Texas-based energy contractor expanding W. Pa. operations
Ref-Chem L.P., a company based in Odessa, Texas, with offices in Pittsburgh, said this week it is seeking additional space to accommodate a planned expansion here.
The industrial contractor came to Pennsylvania to tap into the Marcellus and Utica Shale drilling and began ramping up its local operation in 2012.
“Many of our existing clients, including upstream and midstream companies, have operations in Pennsylvania and neighboring states,” said Billy Hinton, Ref-Chem’s manager of business development.
“We have been assisting clients in Pennsylvania for some time now. Adding this office demonstrates our desire to remain quickly and easily accessible to our clients,” Hinton added.
In June, Ref-Chem began leasing office space in Pittsburgh’s Gulf Tower. At the same time, its chairman, Harvey Page, announced the completion of a three-story, 40,000 square foot office in Houston, Texas.
The Houston office combines three of Ref-Chem’s previous locations into one large complex, bringing together Ref-Chem’s engineering and construction groups.
Hinton said expanding operations into Pennsylvania and following the upswing in construction activity is typical for the privately owned firm, which is active in most of the major shale plays across the country.
Companywide, Ref-Chem employs more than 1,000 workers in its three offices and will continue to recruit locally as the Pittsburgh office shifts into a larger space.
The Pittsburgh office of commercial real estate firm CBRE is assisting Ref-Chem with a property search to accommodate its equipment storage needs, fabrication and other support services.
Physically expanding is a sign of the growing need for experienced industrial companies in the local shale market as well as the company’s sales volume, which has more than doubled since 2010.
“The increasing demand for EPC and specialty contractors in this region as well as natural gas infrastructure being in the genesis of development have made this a great market for us,” said Bruce Stewart, northeast area manager of Ref-Chem.