Jason is a native Albertan who has risen quickly up the chain of command over the past five years to become SIMARK’s VP Technology. He’s a pragmatist about the role of new technologies, cautioning customers that sometimes the right solution is the simplest one available. Despite this, he believes that technology plays and will continue to play a critical role in the economic viability of oil and gas companies in a challenging energy market.
I started my career building specialty electronic devices for video surveillance applications. Later, I moved to the oil and gas industry and I began managing projects which brought me into the SCADA and Telemetry field. I really enjoyed every technical aspect of a system that could visualize and control a device in real-time, from hundreds of kilometers away. For me, working for a supplier of this technology is the perfect blend of technology and business.
SIMARK has always focused on helping our clients get the best technology for their application. Today, new technologies are hitting the market at breakneck speed. Industry is under more pressure than ever to evaluate and implement this technology. Given this, SIMARK’s leadership wanted to further invest in our focus on emerging technology offerings so we can guide customers towards tech solutions that add benefit to their operation. That’s my role.
I ensure SIMARK’s technology aligns with our customer’s operational expectations and asset life cycle. We know that industry needs products that work well and are right for the application. I spend most of my time working with our sales team to validate and refine our technical offering for partners and customers.
Since the last recession, there has been a shift in the way oil and gas companies attract investment capital. Historically, producers were valued based on their proven reserves. Now, they need to prove their ability to generate positive cashflow. As a result, there’s renewed interest in applying technology, not only reduce operating expenses, but also to help producers ensure they can meet and prepare for new environmental regulations.
I’ve always enjoyed solving technological challenges. They’re like puzzles. As I’ve progressed through my career, they’ve shifted from technical challenges to business ones. There’s always another puzzle to solve. That’s the challenge, and the fun part.
I’ve been working with one of our customers to develop software that optimizes gas lift injection rate. A significant amount of detail went into developing the application, but the concept is relatively simple. Recently, the customer was able to quantify the success of the project. It was a great reminder that technology doesn’t necessarily need to be ‘high tech’ to be effective. It’s successful when great people collaborate and work hard to take it across the line.