NEW CASTLE —
Local entrepreneurs should look now for their slice of the market in the Marcellus and Utica Shale industry.
That advice was offered Thursday by Andy Birol of Birol Growth Consulting of Pittsburgh, who sees spin-off money from the industry.
Birol addressed about 60 business leaders at a PNC Bank/Chamber of Commerce luncheon at the Park Inn in West Middlesex about how to “find a little piece of it.”
He followed his speech with a workshop on how to gear business leaders toward thinking about making money from Marcellus and Utica drilling.
Birol, an author, coach and speaker, has consulted with about 430 companies worldwide.
Of Marcellus Shale, he said, “this is just manna from heaven.”
He compared Marcellus drilling prospects to the Great Oklahoma Land Rush of 1893.
Birol shared a story he found on the Eyewitness To History website, noting 100,000 people rushed to claim land plots in the Cherokee Strip area of the northern Oklahoma Territory.
At the time of the land rush, America was in the grip of the worst economic depression it had ever experienced, the article reads. “This was one of the factors that swelled the number of expectant land-seekers that day. Many would be disappointed. There were only 42,000 parcels of land available, far too few to satisfy the hopes of all those who raced for land that day.”
“How is the Marcellus Shale opportunity similar?” Birol asked, noting there are only so many properties.
Marcellus differs from the land rush because there are after-the-fact opportunities, he pointed out.
Despite regulatory legislation and legitimate health and environmental concerns, “there is opportunity to pick what you want to do because the ship is so big.
“A dollar put into the economy generates three to five dollars more,” he said.
A PriceWaterhouseCoopers study predicts one million jobs from Marcellus Shale in 30 years, Birol said, and the Marcellus coalition will generate $1 trillion.
Biros encouraged local businesses to look at spinoff effects.
For example, one man he knows is selling luxury outdoor restrooms to accommodate the drilling sites as a way to make money, he said.
There will be subdivision, electric, telephone and wireless and other infrastructure needed, Birol said. Transportation also will be a growth area.
Therese McShea of RAR Engineering, who attended the workshop, said Birol helped to define what markets businesses are targeting.
RAR Engineering runs an environmental lab that tests water, and can do work for the drilling companies and the landowners. But Birol suggested the company may need to market either one or the other, she said, possibly providing the service to the landowners.
Marcellus Shale
Related Photos
-
Andy Birol of Birol Growth Consulting of Pittsburgh sees spin-off money from the shale industry.
Discussion
Businesses urged to seek shale opportunities
- Marcellus Shale
-
-
Meeting set on Marcellus drilling
The League of Women Voters of Lawrence County will sponsor a panel discussion on Marcellus drilling on Tuesday. The discussion on drilling and property values will begin at 6:30 p.m. at New Wilmington Methodist Church, 125 S. Mercer St.
-
SRU to host shale summit
Slippery Rock University will host a summit Tuesday to educate local businesses about the Marcellus and Utica shale industry. The session, called Shale Summit II, will be a joint venture of the university, the Grove City Area and Butler County chambers of commerce and WISR/WBUT radio.
-
Education Options, Part 2: Current shale boom casts new light on county’s economic future
Second of two parts: Welcome to the Industrial Revolution of 2013. The Marcellus Shale phenomenon has arrived with the promise of jobs and prosperity for an area in dire need of just such a miracle.
-
Seismic testing to be discussed
Seismic testing for Marcellus Shale will be discussed Tuesday in New Wilmington. The meeting will begin at 6 p.m. at United Methodist Church, located at the corner of South Mercer Street and Neshannock Avenue.
-
Shale Update: Gas from 2012 wells entering pipeline
Wells drilled a year ago in Lawrence County are producing natural gas that is entering a pipeline for consumers. Natural gas from the Marcellus Shale formation under Lawrence County is now being pumped from two wells on the Harry Patterson property in the New Beaver Borough area into a major pipeline and is being sold, said Joe Minnitte, case manager for Shell Exploration and Production Co.
-
Township requests shale money for bridges
North Beaver Township could be the first municipality to spend county Marcellus shale funds earmarked for bridge repairs. The supervisors have requested $63,000 from Lawrence County’s Act 13 transportation funds, which — by law — are to be used for rehabilitation or replacement of county and municipal bridges.
-
Commission approves shale pact for Pulaski game lands
The Pennsylvania Game Commission will allow Hilcorp Energy Co. to extract oil and gas from Pulaski Township state game lands. The eight-member board today unanimously approved a restricted surface use oil and gas cooperative agreement for two separate tracts, including 586 acres of state game land 150.
-
Estate planning workshop to address shale issues
A free workshop on estate planning for shale gas leases is planned this month in Lawrence County. Estate Planning for Marcellus Shale Lease Holders, will run from 6:30 to 8 p.m. Jan. 22 at the Shenango Township Volunteer Fire Hall, 2424 E. Washington St. It is being hosted by state Rep. Jaret Gibbons.
-
Extension to review seismic tests, pipelines
A program on seismic testing, pipeline agreements and leasing will be offered three times next week. Penn State Extension and the Beaver-Lawrence Farm Bureau will present the program Tuesday in New Castle. It will be presented two more times on Thursday in Beaver County.
-
Shell donation boosts Jameson project
Shell Appalachia’s search for natural gas will help fuel completion of Jameson Heath System’s emergency/surgical wing. Jameson is scheduled to take possession of its $20.3 million expansion Feb. 14.
- More Marcellus Shale Headlines
-
Meeting set on Marcellus drilling
