FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
MEA Energy Association (MEA) presented championship rings to eight Spire employees at their corporate office in St. Louis, Missouri on December 18, 2017. The rings, produced by Jostens, were earned by two teams made up of Spire natural gas field workers after earning top rankings at the National Gas Rodeo, an annual competition designed to showcase technical skills in service installation, pipe cutting, and in setting meters. Members from both teams, coaches, and Spire senior management attended the ring ceremony, including Suzanne Sitherwood, president and CEO.
"It is always impressive to earn National Championship status," said John Gann, MEA program services vice president. "It is even more impressive when teams are repeat champions and when there are multiple champions from the same company. It shows real support from top management to crew excellence." This is the third time a Laclede Gas team has won.
2017 National Gas Rodeo Champions:
Laclede Gas, a subsidiary of Spire
Team: Lil’Gashouse Gang:
- Steve Bouse
- Barry Hicks
- Jeff Busch (alternate)
Missouri Gas Energy, a subsidiary of Spire
Team: Intense Ignition:
- Korey Ross
- Dylan Middleton
- Jeff Smith
- Justin Wald
- James Johnson (alternate)
Companies from across the U.S. send teams to compete in this teambuilding event. Participation in the National Gas Rodeo plays an important role in developing a mindset of efficiency, proficiency, and safety when working in the natural gas field. The 2018 National Gas Rodeo will take place September 13-15 at Heart of America Pop Warner Field in Independence, Missouri. See all the teams that competed at www.nationalgasrodeo.org.
The National Gas Rodeo is a program of MEA and was hosted by Xcel Energy (Colorado) in 2016 and 2017. The rodeo is made possible through the support of CASE Construction, Val-Tex, and K.R. Swerdfeger.
About the National Gas Rodeo:
The National Gas Rodeo is the proving ground for elite gas crews from across the United States. The intense competition and camaraderie of the rodeo offer competitors an opportunity to showcase their skills and professionalism. The National Gas Rodeo is proudly administered by MEA Energy Association and supported by American Gas Association, American Public Gas Association, and Southern Gas Association.
About MEA:
MEA Energy Association (MEA) serves the people that deliver electricity and natural gas to homes and businesses. MEA was founded as a trade association over 100 years ago by distribution utilities, whose vision was to improve safety and efficiency. Today, energy delivery companies and their contractors around the globe benefit from MEA's industry learning seminars, operations summits, and other events. Members collaborated to develop EnergyU, the world's premier online training and testing system for gas and electric distribution utilities.