American Oil and Gas Reporter - April 2015 - 170

ConventionCoverage: Illinois Oil & Gas Association
Inc., with its Lifetime Achievement
Award. Also, CountryMark Energy Resources won IOGA's 2015 Wildcatter of
the Year Award.
Outgoing IOGA President Todd Shulman, vice president of Shulman Brothers
Inc. in Vandalia, Il., gave his final thoughts
on the association and his time as president
during the luncheon, before passing the
gavel to incoming President Bryan Dicus,
an independent petroleum engineer.
"The past two years have been interesting, disturbing and thought-provoking,
and make one wonder where some people
are coming from," Shulman mused. "Ten
or even five years ago, we didn't know
what was coming. Our association had to
evolve, and we did. I am proud of that.
We added experienced people. If we wanted
to stay relevant, we had to take action."
Shulman asserted that the level of
scrutiny Illinois' oil and gas industry
faced stifled innovation, creativity, and
production. "If we have to work that
way, we will," he responded. "But, it
will mean fewer jobs, fewer people, and
less investment."
The outgoing president also commented
on Illinois' political environment, which
he said had been sometimes hostile toward
oil and gas development. But he added
that he was glad to see some legislative
and regulatory attitudes were becoming
neutral or even positive toward the industry
and its role in the state.
"We are going to have to start explaining
things to (those who are anti-industry) at
the primary level, because I don't know if

Michael Loftus of Metolius Capital describes the declining oil market to association members during the technical
presentations. Loftus also advised that
operators look to interest rates as a
sign of whether the markets would recover or continue declining.

Past IOGA President Todd
Shulman (left) stands with
his successor, IOGA President Bryan Dicus, after
the association's awards
program. Dicus, on behalf
of the association, presented his predecessor with a
commemorative plaque,
while Shulman passed on
the presidential gavel.

they are listening where we are talking to
them now," he said. "I don't think they
are hearing our message at all.
"America is built on fossil-fuel energy,"
Shulman continued. "And it will be for
my lifetime and probably well past. If
we can't get people to realize that is
what powers our country, then we have
to change how we are delivering our
message."
Shulman reminded IOGA members
that the United States would always need
petroleum-based energy, and that the
market was cyclical. But, he noted Illinois
Basin operators had been chasing the
same zones for 30 years, and were "going
to have to think about it in different ways
to get different results." Thanks to new
technologies, he added, IOGA members
have been able to find oil that had been
passed over for years.
"Members of our industry have a lot
of resolve," Shulman concluded. "We are
resilient. I am very proud to be a member
of IOGA. It's been a great two years, and
I want to thank all of you for your support."

New Leadership
Incoming President Dicus commented
on IOGA's 16-year officer rotation, and
recognized the many fellow industry leaders and IOGA members who had helped
and influenced him. "They all had the
association and the Illinois Basin at the
heart of their thoughts, and they did a
great job leading IOGA," he described.
"I want to do the same.
"I came to my first association meeting
33 years ago," he continued. "It's an
honor to stand here, 33 years later, and

170 THE AMERICAN OIL & GAS REPORTER

represent the association as your president."
Dicus said he was excited about the
future, "despite all the chaos" with prices
and anti-industry movements. He commented that he was very optimistic about
changes within the Illinois government,
such as new Governor Bruce Rauner and
Wayne Rosenthal, the new director of
the state Department of Natural Resources.
"I look forward to working with the
department," he said. "We are going in
the right direction. I agree with a point
that was made earlier: We haven't run
out of oil; we simply have run out of
ideas."
One of the things Dicus said he was
most excited and hopeful about is the
young professionals who have come to
the Illinois Basin and are participating in
IOGA issues. "They are idea machines,"
he described. "They have no fear-they
will learn that later, maybe.
"It's an inspiration to see second- and
third-generation youngsters coming into
the basin," he went on. "That is what I
am most excited about. We were always
on the defensive for so long. I think it's
time to switch to offense, and we have
some good quarterbacks who will take
us along.
"We want to increase our association
communications with new technology,
media outlets, and so forth, so we really
can improve as an association," Dicus
finished. "I want to thank everyone who
has helped me get here. I will do my best
as the next president to live up to all
those people who have been here before
me."
Ì

American Oil and Gas Reporter - April 2015

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