LR PIPELINE RECEIVES APPROVAL FOR CONCORDIA PIPELINE

LR Pipeline
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LR PIPELINE a division of LR COMMERCIAL CONSTRUCTION INC. led by Bert Vandiver have announced that they have completed acquiring the land and have received all regulatory approvals to build the Concordia Pipeline. The pipeline will connect the Coochie and Blackhawk Fields that are located 40 miles south of Vidalia, Louisiana to American Midstream’s Pipeline System.

The project will commence in May and they expect it to be finished by the end of August. Following testing they expect to it be operational no later that September. It will start by transporting 30 million cfd to market with the ability to increase capacity. The construction will start 40 miles south of Vidalia and move north to meet American Midstream.

Bert Vandiver said the pipeline will significantly increase the development of gas in the Coochie and Blackhawk Fields which already have a tremendous amount of gas behind pipe but no way to get it to market.

The Extraction and Separation Phases of Oil and Gas Production

LR Commercial Construction, Inc
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Bert Vandiver is a Waco, Texas, entrepreneur who guides LR Commercial Construction, Inc., and provides a host of solutions in the civil and pipeline building spheres. Bert Vandiver has extensive experience in all aspects of oil field production and in best practices for oil and gas drilling.

Prior to the era of kerosene, hydrocarbons were considered an unwanted byproduct that sometimes appeared when drilling for water and caused issues of flammability. This all changed in the 19th century with Edwin Drake, who created a system for extracting and distilling oil, in the process supplanting the market for whale-derived lighting oil.

Today, fossil fuel extraction has progressed considerably. It now involves a complex series of steps that include separation and stabilization, storage, transportation, distribution, and waste disposal. The methods used for extraction differ markedly depending on whether gas or liquid is in play. Oil wells typically have beam pumps that work to draw up liquid substances that would not emerge from underground on their own.

By contrast, gas wells involve gasses that will often emerge simply by being released from underground pressure and are thus outfitted with ”Christmas tree” wellheads that capture escaping gasses. What comes directly after extraction is separation, with specialized equipment used to separate gas from its condensed liquid components.

It is critical to remove water from the hydrocarbons as soon as possible, as a way avoiding rust, freezing damage, and unwanted compound formation. One common way of accomplishing this is through the use of a glycol dehydrator, which helps prepare the hydrocarbon for further refining.

Greg Iles – Personal Tragedy Underlying the Author’s Natchez Series

 

Natchez Series
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Based in Waco, Texas, Bert Vandiver leads LR Commercial Construction, Inc., and provides a full range of services focused on energy-industry activities in the Permian Basin. An avid reader, Bert Vandiver is particularly drawn to the works of Greg Iles. Born in Germany and a longtime Mississippi resident, Iles is known for works such as Natchez Burning, which is set in the South of the 1960s and presents a vivid chronicle of tumultuous times.

The book has a strong personal component, as Iles was involved in a life-threatening accident near Natchez, Mississippi, while finishing up the volume. The 2011 incident involved another vehicle slamming into his car, which resulted in a torn aorta and multiple broken bones. Following a medically induced coma that lasted more than a week, Iles had part of his right leg amputated.

The end result of this brush with mortality was to give Iles greater impetus as a writer and what was initially a single-length volume became an 800 page work, with the 2014 book only the first of a trilogy. Also coming to terms with the recent passing of his father, Iles described the experience behind Natchez as expanding his take on writing and making him realize there was no place in the novel for “formula and fluff.”

OPEC May Opt to Set Crude Oil Prices Once Again

Bert Vandiver

CEO Bert Vandiver presides over LR Commercial Construction, the oil-industry construction company he founded in 2002. As part of his commitment to his company and industry, Bert Vandiver makes it a priority to stay up to date regarding changes in crude oil production and pricing.

Despite a recent pattern of relative inactivity, OPEC members may consider taking action to improve crude oil prices in the near future. Oil prices slipped back into the $30-per-barrel range in early August, sparking concern across OPEC and allied nations.

Spearheaded by Saudi Arabia, OPEC members agreed to allow the market to set prices back in 2014. This displeased many of the organization’s weaker members, who favored a production freeze in response. These policies contributed to a production surplus and corresponding price crash, which sparked the more recent controversy.

Saudi Arabian officials are open to production deals, but this openness is contingent upon agreement from all other OPEC members. If they can find common ground, the crude oil market may be facing some changes in the near future.

New Drilling Rig Activity Increases across Three US Basins

LR Commercial Construction, Inc
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A Waco, Texas, entrepreneur, Bert Vandiver guides LR Commercial Construction, Inc., a company that provides solutions to clients in the heavy civil construction and oil field pipeline industries. Bert Vandiver and his team provide services focused on pipelines in the Permian Basin, which has seen a significant increase in activity in the first half of 2016.

Benchmark prices for West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude oil reached more than $46 in late July. The BOE Report notes that this represents a 40 percent boost in price over the first quarter. Another key industry indicator, the Baker Hughes rig count, takes stock of the drilling rigs active across North America. While production from existing rigs declined, the total number of rigs in play rose by 29 to 336 in the Lower 48 states. This indicates increased new well-drilling activity, which will likely translate into elevated production levels in the medium term.

Particular regions of oil-directed rig activity are those associated with high per-well productivity and legacy production, including the Permian Basin, the Williston Basin, and the Eagle Ford Basin. As a corollary to the increased number of rigs, per-rig productivity is also on the rise across all three basins.

Understanding Oil and Gas Pipelines

LR Commercial Construction, Inc
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Bert Vandiver leads LR Commercial Construction, Inc., a Waco, Texas-based company active in oil field pipeline construction. As chief executive officer of the firm, Bert Vandiver oversees more than 75 skilled employees.

Pipelines provide a safe and efficient method of transporting key fuels from extraction and production bases to refineries and the market at large. The two main types of energy pipelines are liquid petroleum and natural gas, the two chief fossil fuel commodities.

When plotted on a map, a majority of America’s total pipeline infrastructure runs through Texas, Oklahoma, and southern Louisiana. From those regions, it branches out to major metropolitan areas such as Chicago and New York.

The liquid petroleum network encompasses not only pipes that carry fuel but also those set aside to transport and segregate carbon dioxide, crude oil, refined oil, and volatile liquids. America’s liquid petroleum pipeline infrastructure is vast. Take, for example, only the pipes dedicated to transmitting crude oil to refineries. In all, the country contains roughly 55,000 miles of these pipes, which range in diameter from 8 to 48 inches.

Pipelines carrying natural gas often end directly at consumer homes, where the gas acts as a heating fuel. The United States’ pervasive natural gas pipeline infrastructure measures roughly 300,000 miles long.

Heart O’ Texas Fair & Rodeo Scholarship Program

Heart O’ Texas Fair Rodeo Scholarship Program
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With a business degree from Baylor University, Bert Vandiver is a seasoned business professional who is currently the president and CEO of LR Commercial Construction Inc., a company based in Waco, Texas. In his free time, Bert Vandiver acts as board chairman of the Heart O’ Texas Fair & Rodeo.

For the past 62 years, the Heart O’ Texas Fair & Rodeo has produced events for agriculture, education, and entertainment in Waco. The nonprofit organization is driven by over 500 active volunteers. All proceeds of the events are given back to the community through scholarships. Since its inception, the Heart O’ Texas Fair & Rodeo has awarded $2 million in scholarships.

For the academic year 2015-16, the foundation gave a total of 27 scholarships amounting to $71,000 to deserving Central Texas students. The year’s top scholar was Kayla Wilson from Copperas Cove High School. She holds the distinction of receiving the largest single scholarship to date, one of $14,000.

The Enduring Popularity of the Crime Thriller Genre

 

John Sandford
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As the president and CEO of LR Commercial Construction Inc., an oil field pipeline and heavy civil construction company based in Waco, Texas, Bert Vandiver oversees the operations and manages the 75 employees under his watch. Whenever he’s free, Bert Vandiver enjoys reading books and identifies John Sanford as one of his favorite authors.

John Roswell Camp, more popularly known by the pseudonym John Sanford, is a bestselling author and a recipient of numerous writing awards, including a Pulitzer Prize. He has over 40 novels under his name, 25 of which are a part of the long-running Prey series, which falls under the crime thriller fiction genre.

Crime thriller fiction continues to be a popular fiction genre around the globe, and there are many reasons for this. First, unlike Shakespearean tragedies where the main characters come from society’s elite or ruling class, crime thrillers feature heroes which are commoners, hence making the characters more accessible to the masses.

Another reason why crime thrillers continue to enthrall audiences is because their plots often actually mimic what happens in real life. This is in contrast with other fiction genres such as sci-fi or fantasy, where the stories are more removed from real life in both time and circumstances. With crime thrillers, the stories that audiences read about are not so different from what can often be seen on the nightly news, making the sense of danger inherent in these stories feel real and palpable.

The Heart O’ Texas Fair & Rodeo Scholarship Program

 

Heart O’ Texas Fair & Rodeo
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LR Commercial Construction, Inc., president and CEO Bert Vandiver used to ride bulls during his high school days. Today, Bert Vandiver is the chairman of the rodeo committee of the Heart O’ Texas Fair & Rodeo. He has served as a Heart O’ Texas board member for more than 15 years.

The Heart O’ Texas Fair & Rodeo, held at the Extraco Events Center in Waco, Texas, runs throughout the year with the mission of hosting events for agricultural experiences, entertainment, and education. It is a nonprofit organization backed by over 500 committed volunteers. The Fair & Rodeo gives back through its youth scholarships, as well as producing an economic impact of more than $47 million annually for Central Texas.

For the academic year 2014-15, the Heart O’ Texas Fair & Rodeo granted 33 scholarships to Central Texas students in the amount of $49,000. Since its inception in 1991, the scholarship program has increased its number of scholarships, as well as the amount given. Now $250,000, is granted annually. Scholarships and premiums amounting to more than $200,000 are awarded yearly through the Heart O’ Texas Livestock Show, which is presented by Brazos Masonry, Inc.

As of this time, over $2 million has been distributed to the young people of Central Texas.

A Half Marathon With a Cause in Waco, Texas

Badass Brazos Half Marathon
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Bert Vandiver is the president and CEO of LR Commercial Construction, Inc., a pipeline and heavy civil construction company based in Waco, Texas. Outside of work, Bert Vandiver engages in a number of physical activities including running.

Waco is host to an annual running event, the Badass Brazos Half Marathon, 10K & 5K, which will be held at the city’s Convention Center at 6:45 a.m. on August 7, 2016. Dubbed as the hottest, hilliest half marathon in Texas, the race heads north starting from the Convention Center along University Park Drive, offering a view of the Brazos River. The main uphill and downhill segments of the route begin at Cameron Park. The last section of the route is a gentle downhill stretch along Lake Shore Drive and MLK Jr. Blvd., which then leads across the Waco Suspension Bridge, and then back to the Waco Convention Center finish line.

The beneficiary of the race is the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention (AFSP) Waco. AFSP engages in education, research, and prevention initiatives aimed at reducing suicide rates. Annually, there are over 38,000 lives lost in the United States as a result of suicide, and a million more globally. Joining Badass Brazos event allows participants to be part of AFSP’s life-saving work.