Winter 2013 - Phillips 66

Santa Maria
REFINERY News
Santa Maria
Refinery
winter 2013 edition
page 2
Refinery Adds New Building for Safety
Refinery employees and contractors gather for groundbreaking fall 2012.
Manager’s Column
by jerry stumbo
The year that just ended flew by in a whirlwind
and we are already off and running hard for
2013. I transferred to the Santa Maria Refinery
from our sister operation in the Bay Area almost
a year ago, and I can’t believe all that our team
has accomplished in the months since. I also can’t
thank the community and our employees enough
for welcoming my wife, my three sons and me to
the Central Coast.
we received top safety honors for our 2011 safety
performance from the prestigious American Fuel
and Petrochemical Manufacturers. This group is
our industry’s national trade association and one
whose awards standards are grueling. Only three
refineries nationwide scored the points needed
for the 2011 Distinguished Safety Award, and
ours was the only California facility that was
recognized.
With 50+ years of operation under our belt,
this Refinery continues to operate safely and
efficiently. 2012 was a milestone year for us, as
We have some new faces on our team (read about
them on page four), professionals whose talents
help us continue to raise the performance bar.
Continued on page 5
1
Refinery Adds New Building
for Safety
A new 4,200 square foot building, the “Coker
Common,” is well on its way to completion at
the Phillips 66 Santa Maria Refinery.
Officials gathered in September for a groundbreaking
celebrating the new facility, whose name is a nod to the
Refinery’s production of petroleum coke, a byproduct of
refinery operations used in cement manufacturing and in
other applications.
The Coker Common is the main center for the coker
operations personnel, housing training, a meeting room,
staff offices and other uses. The new building will replace
the existing Coker Common and move it to a new location
because of new building safety requirements, according to
Jim Anderson, Maintenance Superintendent for the Refinery.
“Our new Coker Common building is state-of-the-art and
ready to carry our staff into the next era of operations,” said
Anderson. “It’s exciting to come to work and see it taking
shape.”
Peter Rynning, Construction Manager, said the building is
moving along quickly, owing in part to the tilt up construction methods being used. The building’s large concrete walls
were poured into place, cured for about a month, and in
mid-November were tilted into position with the help of a
360-ton crane. “We went from an empty lot to a building
practically overnight,” said Rynning. He said 7.25-inch thick
concrete serves as the building’s walls and roof, and that no
wood will be used in the building structure.
The building’s interior and specialized computer wiring
is anticipated to be in place with occupancy to follow by
the end of April 2013. The Coker Common is the first
significant new construction at the Refinery since the water
treatment plant was erected in 1993. Besides generating
interest among Refinery staff, the Coker Common Project
is also offering a boost to the Central Coast community:
52 local engineers, construction workers and others were
retained for the project (see box).
“It’s a win-win,” said Anderson, “a contemporary new facility
that will help us be more efficient and keep the staff safer,
and the creation of new jobs in the local building industry.
This is another sign that the local economy is in recovery,
and we are happy to be part of the story.”
2
Project Boosts Local
Business
The multiplier effect of a business like the
Santa Maria Refinery is alive and well in a
number of local companies who are project
subcontractors to the Coker Common building’s prime contractor, Specialty Construction,
Inc. of San Luis Obispo. We thought you’d enjoy
seeing some familiar names:
Advanced Fire, Atascadero
Blum & Son Electrical, Nipomo
Peter Rynning
Construction Manager
CenCal Roofing, Morro Bay
Earth Systems Pacific, San Luis Obispo
Fargen Survey, Santa Maria
Koehler Plumbing, Santa Maria
Pro Coatings, San Luis Obispo
Specialty Crane & Rigging, Santa Maria
Templeton Steel, Templeton
Wallace Group, San Luis Obispo
3
New
employees
add to refinery talent
Marcus Beal, Operations Shift Supervisor
Marcus Beal is a Texan who grew up north of Houston
and has spent his career in the refining industry. The
new operations shift supervisor left a similar position
at a larger Texas refinery to relocate with his wife and
three children to the Central Coast. He commented on
both the Santa Maria Refinery’s core commitment to
safety as well as the hospitality he continues to experience for a move made just months
ago. “Everyone is willing to help
and quick to offer advice to make
my transition as smooth as possible,”
Marcus said.
The diverse professional organization
and Phillips 66’s “outstanding corporate values” drew him to the job. And
while the Texas transplant is quickly
becoming enamored of his new home,
he will always remain a loyal fan
of the Dallas Cowboys.
Robert Canton,
Operations Shift Supervisor
Robert Canton hails from St.
Croix in the U.S. Virgin Islands.
When he realized he would
have to relocate to remain in the
industry when his former refinery
closed, Robert identified the Phillips 66 Santa Maria
Refinery as his top choice. Robert’s nearly 20 years of
refinery industry positions secured him the position
of operations shift supervisor, where he maintains all
safety and environmental standards. Robert says it
is “very important that we come into and leave the
Refinery in the same condition, and in turn, leave the
environment in the same condition.”
Robert loves the mix of beaches and farmland here.
He likes working on cars and watching motorsports
and is an outdoor enthusiast with cycling and hiking
on his list. His recent fire training in Texas offered
an additional benefit: he was able to see his children,
who live in Houston.
4
Four new employees joined the Refinery team in recent
months, heading to the Central Coast from far-flung posts
including St. Croix, Alaska and Texas. Each brings a wealth
of experience in refining operations, and every one of the
four commented on the warm welcome they’ve received
at their new jobs. We’d like our neighbors to meet them
too, and so we offer a quick introduction.
Mark Farnsworth, Reliability Engineer
“Reliability Engineer” sounds like a demanding job for
an oil refinery professional, but for Mark Farnsworth, it’s
business as usual. The mechanical engineering graduate
of UC Irvine honed his on-the-job engineering skills over
a decade at the Phillips 66 Los Angeles Refinery, Carson
location. At the Santa Maria Refinery, Mark is in charge
of monitoring and maintaining motors, pumps and
compressors to prevent failure and improve facility reliability. He makes upgrades and improvements and keeps
the complicated equipment running at top performance
while improving maintenance procedures and technology and ensuring
environmental standards compliance.
Mark was drawn to the Refinery
for the job promotion, but says the
friendly people and great location made
the move an easy decision. He says his
work colleagues are supportive and
helpful, and in fact, eager to help Mark
and his domestic partner choose a city
to settle in. He, too, is a fan of hiking
and loves area beaches, and attributes
his love of the outdoors to Scouting, where
he achieved the rank of Eagle Scout.
Shannon Dooley,
Operations Shift Supervisor
Shannon Dooley has spent the last 20 years
in Valdez, Alaska, leaving a refining job
for the chance to be closer to family on the
Central Coast. As operations shift supervisor, Shannon’s top priority is assuring safety of workers, a task he completes with a shared
focus on process efficiency, equipment performance and overall
operations excellence. He loves the camaraderie at the Refinery and
notes that he is especially gratified by the culture of safety that is
shared by his colleagues.
Shannon is dad to a 9-year-old daughter, a 14-year-old son, and is
a self-proclaimed “thrill seeker” who likes anything that’s fast and
has a motor. He enjoys snowmobiles, boats and sports quads (all
at high speed) and is an avid camper and runner. Since landing in
California, Shannon’s been trying out our hiking trails, has bought
a surfboard and took his first skydive.
Holidays Keep Refinery Busy
The holidays are over but the good feelings fostered by some special yearend activities at the Refinery are still going strong.
Every year, employees support the South County Salvation Army’s
Giving Tree program, and this year the giving was serious, with bicycles,
dolls, trucks and skateboards filling the Refinery’s reception area. Project
Coordinator Susan McIntosh said the generosity of Refinery staff “made
for some very special Christmas mornings” in SLO County.
Also in December, Refinery Manager Jerry Stumbo, Maintenance
Superintendent Jim Anderson and Health, Safety and Environment
Superintendent Kristen Kopp hosted a holiday reception for residents of
the Trilogy neighborhood located across Highway 1 from the Refinery.
An enthused group enjoyed food, libations and a presentation by Jerry
that was followed by a lively Q&A session. Phillips 66 likes to meet on a
regular basis with neighbors to offer updates on the facility. For information on scheduling a presentation, contact Jim Anderson at 343-3224 or
Kristen Kopp at 343-3241.
Manager’s Column
Continued from page 1
Our new on site Coker building is taking
shape and creating local jobs. We are
working to increase our efficiency, and are
progressing with SLO County and the
Air Pollution Control District to approve
a request to increase our processing
capacity (a change that requires no new
construction). We look forward later this
spring to initiating a long process that
will further improve our efficiency and
crude oil supply – a proposal you’ll be
hearing about in the coming months.
We ended the year with a great get
together at Trilogy’s Monarch Club,
meeting and talking to our neighbors,
answering questions and sharing ideas
for ways the Refinery and Trilogy can
get to know each other even better.
Finally, the icing on the year-end
cake for me as a manager was the
amazing response our team gave to the
Salvation Army’s Giving Tree. It was
so gratifying to see our reception area
overflow with toys.
All of this reminds me that while we are
in the business of oil refining, it’s the
softer side – the people and the interactions and the shared progress – that
make my job about so much more.
Thank you, and on to a productive 2013.
Jerry Stumbo
5
Cuesta Women
Score Win
Kristen Kopp accepts sponsor gift from
Cuesta team captains Aria Johnson,
Alyssa Palma and Katie Rodriguez.
Congratulations and high fives all around to
the Cuesta College Women’s Basketball team
members whose on-the-court performance in
the recent Phillips 66-sponsored tournament
produced a first place finish for the team. The
win was doubly sweet for Kristen Kopp; the last
time the team took first place in this tournament,
Kristen, now the Superintendent of Health,
Safety and Environment at the Refinery (and herself an accomplished athlete) was on the sidelines
as Cuesta’s assistant coach. Ruth
Zabinsky, sister of
Cuesta player Miriam
Zabinsky, was the
lucky half time shoot
out winner of $150 in
gas certificates, hitting
some impressive shots
under clock-ticking
pressure. Phillips 66
has sponsored the
annual tournament for
more than 15 years.
Shootout winner Ruth Zabinsky is shown above with
Cuesta College Athletic Director Bob Mariucci and
Kristen Kopp.
Learning Continues for Science Students
Students of the Pioneer Valley High School Summer Science
Institute supported by Phillips 66, continue to reap benefits
of their summer learning and celebrate by posting evidence
of their accomplishments in the classroom.
6
Summer Picnic Memories Keep the Winter Warm
at the Santa Maria Refinery
The 2012 Phillips 66 Santa Maria Refinery summer picnic
was such a hit that it’s still a hot topic among employees.
Late last summer 700 attendees and hundreds of Refinery
employees, retirees, contractors and guests shared an afternoon of fun and friendship at Nipomo Regional Park.
This was a party that had it all. The food included Santa
Maria Style BBQ, all-you-can-eat frozen yogurt and shaved
ice. Entertainment unfolded nonstop, with face painting
and arts and crafts projects, adult bingo and casino fun.
A “Price is Right” style game show entertained the crowd
and a Cash Cube let contestants vie for fabulous prizes.
Then there was a basic training obstacle course, a climbing
mountain and a four way trampoline.
The Nipomo crew for CAL FIRE was on hand to educate
on fire safety and invite kids to explore fire engines and
have pictures taken with Smokey Bear. Woods Humane
Society’s Steve Kragenbrink was also in on the action and
brought rescue dogs looking for homes.
When the fabulous day was done, kudos and thanks were
extended to “Brew Crew” members Robert Velazquez,
Jerry Harshbarger, Juan Hernandez, Guillermo Arias and
Ricardo Arias, BBQ “Have Pit Will Travel” chef Ike Simas
and his BBQ team and crowd fave Lanelle Lowe and her
team at Cool Treats. Special appreciation was given to the
Nipomo High ag teachers, parents and FFA students for
their volunteer work at the event. But Best of Show honors
belong to one tireless Refinery employee: Susan McIntosh,
the dynamo who spearheads the phenomenal effort and
who knows firsthand the power of a party to help people
celebrate a job well done.
7
Phillips 66 Santa Maria Refinery
2555 Willow Road
Arroyo Grande, CA 93420
Phillips 66 Staff Enjoys
Fall Safety Day
Between training sessions at
Fall Safety Day, Phillips 66
staff enjoyed a taco feast, ice
cream bar and other longtime
traditions at the Refinery. The
Refinery team is clearly a group
that knows how to work hard
and play hard, too.