Tulsa World: SemGroup announces new president, board of directors

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SemGroup announces new president, board of directors

Szydlowski

By JOHN STANCAVAGE World Business Editor
Published: 9/9/2009 2:28 AM
Last Modified: 9/9/2009 4:06 AM

Complete coverage: Read all the stories and documents related to the SemGroup collapse.

SemGroup LP announced late Tuesday it has selected longtime petroleum executive Norm Szydlowski as its new president and CEO.

Szydlowski will join a new chief financial officer and board of directors, all of whom were named Tuesday, to lead the company once it emerges from bankruptcy reorganization. Tulsa-based SemGroup is expected to exit Chapter 11 in November and become a publicly traded company.

"The new management team and board will be comprised of the best and brightest members of the midstream energy industry," said Terry Ronan, the company's president and CEO during its Chapter 11 reorganization, in a press release.

"Their experience, together with their many notable accomplishments, gives SemGroup a remarkable leadership team to execute its post-Chapter 11 strategies and build value for its stakeholders."

Ronan will leave SemGroup after the restructuring is complete, a spokesman said.

Szydlowski, 58, has more than 28 years in the transportation, management and production of refined fuel products. He most recently served as president and CEO of Colonial Pipeline Co. in Georgia.

Before joining Colonial in 2006, Szydlowski was recruited by the Pentagon to rebuild the Iraqi oil sector.

Szydlowski has an MBA from

Indiana University and a bachelor's degree from Kettering University, formerly General Motors Institute.

Philip J. Reedy was named chief financial officer. Reedy most recently served as CFO of Citgo Petroleum, which was based in Tulsa until a few years ago, when it moved to Houston.

Reedy has an MBA from the University of Miami, Fla., and a bachelor's degree from the University of Tulsa. He also is a CPA.

SemGroup plans to ask the U.S. Bankruptcy Court in Delaware to retain Szydlow-ski and Reedy as consultants to work alongside Ronan for the remainder of the restructuring. Szydlowski and Reedy are scheduled to attend the exit financing syndication meeting in New York on Thursday.

Among the new board officers, John F. Chlebowski has been selected as SemGroup's chairman. Chlebowski currently serves as a director of NRG Energy Inc. He previously was president and CEO of GATX Terminals.

In addition to Chlebowski and Szydlowski, the new board will consist of:

Ronald A. Ballschmiede, executive vice president and CFO of Chicago Bridge & Iron Co. N.V.;

Sarah M. Barpoulis, president and founder of Interim Energy Solutions LLC.;

Stanley C. Horton, founder, principal owner and CEO of Semoran Holdings, LLC.;

Karl Frederick Kurz, COO of Anadarko Petroleum Corp.; and

Thomas R. McDaniel, retired energy executive.

SemGroup officials announced the executive search in May, forming a committee that included representatives from its bank lenders and unsecured creditors. The search committee worked with consultant Russell Reynolds Associates Inc.

Ronan, the current CEO, joined SemGroup in March 2008 as a finance executive. He was named top executive after co-founder Tom Kivisto was removed from the post shortly before the company's July 22, 2008, filing for bankruptcy protection.

Career highlights for Norm Szydlowski

2006-08: Colonial Pipeline Co., Alpharetta, Ga., president and CEO.

2004-05: U.S. Department of Defense, senior consultant, Iraqi ministry of oil, Baghdad.

1981-2004: Chevron Corp., various positions, including vice president of refining (2002-04) in San Ramon, Calif.

1978-81: Community College of Denver, instructor, business management.

1976-81: Samsonite Corp., Denver, various engineering positions.

1974-75: Environmental Elements Corp., Baltimore, supervisor, production control.

1969-74: General motors Corp., supervisor, production.

Source: SemGroup LP

John Stancavage 581-8314
john.stancavage@tulsaworld.com By JOHN STANCAVAGE World Business Editor

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Some reader comments for this story were copied from "SemGroup names new CEO, board," which was published on 9/8/2009.

	Report Comment TTownTonka, (9/9/2009 11:22:51 AM) Sounds like a strong management team. I hope the new company will grow and bring back some jobs to the Tulsa area that were lost last year. Hopefully this time they will stick to their business plan and not take unnecessary risks. As a public company with much more transparency, this will probably be the case.
	Report Comment Hawktalk, (9/9/2009 12:44:11 PM) I sure the producers and refiners will be falling all over themselves to do business with SemGroup.
	Report Comment O&Gtrader, ft. worth (9/13/2009 6:19:12 PM) They will have to trade and "hedge" at some point in the future. Will they have a "Deal Cop"? I feel sure that the "Never Take A Loss" strategy will be abandoned. I'd recommend a name change too.

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