Last month, at SPE's Annual Technical Conference and Exhibition, David Archer was presented with an award recognizing his longstanding commitment to the advancement of management and information in the oil and gas industry. The award was presented at the SPE Awards Banquet by Abdul Jaleel Al-Khalifa, Manager of Reservoir Description and Simulation for Saudi Aramco.

Join us in congratulating David on his many years of hard work.

You may see some unfamiliar faces sitting in once-familiar offices the next time you're at Petris. Fear not though, those that used to occupy those offices haven't gone far.

Petris has grown considerably over the last few years and as a result we began to run out of office space for everyone. We have built new office space on the second floor of our building in order to accommodate everyone.

Things at Petris are starting to look normal again now that the disarray from moving is over, albeit learning where everyone is will take some time.

It is our goal to enhance Operations Center and to continue to improve the software. In order to achieve that, we are bringing in new, and additional talent. Here's an overview of progress to date:

Debi Castellanos. Debi comes to us from the NASA/ARES Corporation where she handled Application Support, QA, and training responsibilities. Her initial focus is learning the Operations Center product line; she will begin taking customer support calls after the beginning of the year.

We would also like to introduce CJ Pomeroy, our new Operations Center Quality Assurance specialist. CJ has prior experience working in the field in Consulting and Support. He is currently responsible for the QA/QC of the Operations Center 4.9.0.1 release and the new Wellbore Basic utility.

Philip Yang has joined us as a developer for Operations Center. Philip comes to us with nearly 20 years of software development experience and has degrees in Mechanical Engineering and Computer Science.

Every issue, PetrisNEWS features an individual within the company. This issue features Buddy Rhodes, VP of North American Business Development.

Name: Buddy Rhodes

Hometown: I grew up in the Carolinas but spent my adult life in Texas. I've lived in Houston off and on since 1975.

What I do at Petris: I am VP of North American Business Development and I've recently been asked to open up an office in Calgary. I'm excited about being given the opportunity to open up the Canadian marketplace; I'll get to spend a lot of time in our new Calgary office over the next year.

Tenure at Petris: I have worked at Petris for 4 years now.

Education: I spent 2 years at The University of South Carolina studying Geology. I then transfered and finished my college career studying History and Political Science at what was then Southwest Texas State, now Texas State University.

Childhood ambition: As a child, I had aspirations of going into politics; I wanted to change the world into a better place.

My first job was: I sold Krispy Kreme donuts when I was 8 years old to raise money so I could buy a mini-bike.

Proudest moment: When my wife Sancy said "Yes."

Biggest challenge: My biggest challenge is raising 3 boys (16, 14, and 10) who are all actively involved in playing sports.

Indulgence: I like to play golf and watch my boys play sports. I also enjoy a margarita from time to time.

Inspiration: My inspiration comes from my boys; I can't wait to see them graduate from college and become successful.