Government Affairs Brief

Adam Miller, Area Operations Manager, Texas Refined Products System for Flint Hills Resources, got his start in the terminal industry after spending four years in the military after college. Miller found a job at a petrochemical company as a reliability engineer—a role that eventually led him to pursue a project manager position within Flint Hills Resources (known at the time as Koch Pipeline).

“I transitioned from the project manager role to various leadership roles, such as maintenance manager, operations supervisor and operations manager,” Miller said. “These leadership roles gave me my first experiences with the terminal industry. The best part of my job is helping my team enhance their capabilities and reach their full potential. It brings me a lot of fulfillment to see them succeed.”

Terminal employees saw some increases in compensation and improvements in benefits over last year as terminal operators are paying closer attention to workforce development in the face of competitive job markets. That was one conclusion of the Terminal Employees Compensation and Benefits Report conducted by Industry Insights, Inc. and released today by the International Liquid Terminals Association (ILTA).

President George W. Bush will be the closing keynote speaker for the International Operating and Trade Show held by the International Liquid Terminals Association in Houston next May.

Dennis Mendenhall, CSP, began his journey with Marathon Petroleum back in 2006, where he worked as a safety professional in the Terminal, Transport, and Marine organization. Over the years since, he’s transitioned through multiple experiences that have included all aspects of EHSS. In these roles, Mendenhall has supported domestic and international operations in downstream, midstream, and upstream business units.

Today, as Safety Manager of Logistics and Storage Terminals for Marathon, Mendenhall finds the best part of his job to be the people he works alongside each day.

“I am afforded the opportunity to lead and collaborate with a great team of people,” he said. “This team has become like family and truly makes each day a pleasure through the teamwork and collaboration exhibited, regardless of the issues and tasks in front of us. This team, coupled with Marathon Petroleum’s culture—which places the value of the safety and well-being of each worker ahead of competing interests—makes it a remarkable place to work.”

Again working with Conn Maciel Carey LLP (CMC), ILTA joined a multi-industry working group on OSHA’s Worker Walkaround Representative Rulemaking. The rule would expand the circumstances when non-employees, particularly union representatives at non-union workplaces, can accompany OSHA inspectors during enforcement inspections. For example, union representatives, other labor or community activist groups, and even plaintiffs’ attorneys (or their expert witnesses) could gain direct and early access to non-union workplaces and employees, potentially as a front for organizing campaigns where they otherwise would not have access or to advance personally injury lawsuits. Similarly, the rule could allow competitors, contractors, or others onsite to employers’ detriment.