Q&A with Amy Ontiveroz, Director of Project Management, Midland, TX
BCCK has been awarded numerous contracts recently for its patented NiTech® Nitrogen Rejection Units (NRUs) – many of which were designed for the same customer. Their newest project award, the NiTech® Style Dual Tower NRU to be located in West Texas, utilizes cutting-edge technology to extract nitrogen from the residue gas of a cryogenic gas processing facility. This project award is testament to the trust and confidence that clients place in BCCK’s expertise to deliver exceptional results.
Amy Ontiveroz, BCCK’s Director of Project Management, explains why BCCK is successful in repeat business and shares her perspective on why customers continue to choose BCCK.
“Project transparency coupled with a steadfast commitment to customer service is the cornerstone of successful projects as well as fostering repeat customers. Working with a repeat customer is a testament to BCCK’s proven technology and the quality and performance we deliver with every project.”
Whether it’s open communication and transparency, innovation and work quality, or experienced partnerships, Amy says BCCK does it all and strives to have strong relationships with the customer where you truly understand their expectations and act as a team. At the kickoff of every project, Ontiveroz says asking questions and identifying gaps are key to understanding client expectations. She adds, “I think the worst thing that you can do is assume and not ask questions.”
Ontiveroz has been with BCCK for 22 years. First hired on as an engineer, she has grown professionally through several project management roles, eventually becoming a project director. She has managed both large- and small-scale projects including full EPC projects.
Project Reporting and Transparency
BCCK involves clients throughout the whole process – from concept to completion. “With our reporting, our goal is to be very transparent,” Ontiveroz said. She adds, “The team is prepared to openly address any potential issues that may arise, and a mitigation plan is put into place in the event of something going askew. “We are very upfront about our process and use creative, problem-solving solutions to get our projects back on track.”
BCCK prides itself on having an internal Project Controls team dedicated to monitoring project costs and schedules. Through weekly meetings, the project teams collaborate and stay on track. “Our project controls specialists are crucial to the success of our team. They provide the reports and help analyze the data. Because of this, the project managers have time to study the data, which ultimately helps with planning and forecasting.” She adds, “This is what I call a proactive approach to project management, and I think our customers truly appreciate that.”
Innovative Technology
BCCK has a 30+ year history in the design and management of these NRUs and is continuously developing new technologies with cutting-edge, environmentally friendly designs. In order to stay current with the latest industry practices and leading innovation, BCCK endures a significant amount of research and development, ultimately leading to several unique patented designs. The team is guided by continuous improvement and is constantly looking to improve their processes so their customers can not only easily operate their units but also stay at the forefront of new technologies.
“We are the leader in the industry when it comes to nitrogen rejection units. We have the experience, reliability, and the quantity behind us (40+ units). Tons of research and development have gone into our patented designs. We want our customers to have something that they can operate easily and meet their project milestones on time.”
BCCK’s goal with their NRUs is to remove nitrogen from methane gas so that it can be sold down the pipeline, but they also desire to limit emissions like methane from venting into the atmosphere. “We design our units to operate continuously while minimizing environmental impacts. Our environmentally friendly design helps increase efficiency and cost savings through a smaller footprint.”
Adaptability
BCCK adapts their business to what’s happening in the market and stays in close contact with their customers. “As the market changes, our customers’ needs may also change. We like to check in to see how things are going with their projects that we completed and the technology that we’ve provided, and we just take a moment to listen to their current needs.”
BCCK has an active membership with GPA Midstream as well as other professional organizations and participates in annual conferences and other technical events throughout the year. The team walks away with knowledge on the latest and greatest technologies through various technical sessions. As with the shift towards green energy, BCCK is challenged to come away from different technical sessions with lessons learned and ways to improve and prevent emissions.
Project Execution
BCCK’s goal is to gain the confidence of their customers and successfully execute projects in order to win more work. BCCK demonstrates its full suite of capabilities, key team members and experience with their customers across the board – whether it’s for engineering, design, fabrication or construction. And in doing so, they hope to gain their trust in their ability to execute projects successfully and also see how else they can provide support.
“The relationship is great, but you have to be able to execute; you have to have both of those things in order to gain more business. It’s about committing to the scheduled deliverables and being reliable enough to meet those milestones,” Ontiveroz said.
As Director of Project Management, Ontiveroz ensures the team has clear communication between all parties during each of the project phases, including project goals and the scope of work. “We operate as one company where all disciplines are represented in our coordination meetings,” she said. With their dedicated weekly schedule meetings, they look at available resources and goal progress, ensuring momentum continues on the projects even when team members are out of the office on business or vacation.
From one project to the next, clients expect consistency. When asked which benefits BCCK can offer to its repeat clients when it comes to understanding and meeting their same expectations, Ontiveroz says maintaining a strong relationship and understanding their goals, philosophies, and preferences is important. BCCK strives to meet and exceed their clients’ goals and are mindful of client needs and expectations from one project to the next.
“We apply our long-term relationships and experience to each project and stay consistent in our approach with the same team members. We deliver the same service and have a strong understanding of their preferences and project requests,” she said.
Many of BCCK’s core team members have been with the company for several years, and Ontiveroz says they do not have high turnover, which is unique. “I do feel that customers are comfortable in reaching back out to us, even after completing a project for someone back in 2015,” she said. “They’ll reach out to us and can’t seem to find the original drawings, but we’ll have the record of the original drawings, so we’ll send them on. Having the same people around really speaks a lot of the company.” Ontiveroz adds, “Our talent is top notch; employee retention is great; and when our employees are happy, it’s likely visible to our clients as well.”
Local Presence
Many of BCCK’s NRUs are located in West Texas. Ontiveroz says their local office presence in Midland is important to BCCK’s clients as having local projects in the area means BCCK’s staff can provide quick customer support and availability. “If a client needs one of our team members to go out in the field to take a look at something, we can usually provide that support quickly,” she said. On the other hand, Ontiveroz says they have projects all over the United States and do not shy away from jumping on a plane to support their customers with whatever they need.
Amy Ontiveroz holds a B.S. in Mechanical Engineering from Texas Tech University.