High Plains Gas Appoints Three Additional Members to the Board of Directors
01 February 2011 - 4:32PM
Marketwired
High Plains Gas, Inc. (OTCBB: HPGS) ("HPG" or "the Company"), a
Gillette, Wyoming based energy company actively engaged in the
acquisition, development and production of natural gas primarily in
the Powder River Basin, today announced that the Company has
appointed three new independent members to their Board of Directors
-- Al Smith, Gary Davis and Cordell Fonnesbeck. With these
appointments, the size of the board is increasing from two to five
members, three of whom are independent.
"On behalf of High Plains Gas, we would like to warmly welcome
Al, Gary and Cordell to our Board of Directors. Al brings with him
over forty years of business development, management and oil
exploration experience to HPG. Gary has spent more than three
decades in various positions within the natural gas space and has a
vast array of experience in due diligence, legal, business
development and economic analysis. Cordell has thirty eight years
of experience in accounting, auditing, tax preparation and
planning, having worked with our predecessor High Plains Gas LLC
for several years. All three gentlemen will be of tremendous value
to HPG as we continue to grow our business in the region,"
commented Mark Hettinger, Chairman of High Plains Gas. "In addition
to the experience that Al, Gary and Cordell bring to our board,
they also will provide a fresh, autonomous viewpoint to our
business strategies, projections, operations and execution as well
as enhance our corporate governance efforts. We are pleased to have
them as independent directors on our Board and look forward to
their many contributions in the time ahead."
Al Smith is an oil industry veteran, having worked in the sector
for well over 4 decades. He is currently serving as a Geological
Consultant to two Japanese companies and a Houston based oil
company. From 1998 to 2003, he served as the Vice President,
International Business Development for EEX Corporation where he is
responsible for evaluating oil exploration and production projects
in Asia and Australia. He has developed and managed many
relationships with government oil companies in Indonesia, Brunei
and New Zealand. Prior to his time with EEX, he worked for Pennzoil
Exploration in a similar capacity where he oversaw the evaluation
of exploration and development projects throughout the region and
was responsible for developing and managing relationships with
national oil companies and financial institutions. Mr. Smith has
also held positions with Inexco Oil Company, Lear Petroleum
Company, Davis Oil Company, Mountain Fuel Supply Company as well as
Amoco Production Company. He has a B.S. in Geology and an M. Sc. in
Geology from Brigham Young University. He is a member of the
American Association of Petroleum Geologists, Rocky Mountain
Association of Geologists and Wyoming Geological Association.
Gary Davis, the President and Founder of Kahuna Ventures LLC,
1999, a natural gas processing, treating and project-consulting
firm, has well over 32 years in the natural gas space. Kahuna
Ventures currently has 40 employees, including 20 engineers and 7
field construction managers or inspectors. Previous to founding
Kahuna, Gary worked at Western Gas Resources, Inc. for over 14
years. His tenure included holding such positions as Corporate
Controller, Sr. Vice President of Engineering & Production,
Environmental and Safety, Vice President of Southern Region and
Vice President of Engineering & Environmental. During his time
with Western Gas, he assisted in growing a 50-employee company into
a major independent mid-stream corporation with over 950 employees
and a gross income in excess of $1 billion. He has extensive
experience in all project functions including due diligence, site
and right of way acquisition, legal, environmental and permitting,
safety and operations. He has a B.S. degree from the Colorado
School of Mines (CSM) in Chemical and Petroleum Refining
Engineering. He is a respected expert witness and public speaker,
and is the holder of two industry-related patents.
Cordell Fonnesbeck is the owner and founder of his own public
accounting firm, Cordell Fonnesbeck, CPA, P.C. since 1991. It is
located in Casper Wyoming and caters to small and medium sized
clients in the Casper and central Wyoming area with an emphasis in
tax compliance, tax planning and accounting services. He has
practiced accounting for more than 39 years. From 2005 - 2009, he
was the accountant for High Plains Gas, LLC, which was the
predecessor to High Plains Gas, Inc. He holds a B.S. degree in
Accounting from Utah State University and is a licensed Certified
Public Accountant in California and Wyoming. He has been a Member
of the American Institute of Public Accountants since 1974.
Al Smith, Gary Davis and Cordell Fonnesbeck will be effective
February 1, 2011. They will join affiliated board members Mark
Hettinger, Chairman and Joseph Hettinger, Director.
ABOUT HIGH PLAINS GAS High Plains Gas, Inc. is a Gillette,
Wyoming based energy company actively engaged in the acquisition,
development and production of natural gas primarily in the Powder
River Basin. Through its wholly-owned subsidiary CEP - M Purchase
LLC, the Company owns the former Marathon "North & South
Fairway" assets. These assets consist of 1,614 Coal Bed Methane
Wells with associated flow lines and over 155, 000 net acres. This
combined with the company's existing 92 natural gas wells gives the
company a strong foundation in the natural gas industry. High
Plains Gas will pursue expansion opportunities for the profitable
production and transmission of natural gas. High Plains Gas
believes it has unique expertise and experience in the
refurbishment and reactivation of wells that produce natural gas
from coal bed methane formations that helps position it
strategically in the Powder River Basin.
SAFE HARBOR STATEMENT Statements made about our future
expectations are forward-looking statements and subject to risks
and uncertainties as described in our most recent filings made with
the US Securities and Exchange Commission, and are subject to
change at any time. Our actual results could differ materially from
these forward-looking statements. We undertake no obligation to
update publicly any forward-looking statement.
Contact High Plains Gas, Inc. P.O. Box 1564 Gillette, WY
82717 (307) 686-5030 Email: ir@highplainsgas.com
www.highplainsgas.com American Capital Ventures Howard Gostfrand
(305) 918-7000 info@amcapventures.com