Q: What company / office sponsored event did you enjoy most and why?
A:I enjoyed the annual Champion beach trips that I went on in my earlier years here. It was nice to unwind at the beach with coworkers and family, all the while strengthening our working relationships.
Q: What is your favorite Champion work-related memory?
A: My favorite work-related memories were made when the accounting/admin team would gather around a table and just brainstorm how to improve and restructure processes and procedures in the accounting/admin department. I enjoyed hearing the different ideas people had and was glad to have been a part of an inviting atmosphere that allowed our ideas to come out.
Q: When were you proudest to be part of the Champion Team?
A:I have always felt proud to be a part of Champion from the vast expertise the Champion team holds to its values and mission. But what touched my heart the most was when Champion implemented the annual giving program. It is rewarding to be a part of an organization that gives back.
Q: Describe a memory from your first years at Champion.
A:In my earlier years at Champion, the admin and engineers would go out frequently for office lunch and have dinner out at times. I always enjoyed those times hanging out and laughing with my coworkers.
Q:How are the dynamics at Champion different than when you first started? How are they the same?
A: When I first started, Champion had just reached its 6 year mark and was still in the developmental stages. Most of the current procedures and processes were not into play until several years after my hiring. Champion has stayed the same in that it still exhibits the same values, mission and ethical standards.
Q:What is something that you’d like to see Champion do in the next 15 years?
A: I would like Champion to continue on with its same mission and continue to stay true to its high ethical standards in this ever-changing world.
15 Year Service Award
Marcus Stroder
Estimation Supervisor | Baton Rouge, LA
15 Years in January
Q: What company / office sponsored event did you enjoy most and why?
A:I enjoyed the summer beach trips the most because it provided a relaxed atmosphere for the group and I enjoyed spending time with coworkers and all of our family members in that environment. We always had a great time!
Q: What projects were particularly interesting, exciting, or challenging that you would like to reflect on?
A:
Versabar – Devon Energy Deck Lift Automation (Eugene Island 330).
- We were tasked with designing a control system and developing an algorithm to control 32 hydraulic ram (cylinders) that would lift an offshore platform to provide more clearance between the topsides and water. The customer gave us a ¼” tolerance between legs on the platform while lifting. I enjoyed the thorough design and testing; our customer was able to simulate the platform weight and lifting function at their facility in Houston, TX, so everyone was confident in the system before mobilizing for the offshore lift.
- Pictures/videos: https://www.vbar.com/deck_raising/index.php
Versabar – Chevron Tahiti Chain Jack Automation.
- This was another lifting project where we automated the chain jack riser pull in process that had been manually performed for prior projects. We designed an Allen-Bradley control system with an operator console and video cameras for providing visuals inside of the chain jack cylinder. Automating the chain jack allowed the riser pull-in to be completed faster than the manual operation.
- Pictures: https://www.vbar.com/Project_History/index.php – search for “Chevron – Tahiti” project and “J. Ray McDermott” client
Factory Sales and Engineering – Rio Grande Valley Sugar Growers Boiler Addition
- Our customer was providing a boiler package for a sugar mill in South Texas. We provide a Siemens PLC with Lookout HMI for the project. I enjoyed this project because I felt like a really learned a lot about the boiler process and tuning.
Motiva Tank Farm Modernization
- The Motiva Tank Farm Modernization project was interesting because of the project size and duration. Motiva was looking to upgrade their legacy Bristol Babcock RTU system in the tank farm which controlled all of their pumps, MOVs, and tank levels. This was a multi-year project and Champion participated from conceptual design through detailed design and implementation. We replaced approximately 50 control panels and back panels with automation equipment and overhauled their DCS graphics for the tank farm.
Ceradyne/3M – C Train Control System
- I enjoyed this project for many reasons. This was a new customer for Champion, this was my first Honeywell DCS project, and this was the first modern Honeywell Experion/C300 DCS project for the Baton Rouge organization. The project initially started out as adding a 3rd train to the existing process, but quickly grew in scope to rewriting code and redrawing graphics for the entire system. We were able to design new shapes and develop new controller programming templates for the entire plant.
Q: Describe a memory from your first years at Champion.
A:I was assigned an offshore project and the customer decided that the team would travel to the platform by boat with the project equipment. After hours on the boat we informed that the boat had broken down and we were waiting for repairs, and after that 18 hour boat ride I learned that I get sea sick!
Q: In your opinion, what is the #1 improvement you’ve seen take place since you’ve started?
A:In my opinion the #1 improvement that I’ve seen is more cross-communication and sharing between organizations. I believe we’ve gotten better at communicating and collaborating with employees across the company which has allowed us to grow and take on more complex projects.
Q: How are the dynamics at Champion different than when you first started? How are they the same?
A:When I began working with Champion all of the engineers in Baton Rouge shared the same office which was also our demo/testing room, and now we’re spread out a little more. Early on at Champion, each project typically had one engineer performing every task, like control panel design/drawings, controller programming, graphics, panel build assistance, and startup, and now projects are executed as teams. The work culture has really stayed the same, in that we hire good people that are always willing to assist/mentor other coworkers and strive to provide great customer service/work results.
10 Year Service Award
Shawna Grieve
Office Administrator II | Houston, TX
10 Years in January
Q: What is your favorite lunch routine?
A:I have a tendency to become very focused on whatever I am working on and lose track of everything else. Working at the Houston office has helped a lot with making sure to tear me away and get a break in here and there. Getting invited to a customer lunch has actually become very refreshing, as well as gaining knowledge on the clients and companies we are working with.
Q: Who has been your favorite customer (company / individual) and why?
A:AWC has always been one of my favorite companies to work with because they are friendly, professional and consistent. They are also a vendor, so I have become very comfortable working with them in all kinds of areas and the contacts (such as Miguel Grillo) are exceedingly helpful.
Q: What company / office sponsored event did you enjoy most and why?
A: I always look forward to the company Christmas parties. Putting faces to names, meeting people in person that I have talked to numerous times on the phone, but most of all the sense of “family” within our company that these events provide. I am always excited and wondering what to expect since I have had the privilege to attend several different locations, venues and themes.
Q: What is your favorite Champion work-related memory?
A:For the majority of the time, being an admin is a behind-the-scenes job and that is where I feel the most comfortable. I do recall the first time I was ever invited to a customer site meeting and was able to see Champion and it’s services from a different perspective.
Q: When were you proudest to be a part of the Champion team?
A:I feel proud of the work Champion does every day and the people that make it all happen, but the proudest part is when I see all the charitable donations made. I love working for a company that not only cares about its business but that regularly displays kindness and concerns for others.
5 Year Service Award
Shawn Wilson
Automation Engineer II | Lake Charles, LA
5 Years in December
Q: What is your favorite lunch routine?
A:If at the office, there’s always at least one or more coworkers out of four that never fail to show up at my cube around 11 (sometimes earlier…) and ask “what’s for lunch!?” The funny part is that we can never decide on anything so we just get in a vehicle and hop on the road. I normally drive and figured out the decision is greatly influenced on what direction I turn out of the office parking lot on to the road. A right almost guarantees we go eat at Novrozsky’s, so maybe I do have more influence than I thought! The pandemic and working from home has really showed me how much I missed those 11 AM lunch endeavors with the crew.
Q: What projects were particularly interesting, exciting, or challenging that you would like to reflect on?
A:I was given a DeltaV project for a local customer where they wanted to add a loss in weight system to a powdered chlorine additive blend station. The system was actually two parts that needed to work together in a specific, automatic sequence. The system composed of a large vessel on the ground floor that was filled by another unit, a variable speed rotary vein airlock feeder that fed into an “airvay” (think huge industrial vacuum) where the powder was transferred to an upper floor vessel on load cells (weight sensors) using a baghouse and the suction of large blower, a slide gate below the upper vessel, a vacuum breaker valve on the blower, and a hopper with another variable speed rotary feeder on load cells below the upper vessel. The sequence involved filling the upper vessel using the airvay. If the feeder fed too fast, the airvay would plug. Too slow and the hopper would go empty, messing up the blend. Once the upper vessel was full (weight setpoint) the blower would continue to run and the “vacuum breaker” valve would open so that the blower would pull fresh air instead of a suction and no longer transfer product through the airvay. All while this is happening, the hopper is feeding product at a lb/min setpoint. When the hopper gets close to empty, the slide gate immediately opens, filling the hopper back up with near 500 lbs of powder in a matter of seconds. The slide gate closes and the cycle continues. I really enjoyed this project as it was a lot different than my normal work and it had a neat sequence.
Q: When were you proudest to be a part of the Champion team?
A:I’d have to say the moment I was most proud of our Champion team was when P66 hit their designed flow rate of 41,600 barrels per hour on Gray Oak. I was on support standby listening in on a Webex with several of the P66 pipeline group members during the milestone and I was fortunate enough to see it happen. I remember immediately taking a screen shot and emailing our Champion team with something along the lines of “We hit 1 million BPD rate!!” When such a huge milestone is met, it instills a great sense of pride in our company. All of the long hours put in by the team members across Champion did that. Not a single office but Champion as a whole.
Q:Describe a memory from your first years at Champion?
A:This is more of a funny story of when I first met Gary. I was a new engineer several months out of college working in the Lake Charles office on a DeltaV project. In Lake Charles, most of the new engineers are given an office in an open area where we can easily turn and help each other if we get stuck. Well, I turned to ask my then coworker, Dylan, a question but he was already talking to a guy I’ve never seen before. They talked for a good chunk of time and then the guy came over and talked to me. We mostly talked about DeltaV and he asked how I liked it and such. After he left, Dylan poked his head around and asked “Who is that guy??” And I said “I have no idea!” and we just kind of assumed it was a curious, chatty customer lost in our building or something. Well… later that day, Brad and mystery man were eating lunch in the kitchen. I went in to get some water but the jug was empty so I changed it out. Brad then said something along the lines of “you’re only changing that out because Gary’s here today huh!” And then it clicked!
Q: In your opinion, what is the #1 improvement you’ve seen take place since you’ve started?
A:Having standardized procedures and document templates have really improved our output and quality over the years. Projects are easier when we follow the set order of FRS > IFAT > FAT > SAT using our document templates along the way. I also really like our Vsphere development environment. In an hour or so we can have a totally new machine ready to run with X software that any office can access. Our move to Microsoft Teams was also a great idea. I use the chat feature and the screen share feature daily. These additions to our toolset have made it way easier to work with other team members from other offices.
5 Year Service Award
Udaya Krishnan
Automation Engineer II | Houston, TX
5 Years in February
Q: What projects were particularly interesting, exciting, or challenging that you would like to reflect on?
A:These projects at Shell Deer Park were interesting: the Safety Life Cycle projects, the Olefins heater revamp project, and the SGP debottleneck project. Also, when I joined Champion, one of the first projects I was involved with was a Vapor Recovery system PLC project for Kinder Morgan’s Galena Park Liquid Terminal storage facility. My previous process know-how was very handy in the programming effort in helping identify and resolve some potential hiccups. I was proud that I helped earn us some customer confidence.
Q: Who has been your favorite customer (company / individual) and why?
A:Shell Manufacturing Facility in Deer Park, Houston. I am an embedded resource, so have plenty of challenging opportunities to provide satisfactory service to aid in the successful running of this facility.
Q:What company / office sponsored event did you enjoy most and why?
A:I enjoy the annual Emerson Exchange and Rockwell Automation Fair for exploring new technological innovations and user experiences. These events also provide an excellent opportunity to network with industry professionals and get familiar with their expertise and specialized skills. I also enjoy the company sponsored annual Christmas events where I get to meet and greet all of our companywide colleagues.
Q:What would you like to be working on here at Champion in the future?
A:I’d like to continue to be a successful Team player and bring all future Potential Business in areas where my skill sets can add value!
Q:When were you proudest to be a part of the Champion team?
A:I am proud every time a customer expresses their gratitude.
Q:What is something that you’d like to see Champion do in the next 15 years?
A:Sustained Growth and keep expanding customer base.
Q:Describe a memory from your first years at Champion.
A:It is a different experience in work setting being with a small workforce, as I had always worked in large companies in the past. It is like a close-knit family experience, both professionally and personally.
Q:In your opinion, what is the #1 improvement you’ve seen take place since you’ve started?
A:Employer communication has improved at the corporate level.
Q:How are the dynamics at Champion different than when you first started? How are they the same?
A:Champion keeps growing larger with multiple layers and structures and still it provides a dynamic to access all company leaders in time of need without any barrier.
15 Year Service Award
