About Flatirons
Creating Value for Our Customers
Flatirons specializes in greenfield project development in the Rockies, including North Dakota, Wyoming, Colorado and New Mexico. Our company is led by a respected and successful management team with over 200 years of industry experience. The Flatirons team provides cost effective, innovative, and reliable solutions that result in significant value creation for our customers.
Story
Flatirons Field Services LLC was formed in 2012 as a privately owned energy company providing full spectrum midstream services and oilfield chemical supply services. Our first midstream system, Spring Brook, began operations in the Williston Basin in 2015 with gas gathering, processing and gas lift service.
Ownership
Flatirons is supported by private equity capital from a team of partners led by Brion Wise, the founder of Western Gas Resources Inc. The investor team brings a track record of remarkable success in the energy industry, including the formation, management and growth of Western Gas Resources Inc. into a large-cap energy company that was sold in 2006 for $5.3 billion. Flatirons prides itself on having owners with decades of experience, people who combine investment acumen with engineering, operational and business expertise. In an industry with increasing change and consolidation, our company provides refreshing familiarity starting with our industry veteran owners.
Our Promise
Operational Experience
Custom-Tailored
Solutions
Green Initiatives
Superior Customer Service
Environmental Initiatives
Taking Responsibility
We’re committed to maintaining optimal environmental quality and gas capture, with design and operations that meet or exceed environmental laws and best practice expectations. With a system runtime that exceeds 98%, we keep flaring at a minimum and ensure safe and efficient transfer of natural gas products to market.
Live Gas Capture Count
Mcf
The Faces Behind the Experience
The Flatirons management team provides an experienced and effective blend of industry knowledge, engineering, operations, technical expertise and financial sophistication. With over 200 years of experience in the oil and gas industry, we understand the needs of our customers and respond with flexible and creative solutions.
Principal
Brion Wise
Principal
Brion Wise
Brion Wise has more than 40 years experience in the oil and gas industry. He founded Ecological Engineering Systems in 1971, which would later become Western Gas Processors in 1977 and then finally Western Gas Resources (“WGR”). He served as Chief Executive Officer from December 1986 to October 1999, and as Chairman and President from July 1987 to May 2003 and from 1971 to 1986 respectively.
After earning a degree in chemical engineering from Washington State University in 1967, Mr. Wise went to work for Shell Oil Co. as a gas processing engineer in its natural gas development group. He left Shell in 1971 to start Ecological Engineering Systems, the predecessor to Western Gas Resources.
Prior to its acquisition by Anadarko Petroleum in 2006, Western Gas Resources operated as an independent gatherer, processor, transporter, and marketer of natural gas and natural gas liquids. It was headquartered in Denver, Colorado, centrally located near its 18 gas gathering and processing operations in the gas-producing basins of the Rocky Mountains, mid-Continent, Southwest, and Gulf Coast regions. WGR operated over 8000 miles of pipeline, and marketed natural gas and natural gas liquids, ranking it the 14th largest producer of these products in the United States.
Upon retirement from Western Gas, Mr. Wise relocated to Sonoma, California to develop and oversee his vineyard and wine-making enterprise, B. Wise Vineyards.
Mr. Wise is associated with a number of other companies as a member of the Board of Directors.
Managing Director
Ed Aabak
Managing Director
Ed Aabak
Edward Aabak has 40 years of experience in both the Canadian and US oil and gas industry. He has served on the boards of both Canadian and US companies and held executive positions in different publicly traded corporations. He joined Western Gas Resources in 1993 as a Manager and was promoted to Officer in 1995. He was an Executive Vice President with Western Gas Resources from 2001 to 2006 when the company was sold to Anadarko.
Prior to joining Western Mr Aabak worked for 18 years in the exploration and production segment of the oil and gas industry for various companies. He served as Vice President Operations and Marketing with Dekalb Petroleum from 1988 through 1992.
Ed has a Chemical Engineering degree from the University of Alberta.
Mr Aabak is currently serving on the boards of several privately held corporations.
Chief Financial Officer
Preetam (“P. K.”) Dandapani
Chief Financial Officer
Preetam (“P. K.”) Dandapani
Mr. Dandapani has 15+ years of corporate finance and capital markets experience in the energy sector and serves as the CFO of Flatirons Field Services. Prior to joining Flatirons, Mr. Dandapani was the CFO of Evolution Midstream where he played a key role directing the company’s strategy and was responsible for $150+ million of capital investments. Prior to Evolution, Mr. Dandapani lead corporate development at DCP Midstream and was an investment banker in the Global Energy group at Credit Suisse.
Mr. Dandapani holds an M.B.A. from the Yale School of Management and a master’s degree in manufacturing systems engineering from the University of Wisconsin-Madison.
Vice President Business Development and Marketing
Travis Winger
Vice President Business Development and Marketing
Travis Winger
Mr. Winger is the Vice President of Business Development and Marketing. Mr. Winger has 10+ years of experience in the natural gas, natural gas liquids and crude oil industries, focused on Commercial Development, Financial Planning and Analysis, Midstream, and Marketing and Logistics. Prior to joining Flatirons Field Services, Mr. Winger held Finance and Commercial leadership positions with DCP Midstream, Elevation Midstream, and Extraction Oil and Gas. In these roles, Mr. Winger lead the commercial negotiations and securing of financing for various projects including gas/crude/water gathering systems, gas processing plants, and crude stabilization facilities within the DJ Basin, Powder River Basin, and Michigan. Prior to joining the Energy industry, Mr. Winger spent his early career auditing and developing new policy for several departments within the State of Colorado.
Mr. Winger holds a B.A. in Philosophy from Franklin College, a Master in Ethics from Iliff School of Theology, and an MBA focused in Finance and Accounting from Regis University.
Director of Business, Flatirons Chemicals
Brandon Wamsley
Director of Business, Flatirons Chemicals
Brandon Wamsley
Mr. Wamsley has 12 years of construction experience with an extensive background in many facets of construction, including civil, residential, and commercial. Mr. Wamsley supervised crews performing multi-million dollar soil stabilization activities in the rapid growth in infrastructure at the expansion of CO Springs Airport, JeffCo Airport, and Fort Carson Army base.
Mr. Wamsley has a reputation of environmental stewardship and customer satisfaction combined with a focused, high energy approach to water treatment and oil field chemical services.
Mr. Wamsley has experience running his own business in the Denver area and as one of the original members of Flatirons Field Services, LLC, is eager to apply his entrepreneurial mindset in the development of what has become a rapidly growing organization.
Engineering Technician
Webb Ballard
Engineering Technician
Webb Ballard
Mr. Ballard is the Engineering Technician. His professional career started as a contract plant operator for STV|GWD in the Bakken Oil Field in 2014. After being contracted to assist with the initial start-up of the Flatirons Springbrook facility, Mr. Ballard signed on as a full-time plant operator and EHS lead for Flatirons Field Services in 2015.
Mr. Ballard is currently an undergraduate senior pursuing a B.S. in Chemical Engineering from the University of North Dakota.
Engineering Manager
Eric Hammond
Engineering Manager
Eric Hammond
Mr. Hammond is Senior Project Engineer. His professional career started in Reservoir Stimulation with Schlumberger in Siberia, Russia in 2004. He has since worked in the energy sector entirely; ranging from air permitting with CH2M HILL to process engineering with Washington Group International. His most recent position was with Gas Compressor Consultants, Inc. where he progressed from Associate Engineer to Principal Engineer.
Mr. Hammond received his B.S. Chemical Engineering from Montana State University – Bozeman.
Manager of Operations
Jon Hippe
Manager of Operations
Jon Hippe
Mr. Hippe graduated from Valley City State University with a bachelor’s degree in Chemistry, and later received another bachelor’s degree in Power Plant Technology from Bismarck State College. His professional career started in operations at a Montana Dakota Utilities (MDU) coal fired power plant for 3 years before returning home to the Bakken Oil Field. He then made the move over to the natural gas processing business with Oneok Partners as an operator. While working at Oneok Partners he was promoted to plant manager of a 200 MM/D natural gas processing facility. While in this role he held increasing levels of responsibility including managing the annual operating budget.
Controller
Nicholas Trostel
Controller
Nicholas Trostel
Mr. Trostel is the Controller of Flatirons Field Services, overseeing accounting and treasury operations for FFS and its subsidiaries.
Prior to joining Flatirons Field Services, Mr. Trostel was a Manager of Joint Venture Financial Reporting at Marathon Petroleum Corporation. During his seven-year tenure at Marathon, Mr. Trostel managed a team of accountants responsible for forecasting, budgeting, financial reporting, business insights, and audit coordination for several midstream joint venture entities, including Sherwood Midstream in West Virginia. Mr. Trostel began his corporate accounting career with Epsilon Data Management as a financial reporting accountant.
Mr. Trostel holds a B.S. in Accounting from Metropolitan State University of Denver, Colorado and a M.S. in Professional Accountancy from Colorado State University of Fort Collins, Colorado.