People looking at the possibilities of doing business in the Williston Basin oil play converged on Minot last week as the Sleep Inn and Suites hosted the Bakken Investors Conference Monday through Wednesday.
The conference was co-sponsored by a number of companies, including the Williston Wire, Target Logistics, Integrity Viking Funds, Northland Capital Markets, Armada Pressure Control and the Oil Patch Hotline.
Sen. John Hoeven gave the welcome address on Monday, which also featured a speech by Vicky Steiner, executive director of the North Dakota Association of Oil and Gas Counties.
On Tuesday, several companies, both large and small, took advantage of the gathering of 100-plus by making presentations to the attendees. Among those presenters was Art Vivar of Rangeland Energy, who took the podium after Enbridge Pipelines to talk about the new oilfield rail-loading facility Rangeland is building near Epping, known as the COLT Hub.
"Following Enbridge, I'm sorry, we're a very small company, so I hope I won't disappoint many of you with our little story," Vivar said as the audience chuckled. "But we have a place and a role to play as well."
Vivar said Rangeland's focus is to make it easier within the region for the producers' oil to get to market.
Oil will be brought into the COLT facility either via pipe or rail, he said, and leave either into a larger pipeline or via rail transport.
In addition, speakers from the Western Area Water Supply and Superior Well Service were among others making presentations.
On Wednesday, following a keynote address by Kathleen Neset of Neset Consulting in Tioga, participants were invited to take a bus tour of the Williston Basin area, including stops in Minot, Stanley, Tioga and Williston. Some highlights of the tour were expected to be the Target Logistics Williston Lodge, EOG and COLT rail facilities, and the Whiting and Hess gas plants.