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APPY Awards 2021

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APPY Awards 2022

KOGA: Robert G Alley Award 2022

Fountain Square Clock Adjusted for Fall Time

KOGA: Robert G Alley Award 2022
(Kentucky Oil & Gas)

3 Key items: An individual for their outstanding leadership, industry statesmanship, and dedication to the oil and gas industry.

Good afternoon and thank you all for being here. It’s great to be able to gather here in person, to have this wonderful venue to talk about the world’s most common theme, energy. However, today I am honored to be tasked with the ROASTING… I mean announcing… of the recipient of the Robert G Alley award. This award goes to someone who has 3 primary qualities; outstanding leadership, industry statesmanship and dedication to the oil and gas industry.

This year’s recipient checks all these boxes and then some. I am beyond honored to present this award to geologist extraordinaire, aspiring musician and the best guy I know, my father, Tommy Cate.

Tommy started his career in the early 80’s working in the mining sector for Exxon Minerals. Having recently graduated from Tennessee Tech, he thought he had struck gold or zinc (literally). From there Tommy went on to work with a gas marketing company called Centran weathering the downturn in the late 80’s. In the 90’s Tommy helped Arrakis Energy begin developing several different fields in Southern Appalachia. When Arrakis left the basin Tommy realized he wanted to make his own destiny and decided to step out and form AmWes Resources in 1998. This launch into the private sector was transformative for him. He helped start multiple other companies and develop fields from Lawrence County, Kentucky all the way to Henderson County, Kentucky. Tommy’s love for geology is unwavering and continues on today with Fireborn Energy where Tommy continues to consult as one of the industry’s leading “rock doc’s”.

Before we give him too much credit though, let’s make sure he checks all the requirements to receive this award.

But let's start with the first box, outstanding leadership. Early on in his career while working for Exxon Minerals, he was also a dedicated member of a group known as the Trolls. He and his fellow compatriots were avid whitewater paddlers, with long hair and a wild sense of adventure. Conquering multiple class 5 rivers and creeks throughout Appalachia. Anything that carried water, they’d canoe it. However, they began to set their sights on larger milestones, like Cumberland Falls and Niagara Falls. I can vividly remember him taking us to Cumberland Falls to look at various routes he could take to “run the falls”. Luckily, his outstanding leadership, or possibly my mother’s, kept them from attempting this feat.

Tommy, has always been a leader, in any venue. In our church where he’s volunteered as long as I can remember leading youth programs, mission trips, musical groups and anything else that was needed. In the more recent years he’s given up working and decided to pursue Hawaiian shirts full time and a harmonica in every pocket. He makes sure any young 2+ year old has a harmonica. He plays in multiple bands, recently received the APPY Award for Best Brass and Wind, and was honored last year by Somerset’s Master Musicians Festival with their Lifetime Achievement award. That same day he had the opportunity to also be the opening act before Blues Traveler. So maybe this whole Hawaiian shirt harmonica gig isn’t that bad after all. In all facets of his love for music though, Tommy organizes, leads, encourages and supports his fellow musicians or music lovers. 

Tommy also spends a tremendous amount of his time working in jail ministries. He has become a beacon of hope for so many individuals. Most recently after coming to Colorado to help me recover from a knee surgery, he left our house in Evergreen Colorado at 2am, in a snow storm, to make sure he was back in Kentucky to help pickup a gentleman from jail. This person had no one else – but Tommy made sure he knew he could count on him to be waiting there with a big smile and an even bigger hug. After driving 18 hours back to the jail, Tommy picked him up, got him setup with new clothes and drove him from Western Kentucky all the way to Pikeville to get setup in a halfway house. This young man relies on Tommy, he looks up to Tommy and he is modeling himself now after him. His relentless focus on helping the less fortunate is something we should all strive to follow.  

While so many of the items I’ve just discussed have nothing to do with the energy sector, when placed in leadership positions, you become the example for our industry. People correlate you, what you do, and how you act with our industry. His leadership qualities are something our industry should be proud of as he has taught so many others about all the good we can do in both our professional and personal lives.

The second quality is Industry Statesmanship.Beyond his jam sessions and Santa gigs, Tommy has taken his passion for this industry literally across the world. Several years ago he was approached by the World Bank with a very interesting opportunity. The Government of Mongolia needed help understanding their geologic resources and how to establish a regulatory framework that would help the private sector invest in these resources. As any arm waiving, life loving geologist would, he jumped at the chance to expand his knowledge and relationships. Tommy spent a considerable amount of time over there. He learned that everyone in THIS room takes the KGS for granted, takes google maps for granted, takes associations like KOGA for granted and most importantly (to him), takes spices for granted. You see, Mongolia did not want to publish any maps for fear of invasion from China or Russia. Their maps also changed constantly due to the fact their infrastructure wasn’t permanent like ours, their roads were dirt paths, shifting and changing with the seasons and with the needs of the people. Through continuing dialogue, through feasts on unseasoned goat and getting Tommy to dress up like the great Genghis Khan, they did accomplish their goal. You see, Tommy’s steadfast character, enthusiasm for this industry and his statesmanship, helped a country gain a greater understanding of their energy resources even while facing warranted fears from neighboring countries.

The third quality is dedication to the oil and gas industry. Early on, I can remember Tommy taking me out to one of my first drill sites at the young age of 6. I was so excited to finally be on the road with Dad, eating bologna sandwiches, ritz crackers and drinking way too much soda. For too long I had to stay at home — and now I was finally able to go explore with him. He made sure that I was able to drive the D6 dozer around — yes, my feet couldn’t touch the ground but I could steer! We got to cover his truck in mud. I got to sit on the derrick floor and get covered in grease watching that bit turn. More importantly though, he made sure that we brought dinner to the drillers and anyone else on site. He wanted everyone there to know how much he appreciated their work. Later on in my career, I would hear countless stories of him showing up with food, with drinks, with little Debbie’s at drill sites, on pipeline jobs or any other event. Food was always a pathway for how Tommy showed his appreciation.

On a lighter note, we all know Frac is a 4 letter word in some parts of our world. Tommy took it upon himself to educate the general public about 10 years ago when our industry became the target for emotional self-serving agendas. As such, he was probably the only person in North America driving a Honda Insight (a 2 door, 2 seater I might at add) hybrid around with a Coal Keeps the Lights on license plate and a Drill Baby Drill sticker on the back. While some might take this as hypocritical, he took it as a way to show that even a hybrid relied upon our industry. This small sticker, created so much meaningful dialogue with friends, with family and with strangers. However, his calm, steadfast demeanor always leaves a lasting impression even with people that might not have any business talking about energy.

The last example of his commitment is one of my favorites. For years Tommy worked with a landman, Ross Johnson. Ross & his wife Erdene lived in Bowling Green, Kentucky but they would travel together when Ross went out into the field. Ross was a kind and gentle landman who Tommy adored. Ross also had an affinity for Hungarian Hot Wax peppers, which he and Tommy shared many a time along with other peppers that no normal human should try to eat. Ross called south Louisiana home and would venture back there every year around Easter for crawfish boils with his friends and family. Tommy had heard about these epic events for years from Ross. However, as Ross got older the trip got to be too much for him. Driving from Kentucky to Louisiana in his late 80’s and early 90’s was just too hard. Knowing how much Ross looked forward to this trip, Tommy quickly stepped in and for the remainder of Ross’s life, Tommy spent every Easter driving him down to Louisiana for their annual crawfish boil. You see, Tommy’s dedication to our industry, to its people is the same dedication he has to his family. You are there for each other for the good times and the bad and luckily for Tommy and Ross, endless crawfish in Louisiana.

So now that I’ve made him uncomfortable by actually giving you all glimpse into his personal life, I think we can all confirm that he has checked all three boxes and then some. I am proud that I can call Tommy my father and todays recipient of the Robert G Alley Award. Congrats Dad.