council. He has joined the park committee where there are plans to renovate Midtown Park.

“My community is everything to me,” Conrad said. “The community is the reason why I am where I am today.”

He has pitched in and worked for the borough for years. “Those people gave me a lot of valuable life lessons.”

He said giving back is what also drew him to the natural gas industry. Conrad said he feels blessed to have the opportunity to work in his home area with a job that pays a sustaining wage.

Stark said Conrad embodies API’s message. “He’s living them. He pursued a career in the energy industry with a tech degree he applies in the field and gives back to the community. This kid does it all.”

 

To view the API video:https://youtu.be/FltyxSRdbaQ