SMRI Members - Who are we?

SMRI member organizations are involved in all aspects of solution mining or the use of salt caverns for gas or hydrocarbon storage, from production of brine to environmental and safety regulations.  Employees of member organizations receive full member benefits, so those individuals are also referred to as ‘members’ even though the membership is corporate.  The members have full use of our library, reduced conference registration fees, and have access to SMRI software at no cost.

SMRI, as of 1 JAN. 2020, is made up of: 

• 75 Class A Members
• 43 Class B Members
• 44 Class C Members
• 28 Class D (subsidiary) Members
• 12 Class E Honorary individual Members (retired Past Presidents or outstanding dedication/service to SMRI)
• 21 Class R (government regulator) Members  
• 1,596 individual employees of member organizations active on email list
• 1,632 individual Non-Members active on email list (from >306 N/M organizations)

Types of organizations who are members of SMRI:

• Mining companies, (common water soluble minerals are salt, potash, trona, magnesium, etc.)
• Engineering and consulting services
• Well and cavern field services and contractors
• Equipment  or product manufacturers
• University mining, petroleum, chemical engineering departments
• Government departments of natural or mineral resources, health & safety, petroleum, etc.
• Geology and geophysics services
• Project developers, exploration, management, promotion, permitting
• Utility, pipeline, and energy companies using caverns for fuel or energy storage

Individuals work in these positions, as examples of some members' individuals: university professors and researchers, mining  engineers and geologists, drilling experts, managers of gas storage and distribution networks, cavern designers and structural modeling specialists,  salt, potash, and trona producers, government regulators, cavern surveyors, chemical engineers, consulting engineers, government managers of resources or facilities, geophysicists mapping mineral deposits,  and we give university students opportunities to participate in our conferences. 

 SMRI welcomes to our newest members who joined this year, 2020:

     Will YOUR Organization be SMRI's first new member of 2020? 

New member applications accepted during 2019: 

20 Dec 2019, China University of Petroleum, Class C, Yan Yifei, Qingdao, Shandong, China

4 Dec 2019, CPRM - Geological Survey of Brazil, Class C, Leandro Kuhlmann, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

22 Nov. 2019, Motiva Enterprises, Class A, Michael Brinkley, Houston, TX,  USA

30 Sept. 2019, Utah Division of Oil, Gas & Mining (Utah Department of Natural Resources) Class R, Dayne Doucet, Salt Lake City, UT, USA

24 Sept 2019, CanPacific Potash Inc., Class C, Colleen Ford, Saskatoon, SK, Canada

9 Aug 2019, AltaGas Ltd., Class B, Loren Kelly, Calgary, AB, Canada 

31 July 2019, Instytut Mechaniki Górotworu Polskiej Akademii Nauk (IMG PAN), Class C, Rafal Misa, Krakow, Poland

15 July 2019, Pinnacle Potash, Rejoined as Class C, Bill Bishop, Austin, TX, USA

10 July 2019, TNO (Netherlands Organisation for Applied Scientific Research), Class B, Remco Groenenberg, Utrecht, Netherlands

28 June 2019  Braskem S.A, Class A, Alvaro Almeida, Maceio, Alagoas, Brazil

19 April 2019  VNII Galurgii JSC, Class A, (Uralkali) Dmitriy Shkuratskiy, Perm krai, Russia

22 March 2019  CCNG, Inc., Class A, Raymond Welch, Bee Cave, TX, USA

21 Mar 2019  Brinsa S.A., Class A, Tanny Brito, Cajicá, Cundinamarca, Colombia

19 Feb 2019  Petronim Projects, Class C, Neil Cameron, Calgary, AB, Canada

15 Feb 2019  Enstor Gas LLC, Class A, Paul Bieniawski, Houston, TX, USA

11 Feb 2019  Kore Potash Plc., Class B, Gavin Chamberlain, Johannesburg, South Africa

5 Feb 2019  US Dept. of Transportation, Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA), Class R, Byron Coy, W. Trenton, NJ, USA 

28 Jan 2019  Schumacher Cavern Consulting, Class C, Michael Schumacher, Steamboat Springs, CO, USA

24 Jan 2019  Roke Technologies Ltd., Class C,  Adam MacDonald,  Calgary, AB, Canada

23 JAN 2019  PetroChina Jiangsu Gas Storage Company,  Class A, BaoDong Shan, Jiangsu, China

23 JAN 2019 Salt Cavern Gas Storage Technology Research Institute, Class B, Donglin Zhou, Zhenjiang, China

2 JAN 2019  INERIS (French National Institute for Industrial Environment and Risks), Class B, Xavier Daupley, Verneuil-en-Halatte, France

New member applications accepted during 2018: 

17 DEC 2018  Enventure Global Technology, Class B, John Callais, Houston, TX, USA

11 Dec 2018  Gulf Interstate Engineering Company, Class B, William Hoff, Houston, TX, USA

16 October 2018 AquaSource Technologies Corp, Class C, Shyam Dighe, Mt. Pleasant, PA, USA

9 Oct 2018  Universidade Federal de Pernambuco, (UFPE,) Laboratory of Computational Methods in Geomechanics, (LMCG),  Class C, Leonardo Guimarães, Recife, Brazil

5 October 2018 Equistar Chemicals, LP - Equistar Pipeline, Class A, Matthew Cesarz, Houston, TX, USA

30 August 2018 Hartmann Valves and Wellheads, Class B, Norman Holenstein, Burgdorf - Ehlershausen, Germany 

16 August 2018 Gnome Engineering Ltd., Class C, Dave Cooke,  Alford, Aberdeenshire, UK

25 July 2018  Double B Well Services, Ltd., Class C, Ben Barnes, Petrolia, ON, Canada

11 July 2018  InfoMine USA, Class B, Jennifer Leinart, Spokane Valley, WA, USA (RESIGNED)

9 July 2018   British Salt Limited, Class A, Stephen Crabb, Middlewich, Cheshire, UK

24 June 2018 Bezirksregierung Arnsberg – Abteilung 6 Bergbau und Energie in NRW, Class R, Christian Biermann, Dortmund, Germany

1 May 2018   Barr Engineering Company, Class B, Brad Dunn, Salt Lake City, UT, USA (Resigned) 

3 Apr 2018    Praxair Inc., Class A, Paul Munsterman, The Woodlands, TX, USA 

21 Mar 2018  Atmos Pipeline - Texas, Class A, Jeff Hardgrave, Dallas, TX, USA 

16 Jan 2018   Shell Canada Ltd., Class A, Maria-Costanza Cano, Calgary, AB, Canada

New member applications accepted during 2017: 

25 Oct 2017  Geosyntec Consultants, Inc., Class B, Chris Lynch, Columbia, MD, USA  (RESIGNED)

5 Oct 2017  Salt Cavern Storage LLC, Class C, Michael Yee, Houston, TX, USA

3 Oct 2017  MODECOM- Technology in Geomechanics and Computing Modeling, Class C,  Alvaro Costa, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

14 Sept 2017  Lane Power & Energy Solutions, Inc., Class B, Tim Reichwein, Houston, TX, USA

15 Mar 2017  Sovereign International, Inc., Class B, William Goodman, Amityville, NY USA

1 Mar 2017   Remedy Energy Services Inc., Class C, Michael Anthony, Calgary, AB, Canada

1 Feb 2017   Cavern Solutions, Inc., Class C, John Kyle, Pearland, TX, USA

31 Jan 2017 Innovare Technologies LTD, Class C, Max Ramey, Carlyle, SK, Canada

6 Jan 2017   Keyera Corporation, Class A, Alex Reed, Calgary, Alberta, Canada

New member applications accepted during 2016: 

2 Dec 2016   AGH University of Science and Technology, Class C, Katarzyna Cyran, Krakow, Poland

1 Oct 2016  VSProwess Limited, Class C, Mary Humphries, Wiveliscombe, Taunton, UK

23 Sept 2016 Petroleo Brasileiro S/A, Class B, Christiane Corrêa de Sá, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil 

10 Aug 2016  Sunoco Logistics Partners L.P., Class A, David Bonamy, Taylor, MI, USA (2017 merged with and now part of Energy Transfer)

26 June 2016  Wild Well Control, Inc., Class B, Alistair Gill, Houston, TX, USA (REJOINED)

22 Mar 2016  Exponent, Failure Analysis Associates, Inc., Class B, Brun Hilbert, Menlo Park, CA, USA 

25 Feb 2016  Zintar LLC, Class C, Dzintra Ziemelis, Calgary, AB, Canada  (RESIGNED 2 FEB 2019)

16 Feb 2016  Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, or "FERC", Class R, Elizabeth Anklam, Washington, DC, USA

6 Jan 2016   The Oil and Pipeline Agency, Class A, Robin Fanthom, London, UK (resigned 21 Feb 2017)

New member applications accepted during 2015: 

28 Dec 15 MEQ Geo, Inc., Class C, Julie Shemeta, Littleton, CO, USA (resigned Apr 2017)

6 Nov 15 ATCO Energy Solutions, Class A, Lonni Swanson, Calgary, AB, Canada

5 Nov 15  Cameron Canada Corporation- Surface Systems, Class B, Kate Paradis, Calgary, AB, Canada (resigned 8 May 2018)

9 Oct 15  BGC Engineering Inc., Class B, Derek Kinakin, Kamloops, BC, Canada (resigned June 2019)

17 July 15 INOVYN France Tavaux Plant, Class D, Jean Barottin, Taveaux-Cedex, France

17 July 15 K&B Technical Services, Inc., Class C, John Bowen, Carlsbad, NM, USA  (Resigned April 2017) 

16 June 15 China Salt Survey & Design Co., Ltd., Class C, Li Bo, Changsha City, Hunan Province, China (terminated Aug 2018)

6 June 15 TATA Chemicals North America, Class B, Victor Braman, Green River, WY, USA (resigned Feb 2017)

18 May 15  Irani Engineering, Inc., Class C, Saeed Irani, Sacramento, CA, USA (Terminated July 2017)

13 Apr 15  Yara Mining, Class B, Jørgen Stenvold, Oslo, Norway

07 Apr 15  Wintershall Holding GmbH Länderbereich Deutschland, Class A, Viktor Eberhardt, Barbstorf, Germany 

08 Jan 15  BOTAŞ Petroleum Pipeline Corporation, Class A, Ertug Ozturk, Bilkent, Turkey

New member applications accepted during 2014: 

05 Dec 14 Saskatchewan Ministry of the Economy, Class R, Bram Nelissen, Regina, SK, Canada 

02 Dec 14 Underscore Consulting Inc., Class C, Alex Reed, Calgary, AB, Canada  (resigned Jan 2017)

03 July 14 Big Guns Energy Services Inc., Class B, Dickson Lee, Calgary, AB, Canada

25 Apr 14  Wolverine Energy Services Inc., Class C,  V. Wayne Dowhaniuk, Calgary, AB, Canada 

09 Apr 14  Fluor Federal Petroleum Operations, Scott Landry, Class A successor to DM Petroleum, USA. 

01 Apr 14  SCS Aquaterra, Class B, Chad Milligan, Wichita, KS USA (resigned July 2018) 

31 Mar 14  British Geological Survey, Class C  David Evans, Keyworth, UK

26 Mar 14  Swift Engineering Inc., Class B   Peter Poon,  Calgary, AB,  Canada (resigned Apr 2016)

24-Feb-14  Beckman Associates, Consultants Inc.   Class C   Kenneth Beckman,  Tomball, TX  USA

18-Feb-14  Fairway Energy Partners LLC , Class A   Mark Erskine,  Houston, TX USA (terminated Sept 2015)

18-Feb-14  Secure Energy Services, Class B   Mark Welty,  Calgary, AB, Canada (resigned Apr 2015)

17-Feb-14  Air Liquide Large Industries U.S. LP,  Class A    Ronald Strybos,  Houston, TX USA

28-Jan-14  Eastman Chemical Company,  Class A    Gregg Story,  Longview TX,  USA

8-Jan-14  Chevron Phillips Chemical, Class A    Bob Struebel,  Brazoria, TX, USA

8-Jan-14  KWA Kenwalt Australia Pty Ltd, Class C    Heather Smith,  Nedlands, WA, Australia