News
The primary driver of natural gas prices during the winter is the weather with natural gas storage levels coming in second. Forecasters are predicting a weak La Niña weather pattern for winter 2024/2025. La Niña patterns cause the Pacific jet stream to move North which leads to drought in the southern U.S. and Heavy Rains and Flooding in the Pacific Northwest and Canada. During a La Niña year, winter temperatures are warmer than normal in the south and cooler than normal in the North. La Niña can also lead to a more severe hurricane season.
Encore is extremely pleased to announce that Stacy Rosman has joined our team in the position of Director of Sales. Stacy developed a vast understanding of how energy marketing companies work while in the Aquila, Cornerstone and Constellation Energy organizations. Stacy joins Encore from Northern Natural Gas where she has worked for the past decade in multiple roles and most recently as an Account Executive working with many of Northern’s key accounts. Stacy brings a wealth of knowledge and diverse experience in many components of the natural gas business and we’re highly fortunate to have her join us.
Stacy will have a multifaceted role at Encore. She will work on both direct sales endeavors given her many relationships in the industry and will transition into the Director of Sales role over the next few weeks where she will work closely with Kim Herzog. Stacy will manage all of Encore’s sales team efforts and will focus on continuing Encore’s pledge to take great care of each of our customers through positive interactions and timely communications.
CenterPoint Energy, the largest gas distribution company in Minnesota, hosted their annual Energy Efficiency & Technology Conference in May 2024 at a conference center in Brooklyn Center MN. The one-day conference was focused on assisting industrial and commercial companies manage and reduce their natural gas consumption and costs. Most gas distribution utilities offer annual technical sessions that can be a valuable resource for improving your facility energy performance. The keynote presentation was provided by the Minnesota Department of Commerce, Division of Energy to shine a light on recent Federal and State programs to reduce emissions. Specifically, the Energy Conservation & Optimization Act (ECO) is being implemented to revolutionize energy efficiency and assist end users address corporate, city, state, and federal sustainability initiatives.
Eric Todd, VP of Business Development for Encore Energy also presented, on the topic of “What is natural gas transportation service and the role of a gas marketer?”. Eric provided an overview of the advantages of using a gas marketer as your designated gas supplier for customers that meet the utility criteria. Managing your utility budget spend and reducing exposure to extreme gas market volatility are two of the most common reasons to work with a marketer. Eric also provided an overview of how to build an energy strategy for your facility to reduce energy consumption and costs. Other presentations included the Gas Technology Institute report on emerging technology, details of CenterPoint rebate programs and several speakers on improving boiler operations and best practices for industrial thermal processes and systems. There are many programs available that offer rebates and incentives for assisting end users to reduce energy demand and implement energy efficiency. Contact your Encore Energy Account representative and they can help direct you to the appropriate utility resources, including an invitation to future utility technical conferences.
Encore was informed today that it has received a distinguished sustainability rating from EcoVadis, the world’s preeminent sustainability rating service. EcoVadis explained that Encore had received an exceptionally high overall sustainability scorecard rating of “67” placing Encore in the 89th percentile of the hundreds of thousands of companies throughout the world that EcoVadis rates on sustainability.
The welcome news follows a lengthy voluntary process through the summer months whereby Encore submitted large amounts of data, documents, and completed questionnaires to EcoVadis on various sustainability components including Environmental Stewardship, Sustainable Procurement, Ethics, and Labor & Human Resources. Upon final data submission, EcoVadis completed its sustainability analysis of Encore over a 9-week period.
EcoVadis is the world’s most trusted independent sustainability rating entity providing a common universal benchmarking platform that has screened 1.6 million companies in 200 industries in 175 countries. The scorecard rating is shared with and used by companies in their procurement decision making and by banks in making their financial wherewithal decisions.
Ken Graeber, Encore’s President & CEO (and chairs Encore’s Sustainability Committee on its Board of Directors), commented that he was pleased with Encore’s sustainability performance citing, “Encore’s sustainability rating is highly impressive, but I am not surprised given the commitment and dedication to our sustainability goals I have witnessed from our associates over the last few years. This rating provides evidence that we remain headed in the right direction with our available products, services, and internal processes.”
The primary driver of natural gas prices during the winter is the weather with natural gas storage levels coming in second. Forecasters are predicting an El Niño weather pattern for winter 2023/2024. El Niño patterns typically occur at irregular intervals every 2–7 years. In general, El Niño causes the Pacific jet stream to move south and spread further east. During winter, this leads to wetter than usual conditions in the Southern U.S. and warmer and drier conditions in the North.
Encore Energy is pleased to announce they’ve joined the Renewable Fuels Association as an Associate Member. Encore is an active supporter of renewable fuels as they’ve also been a member of the American Coalition for Ethanol (ACE) and Iowa Renewable Fuels Association (IRFA) for several years. Encore recognizes renewable fuels play a critical role in the path to a more sustainable future and values the current partnerships with their renewable fuel customers and various industry groups. Encore looks forward to deepening their support in this important industry through their RFA membership. Additional information can be found here: https://ethanolrfa.org/media-and-news/category/news-releases/article/2023/08/rfa-welcomes-three-new-associate-members.
Encore Energy to present “Sustainability Options for Industrial and Commercial Natural Gas Users” at Minnesota Blue Flame Association Conference on April 18. 2023.
Consumers of natural gas for industrial processes, thermal energy and heating applications have options to offset their greenhouse gas emissions. Eric Todd, Encore Energy’s Vice President of Business Development, will provide an overview of the evolving natural gas market and options available to address Scope 1 emissions and proactively manage end-user’s carbon footprint to meet ESG and sustainability initiatives.
The Minnesota Blue Flame Gas Association conference will be held at The Mermaid Entertainment & Event Center on Tuesday, April 18th, 2023, from 8:00 am – 1 pm. Other speakers include GTI Energy who will update attendees about emerging technologies for industrial and commercial energy users. Representatives from the gas utility companies of CenterPoint Energy, Xcel Energy and Minnesota Energy Resources will be discussing conservation incentive programs (CIP), carbon capture technology and updates from the MN Department of Commerce. Registration material can be found at www.blueflame.org.
More businesses are focusing on sustainability initiatives and looking to decarbonize their energy supply toward net-zero emission goals. Encore Energy is assisting our customers to develop a strategic approach to reducing greenhouse gas emissions.
Natural gas has a key role to play in helping companies toward net-zero emissions. Our customers continue to use natural gas as a critical thermal energy source for their facilities and processes. While improved energy efficiency and reduction in energy intensity is the goal for all companies, the use of conventional natural gas can be combined with several products to support reduction in Scope 1 GHG emissions.
Our team of experts offers a comprehensive approach to help our customers implement and measure their transition to a low carbon economy. For organizations, business leaders, and investors that support environmentally green strategies, Encore has options to reduce GHG emissions from natural gas used in their operations. Let Encore assist you with reaching your company reduction goals with the following approach:
- Education on sustainability options to address emissions from natural gas
- Carbon offsets
- Renewable natural gas (RNG)
- Responsively sourced gas (RSG)
- Develop strategies and budgets to phase in reduced emissions to meet corporate goals over time
- Implement GHG emission reductions with products strategically provided by Encore that correlate to your natural gas consumption
- Reporting of accomplished GHG emission reductions
Encore was highly honored recently to have the unique opportunity to meet with the Kuwaiti Ambassador to the United States, His Excellency, Ambassador Jasem Mohamed Albudaiwi. In his first visit to a US company, outside Washington, DC in his capacity as ambassador, the Ambassador met with the Encore leadership team at Encore’s corporate office in La Vista, NE. The discussion focused on opportunities between our mutually respectful countries. The Ambassador communicated that Kuwait is committed to strengthening the bonds between our allied countries through increased commercial applications and investment. Encore explained its vital role in providing energy to key industrial markets, foundational principals of doing business in the Midwest, and the instrumental drivers to Encore’s rapid growth and success. Many commonalities emerged around the value of trusted relationships, reliability, and the advantage of remaining nimble due to the relative size of the parties in their respective markets. Encore feels privileged and is grateful for this opportunity, and both parties look forward to continued conversations. The National US-Arab Chamber of Commerce was responsible for facilitating this meeting.
Encore Energy’s President and CEO, Ken Graeber, welcomes H.E. Ambassador Jasem Mohamed AlbudaiwiAs we are painfully aware, the primary driver of natural gas prices during the winter is the weather with natural gas storage levels coming in second. For the third year in a row, forecasters are predicting a La Niña weather pattern for winter 2022/2023. “Triple-Dip La Niña” patterns are rare, but not unprecedented (~ once every 20 years). Likewise, Natural gas Market Analysts are predicting, once again, the only thing that will significantly relieve upward pressure on prices is warmer than normal winter weather.
The primary driver of gas prices during the winter is the weather. Other factors come into play, but in the end, it’s all about the weather. Due to the current gas market conditions analysts are predicting the only thing that will relieve upward pressure on prices is a warmer than normal winter.
This past February natural gas prices rose to unprecedented levels impacting thousands of customers across the Midwest, Rocky Mountains, and Southern regions of the United States. Record cold temperatures were observed in many cities including much of the Panhandle production area, resulting in well freeze-offs and natural gas shortages. As supply levels decreased, the demand for natural gas rose due to increased heating and electric generation load. The end result was that natural gas prices soared to unthinkable levels (exceeding $1,000 per Dth in Oklahoma). Fortunately, Encore Energy was able to manage this extraordinary event and work with each customer to make the best of it despite the loss of supply across several pipelines due to wellhead freeze-offs. In particular, Encore kept its customers out of pipeline/utility penalties, avoided passing on extremely expensive gas costs, and successfully worked through delivery issues. Much of the credit goes to Encore’s highly experienced backroom staff who worked tirelessly to ensure the flow of gas at a reasonable price. The same can’t be said of our competition as we continue to add new customers as a result of the competition burdening customers with extremely high natural gas prices and costly penalties.
Below are a few of the many pieces of positive feedback from our customers regarding the February event:
If you feel your company overpaid for natural gas this past winter or wasn’t treated quite right, please contact Encore Energy as we would welcome the opportunity to discuss how Encore can assist your company and ensure an event like this won’t cause distress to you again.
Ken Graeber, Encore’s President and CEO, announced today the promotion of the following highly-skilled professionals to key leadership positions of authority and responsibility effective July 1, 2021:
- Dawn Bradburn
Vice President of Operations
- Eric Todd
Vice President of Business Development
- Kim Herzog
Vice President of Sales
Ken highlighted that Encore has experienced substantial growth in the last few years and that all three of these individuals were major contributors to that success and will be critical to Encore’s continued future growth. Congratulations to Dawn, Eric and Kim!
On May 21, 2021, Encore’s Kim Herzog presented at the 2021 NSHE Conference in Kearney, NE. The conference was attended by >100 participants from hospitals all across Nebraska and featured speakers on various topics designed to help healthcare engineers be more knowledgeable in their field. This included Kim’s presentation, lessons learned from the February 2021 extreme cold snap, code updates from the Nebraska State Fire Marshal, and an electrical update. Kim’s presentation was entitled “Natural Gas Shortage”, and focused on overall natural gas market dynamics, the events and aftermath of February 2021, and prudent risk management. Her well-attended presentation was full of highly engaged participants who were eager to learn more about what happened in February 2021. Encore has been a proud member of the Nebraska Society of Healthcare Engineers for many years.
Going into the winter of 2020/21, most forecasting services were predicting various degrees of La Niña conditions. La Niña typically brings wetter and cooler than average conditions across the Pacific Northwest and northern Plains, while drier and warmer than average conditions typically prevail in the South. Long-range forecasts were calling for warmer-than-normal winter overall.
It seems as though everything we attempt to predict these days is effected by things like the upcoming election or the ongoing pandemic; however, we can say with certainty that those factors will not influence the weather this upcoming winter.
Going into the winter of 2019/20, none of the various forecasting services were predicting a particularly harsh winter. The consensus seemed to be a fairly normal winter with the bulk of the cold being weighted more towards the back half of the winter. In the end, the only month colder than normal turned out to be November, so it was a very warm winter overall.
As is often the case, the weather forecast for the upcoming winter is a bit of a mixed bag depending upon which forecasting service one consults; however, none of the forecasts thus far are calling for a harsh winter. The NOAA forecast graphics below point to a warmer-than-normal winter overall.
As an ACE member, Kim Herzog recently attended the two-day ACE conference in support of the ethanol industry and all of Encore’s ethanol-producing customers. As shown below, while at the conference Kim seized on the opportunity to meet Nebraska Governor Pete Ricketts and provide her views on the importance of the ethanol industry and inform him of the breadth of services that Encore Energy provides.
Encore Energy is Engaged at the American Coalition for Ethanol (ACE) Annual Conference
Omaha, NE - 08/15/2019
On August 15, 2019, Encore President & CEO Ken Graeber spoke at the American Coalition for Ethanol (ACE) Annual Conference in Omaha, NE. The two-day national conference was kicked off by NE Governor Pete Ricketts and featured speakers on various aspects of ethanol production and management. It was attended by various plant managers, CEOs, board of director members, ethanol partners, and other ethanol industry participants from across the country. Ken’s presentation was entitled “Preventing a Budget Blowout: Natural Gas Market Dynamics and Risk Management Strategies for Natural Gas Procurement”. Ken educated his audience regarding natural gas supply, demand, market dynamics and risk management strategies for ethanol plant operators. His well-attended presentation was full of highly engaged participants who asked great questions. Encore is a proud member of the American Coalition for Ethanol.
Natural Gas Marketer Encore Energy, recently added an “Energy Information” section under the “Energy Library” menu item on our Home page. The Energy Information section will provide educational natural gas industry videos or presentations to help you learn more about the natural gas market. Additional videos or presentations will be added over time, but currently, there are two videos about “Natural Gas Basics” and “Natural Gas Storage”.
Encore is pleased to announce that Ginger Needham has joined the Encore team as a Senior Account Director. Ginger comes to Encore with over 30 years of experience in the energy industry.
Encore’s President and CEO, Ken Graeber, said, “Encore is pleased to have Ginger onboard as her energy industry experience is very impressive. Ginger’s customer relationship skills are extraordinary and she will fit well with the Encore culture. Ginger is a highly dedicated individual and an outstanding addition to our staff.”
Ginger comes to Encore with vast experience in energy management, sales, marketing and operations. Ginger’s office is in Kansas City and she earned her BBA in Marketing at the University of Texas - Austin.
The weather forecast for the upcoming winter is a little bit of a mixed bag depending upon which forecaster you consult. A weak El Nino condition exists, but if it strengthens, it could alter the resulting winter temperatures more towards the warm side. Some are calling for a milder start to the winter with colder-than-normal weather, if any, for the back half of the winter. All in all, the consensus of the “experts” seems to be near normal temperatures for the winter in total.
On June 13, 2018, Encore President & CEO Ken Graeber spoke at the 34th Annual International Fuel Ethanol Workshop & Expo at the CenturyLink Center in Omaha, NE. The expo was attended by 570 ethanol producers from North America, Europe and Asia. Attendance was said to be approximately 2,000 people. The 3-day meeting featured speakers on various aspects of ethanol production and management. Ken’s presentation was entitled “Preventing a Budget Blowout: Natural Gas Market Dynamics and Risk Management Strategies for Natural Gas Procurement”. Ken educated his audience regarding natural gas supply, demand, market dynamics and risk management strategies for ethanol plant operators. Among other things, Ken pointed out “many customers are afraid to take a position in the market, so they do nothing, but the reality is that they have already taken a position – they need gas for their facility so they are short to the market!”
As many forecasters predicted, the Midcontinent area (and U.S.) finally had a relatively “normal” winter. The winter seemed very harsh because it followed up two winters that were much warmer than normal. Not willing to give up yet, the winter weather lingers as we move into April.
Late Dec17 and most of Jan18 was a display of weather extremes! The U.S. reached a record daily gas demand on Jan 1st, 2018. During the Dec 22nd to Jan 2nd timeframe, Omaha weather was about 40% colder than normal.
Despite brutally cold temperatures, pipeline constraints, force majeures and widespread interstate pipeline operational flow orders during the recent Dec 29th to Jan 6th timeframe, Encore kept the gas flowing and continued its unblemished streak of never curtailing a customer. Encore Operations personnel were challenged during this period; however, as usual they showed their experience, expertise and dedication navigating through all obstacles put in their way. Of the top-10 coldest days in the U.S. since 2000, January 1st, 2018 ranked as the coldest day on a heating degree day basis. Also, four out of the ten coldest days since the year 2000 nationally have occurred during the recent cold snap.
All in all, it looks like winter 17/18 could be very similar to our previous winter.
Encore is pleased to announce that Kimberly Herzog has joined the Encore team. Kim will initially hold dual roles at Encore. She will divide her time between both Gas Operations and Commercial & Industrial Sales. Kim comes to Encore with substantial sales and marketing experience in the engineering and science fields, having worked at both large and small companies.
Encore’s President and CEO, Ken Graeber, said, “Encore is most fortunate to have the opportunity to hire someone with Kim’s impressive background. Kim’s technical and customer relationship background will serve Encore’s customers’ needs perfectly. I am confident Kim will teach Encore a thing or two about continuing to improve the efficiencies of our internal processes and how we can find ways to serve our customers even better. Kim is a highly dedicated and determined individual and is an outstanding addition to our staff.”
Kim comes to Encore directly from a successful start-up venture where she fulfilled a key leadership role. Kim joined the company in its formative stage as the third overall employee. As the Director of Strategy and Market Development, Kim wore many hats and was tasked with supporting final development of their initial flagship product, creating a go-to-market strategy, implementing numerous systems, growing the team, creating efficient processes, running new business development, and leading the overall product commercialization and market strategy. Kim directly participated and led the team that marketed their new and unique product to many of the largest technically-oriented international companies. Kim earned her BS in Chemical Engineering from the University of Minnesota.
On March 30, 2017, the Encore family suffered a significant loss with the passing of Scott Dahlgren. Our prayers and sympathies go out to his wife Kathy and their children Jake and Erika.
Scott grew up in Blair, Nebraska, graduating from Blair High School. He received a Bachelor’s of Science in Business Administration from the University of Nebraska at Omaha. He worked in the natural gas industry most of his adult life, having worked for Aquila, Cornerstone Energy, Constellation NewEnergy, and most recently Encore Energy.
Scott was a great employee, but more importantly a great friend to the many people he encountered throughout his life. He was the type of person you just enjoyed being around. We will all miss him dearly, especially his zest for life and his memorable laugh.
A memorial service was held for Scott on April 29, 2017.
May Scott rest in eternal peace.
For the second straight year, much of the country was treated to a warmer-than-normal winter. While most forecasts last fall predicted a “normal” winter, it turned out to be warm like the prior winter. For example, Omaha was 16.5% warmer than normal this winter and the prior winter was 17.5% warmer than normal. Most of the Midcontinent was in the 12% to 20% below normal range for the Nov 2016 - March 2017 winter period. The chart below summarizes the heating degree day information for various locations across the Midcontinent.
Natural gas futures contracts started trading on the New York Mercantile Exchange (NYMEX) back in early 1990. Since that time, there have been many significant events that have affected the market dynamics. The following graph is a timeline noting many of those significant events.
Winter 2016/2017 Weather Outlook
In late October, forecasters at NOAA’s Climate Prediction Center said that the La Nina is expected to influence winter conditions this year. La Nina typically favors drier, warmer winters in the southern U.S. and wetter, cooler conditions in the northern U.S. If La Nina conditions materialize, forecasters say it should be weak and potentially short-lived. Thus far this heating season, cold weather has failed to materialize. October was much warmer than normal across much of the country and November has also started out very mild.
Summer 2016 Weather Outlook
As we wind down this winter, you may recall that it was marked by significant El Niño conditions. This current El Niño is only the third unusually large version since 1950 and the first since 1997/98. The prior two strong El Nino winters were immediately followed by its counterpart, called a La Niña. A La Niña often, though not always, follows an El Niño. La Niña conditions tend to produce hot, dry summers in some parts of the U.S. It also typically causes mostly the opposite effects of El Niño such as above-average precipitation across the northern Midwest, the northern Rockies, Northern California, and the Pacific Northwest's southern and eastern regions. Meanwhile, precipitation in the southwestern and southeastern states is below average. This also allows for the development of many stronger-than-average hurricanes in the Atlantic and less in the Pacific.
Ken Graeber, Encore Energy Services’ President and CEO, is pleased to announce that Eric Todd has joined our team as Sales and Business Development Manager for our recently opened Minneapolis office. Local support for our Encore customers is very important. Eric has 12 years of experience providing energy management and consulting for supply and demand side applications in all types of industrial facilities and utility companies. Eric also has 17 years of direct experience in engineering process control systems for industrial plants, gas transmission, gas distribution, gas storage and power generating facilities. He has a Bachelor of Science degree in Mechanical Engineering and is a Certified Energy Manager (CEM) by the Association of Energy Engineers. Eric brings his multifaceted experience to the Encore team and will focus his considerable talent on customers in Minnesota, Wisconsin, South Dakota, North Dakota, northern Iowa and northeast Nebraska. Eric is a quality addition to our team.
Through Encore you can ensure that your business will receive competitively priced natural gas, extraordinary customer service, a focus on price risk management and customized energy services that fit the specific needs of your business. Eric welcomes the opportunity to discuss natural gas supply and related energy services. Eric may be reached by phone at (763) 274-9709 or Email: eric.todd@encorenergy.com - Outlook V-Card
Mike Squires has joined the Encore Energy staff as a Sales Manager based out of the Kansas City area. Encore’s President and CEO, Ken Graeber, expressed great enthusiasm for Encore’s latest addition, noting that Mike has been recognized both regionally and nationally for many years as one of the top energy sales executives. Ken continued, “Mike knows the energy business inside and out and is widely recognized as a true customer advocate who always finds the best energy solution for each of his customers. Encore is extremely fortunate to have Mike on our team.”
Mr. Squires brings over 24 years of direct energy sales and sales management experience to Encore and has served every possible size and type of customer. Mike has extensive expertise in creative pricing alternatives, commodity trading and risk management. He has significant operational knowledge of numerous utilities and pipelines. After Wichita State University, Mike began his energy career in the mid-continent helping commercial and industrial customers navigate through the new era of deregulation. In recent years, Mike has provided gas, power and renewable offerings to customers on both a regional and national level. Mike leverages his extensive knowledge and customer focus to develop sound long term strategies for all of his customers. Mike would welcome the opportunity to discuss how he might help you with your energy needs and may be reached at 816-444-4327 or mike.squires@encorenergy.com - Outlook V-Card
Encore has experienced dramatic and sustained growth over the last five years. As a result, we have outgrown our Omaha office. Encore has recently secured a new office location that will allow for even better internal communications and afford significant additional growth potential well into the foreseeable future.
Please note that our new Omaha-area address is: 12120 Port Grace Blvd., La Vista, NE 68128. Other than our Omaha-area address changing, everything else remains as before…same phone numbers, same email addresses and the same great people here to happily assist you with your energy needs.
Winter 2015/16 - El Niño
A strong El Niño condition is brewing in the tropical Pacific and that’s the big weather story heading into the winter of 2015/16! The current El Niño weather phenomenon is expected to peak between October and January an dcould turn into one of the strongest on record.
Before we address this coming winter, here are a few highlights of natural gas market events thus far this year:
- NYMEX traded in a narrow band between about $2.50 and $3.25 since Jan 1st. One would have to go back many, many years to find an 8-month period with that little movement.
- Shale supply growth continues to astound. It has gone from about 2 Bcf/day in 2000 to over 41 Bcf/day in 2015.
- Natural gas used for electric generation production sets multiple daily records in late July at over 38 Bcf/day. In April, more power was produced from natural gas than with coal – the first month that has ever happened in the U.S.
- FERC approves permitting for several U.S. LNG export terminals. Now under construction.
Regarding this winter - in the end, the principal driver in the natural gas market each winter is weather. Most weather experts are pointing to the strong El Nino conditions that currently exist, which often leads to a milder winter. The strongest El Nino in recent history was in 1996/97 and many are predicting a stronger El Nino presence this winter. Many current forecasts point towards normal to warmer-than-normal conditions for the northern portion of the country. Forecasts are cooler for the south and southeast. El Nino could also provide some needed higher-than-normal precipitation on the southern West Coast and in the Southwest. Given the ample production and gas storage, the country looks to be in pretty good shape heading into winter. Given these factors, one would conclude that gas price volatility will be non-existent this winter; however, a good risk management strategy should always be in place to put guardrails on the roadway.
If the winter of 2013/14 in the Mid-continent was a “10” in terms of a challenge, then this most recent winter was about a “5”. After the hurdles of winter 2013/14, this was a cakewalk. Below is brief summary of the winter:
- Weather: In terms of heating degree days, it was pretty much normal overall in the Mid-continent area with Nov14 and Feb15 trending colder than normal and the remaining months being warmer. Across the country was warmer to the west and colder to the east. For example, it was a bit colder than normal in Eastern Iowa and then worse as you move east with Chicago at 10% colder and further east up to 15% colder than normal. Much of that can be attributed to sustained snow coverage in the northeast.
- Gas Storage: During the winter of 13/14, gas storage nationally was drawn down to an 11-year low of about 800 Bcf (going into the season at about 3,800). This winter, we finished the heating season at only about 10% below the 5-year average at about 1,450 Bcf.
- Operations: During the winter of 13/14, there were constant operational flow orders for the Dec-Apr period making it a tremendous challenge. This past winter was much more “normal” with less extreme operational issues.
- Gas Market: The market was much less volatile this past winter with prices remaining soft given ample supply from ever-increasing production.
Like all previous winters, Encore Energy still takes great pride in the fact that we protect customers from penalties and punitive monthly cashouts. We can still tout the fact that Encore has not charged any penalties to customers nor have we ever interrupted flow at any time.
Ken Graeber, Encore’s founder, President and CEO, announced today Encore’s intention to expand its operating territory and reach. “Encore has truly been blessed with solid growth since its inception. We are so fortunate to already have such a fine customer base. A good percentage of our growth has been by our current customers asking us to serve their other locations and recommending Encore to others. To date, we have taken a careful and measured approach to our growth plans to ensure we continue to provide the same quality of product to all of our customers wherever they may be located. Providing a best-in-class customer experience is in our DNA and Encore will never jeopardize that tenet. Having said that, I believe now is an ideal time to take a slightly more proactive approach to Encore’s growth and see if we can’t fill in a few holes in our current customers’ service territories and bring the Encore brand to new markets. Today I am pleased to announce Encore intends to actively solicit direct sales personnel for selected markets where Encore already has assets or access to competitively-priced assets. Finding and recruiting highly qualified sales people that have the 'customer first' and 'can do' attitude is our first critical task. Encore will not operate in any market without the right mix of people and assets. Any markets we choose to pursue will have been fully evaluated to confirm our ability to provide Encore-quality service and support in an efficient and competitively-priced manner. We will not compromise the Encore brand or our integrity until we find the best fit for each market."
More specific information on potential positions may be found on the Career Opportunities tab.
It seems like last year’s brutal winter just ended, but now another winter is on our doorstep. The nation’s natural gas storage inventory ended last year at an 11-year low of just 0.8 Tcf after starting the winter at 3.8 Tcf. We were blessed with a relatively cool summer across the country which allowed a lot of natural gas to be directed to storage instead being consumed by natural gas-fired electric generation. The storage inventory is now replenished to a winter-starting level of about 6% under the 5-year average. This current level was felt to be highly improbable back in March. Prices were relatively stable throughout the summer reflecting a good supply/demand balance. All in all, production across the country continues to strengthen while demand is also increasing. Encore Energy is again ready and able to provide reliable natural gas this winter along with exceptional customer service. As we state above, “some things are worth repeating”, but not many would want to repeat last winter’s weather!
It was a brutal winter across the country with cold temperatures and heavy snowfall blanketing much of the Midwest and Northeast and even into the Southeast. Each and every month this winter was colder than normal in the Midcontinent which is quite unusual. While there are a long list of fundamental and technical factors that drive the price of natural gas over the long haul, this past winter was a fierce reminder that the fundamental factor of weather can be the primary driving force in the end.
Gas suppliers need to pay a great degree of attention to the details each and every day in order to keep gas flowing and protect customers from out of tolerance penalties. It is a challenging task even during a normal winter, but was especially difficult this winter. Winters like this separate the excellent suppliers from the marginal ones and the long term players from the not so long. Encore Energy takes great pride in the fact that we protect customers from penalties and punitive monthly cashouts. Despite operational challenges due to extreme and frequent cold snaps, Encore did not charge any penalties to customers nor did we interrupt flow at any time. Can your supplier make the same statement?
If you are not a customer of Encore and are concerned about how your supplier met the challenge this winter, please consider giving us a look.
Throughout the Midcontinent and much of the country, we recently experienced a cold wave like we haven’t felt in decades. Air temperatures dropped well below zero and wind chills were 20 to 50+ below zero. Wind chills of more than 20 below zero were even felt as far south as Kansas and Missouri. It was even reported that the average temperature across the ENTIRE United States was on the order of only 12 degrees F on Monday morning January 6th.
Encore Energy has always taken great pride in the fact that we have never interrupted a customer and even after this brutal cold snap, we can still report that. While the natural gas infrastructure was certainly put to the test, Encore once again used its vast industry expertise and substantial assets to strategically navigate our way through this extreme weather event.
Encore delivers natural gas to customers from northern Minnesota to southern Oklahoma and many points in between. We can proudly report that gas service was not interrupted to any customers that we supply, nor did they receive any penalties.
Thanks for your business!
Ken Graeber, President and CEO of Encore Energy Services, announced today the recent hiring of Devin Mages as a Customer Care Manager. Mr. Graeber stated, "Devin Mages is admired throughout the energy industry for his knowledge, trustworthiness and total dedication to his customers. Everyone at Encore is extremely pleased to have the opportunity to work alongside Devin Mages. Encore is very fortunate to have Devin on our team."
Mr. Mages is a seasoned natural gas professional having over 25 years of industry experience in operations, measurement and direct sales. Devin has been working with and assisting commercial and industrial customers in Colorado, Kansas and Oklahoma since 2002 when he joined Cornerstone Energy. In his Customer Care Manager role with Encore, Devin will expand his geographic territory, but continue to work directly with end-use customers to identify the best solutions for their specific natural gas commodity requirements.
Mr. Mages offered, "I am extremely pleased to be once again united with Ken and his exceptional team at Encore. I have worked with nearly all of these folks for a number of years at Cornerstone. They are all highly skilled professionals and I consider myself lucky to be home."
For more information on Encore's products and services, Devin can be reached at the following:
Office: (405) 633-0140
Cell: (620) 277-8350
Email: devin.mages@encorenergy.com - Outlook V-Card
Encore Energy Services, Inc., a leading retail provider of natural gas to industrial and commercial customers in the Midwest, announced today that Craig Markham has been hired as a Customer Care Manager. In this capacity, Mr. Markham will be responsible for sales of natural gas to businesses in Central and Eastern Iowa. Mr. Markham will office in Dubuque, Iowa and will be instrumental in expanding Encore's business in the state of Iowa by providing low-cost, reliable natural gas supplies.
Currently, Encore serves several fortune 500 companies, and recently was awarded the natural gas contract for the City of Dubuque. Mr. Markham is a Dubuque native and is strongly engaged as a leader in the community and surrounding area. He is Vice President of the Dubuque Noon Optimist Club, a member of the Dubuque Men's Association, Co-Chair of the Dubuque Young Professionals Symposium, and a board member of the Storybook Hill Children's Zoo. Mr. Markham graduated from the University of Northern Iowa and is an active alumnus.
Commenting on the hiring of Mr. Markham, Ken Graeber, President and CEO of Encore Energy Services stated, "We are excited that Craig has joined Encore to assist in expanding our services throughout Eastern Iowa and the state of Iowa in general. Craig is well respected throughout the Dubuque community and has a great understanding of the natural gas industry that was imparted on him by his father John. Craig has always wanted to follow in his father's footsteps and we are happy to give him that opportunity." Mr. Graeber continued, "I could not think of a better person to serve as our company's representative in the area, bringing low-cost customized energy solutions to Iowa's commercial and industrial businesses."
For more information on Encore's products and services, Craig can be reached at the following:
Office: (563) 583-1277
Cell: (563) 542-1125
E-mail: craig.markham@encorenergy.com - Outlook V-Card
