Colby Finton (HSE Supervisor), a Coushatta, Louisiana native, walks us through a typical day, describes how he sees Chesapeake positively impacting the community he grew up in and explains what “dude brunch” is.
What does a typical day at Chesapeake look like for you?
Every day starts with coffee; there is no day without glorious bean water. Post jet fueling, I prepare statements for the morning call that describe notable Health, Safety, Environmental and Regulatory (HSER) events from the previous day or weekend.
Those tasks are a given, but what I love about this job is that every day is a new journey. Sometimes I might be training our staff, onboarding a new vendor or going out and talking with folks in the field on their various projects. Some days I spend the morning deliberating a project with the rest of the departments in the BU. And, occasionally, some of these items all happen at once.
I have been blessed with a team that is not only filled with smart, hard workers, but also good people who are capable of being where I cannot.
Describe your journey to Chesapeake; what initially drew you to the oil and gas industry?
As a young man, I didn’t see myself in the industry. I worked in a restaurant throughout college and then International Paper in Mansfield (where my father and grandfather worked) but neither were for me. My maternal grandfather had worked at Shell and told me I’d be happier being a contract lease operator and, I thought “He’s never steered me wrong before,” so I gave it a shot!
I worked for Shell in Mansfield until Vine acquired the asset. Then, I traded in my crescent wrench for a keyboard and worked in the control room for Vine until the company was acquired by Chesapeake. After coming on with Chesapeake, I saw an HSER spot become available. I had been around the process for nearly 10 years, and I thought it might be a fit. The rest is history.
I love what I do. Not every day is easy, but it’s an amazing feeling when you go home and feel like you actively made a difference.
Having grown up in Louisiana, how do you see Chesapeake having a positive impact in the Haynesville community?
I’ve seen Chesapeake have a positive impact on my life but also in the lives of people I’ve known since I was very young, particularly with job creation. I am honored to be on the community outreach team where I take part in most of the events we sponsor. We give scholarships, offer labor for projects and hold blood drives, cleaning events and fundraisers for organizations. We also give donations to deserving, local causes.
During last year’s Excellence Awards, which highlights outstanding work in safety, sustainability and community, my colleague Stormey Webster and I presented a video we made that features educators, officials, landowners and other community leaders explaining how Chesapeake has impacted them. Hearing me talk about the positive things Chesapeake has done only means so much, because of course I’m biased, but having the community tell you is very rewarding.
Chesapeake leadership often talks about “being LNG ready.” Describe in your words how the Haynesville plays a role in that.
Geographically, the Haynesville is perfectly positioned to bring needed gas down south to the Gulf, where it can be exported globally. We must continue to uphold our reputation as the premier sustainable and lower carbon producer.
To ensure we are ready when the time comes, I think there are a few key focus areas. First and foremost is safety, particularly through our Serious Incident and Fatality (SIF) Prevention Program, which we believe will drive continued improvements within our safety culture. I also think it will be important to empower our people to think outside of the box and have the confidence to try an idea that could be game-changing for the industry. And lastly, it will continue to be important for us to focus on learning and adapting but also improving when failures do occur.
What do you enjoy doing outside of work?
I’m married to my high school sweetheart, and I have a 4-year-old who is confident that he is a Ninja Turtle (Donatello), so depending on the day, I am a husband, dad, Master Splinter or Shredder.
Other than hanging out with the family, I have standing “dude brunch” plans every other Saturday or Sunday, where a group of my friends and I get together for hours for breakfast. We also have game night once a week where my friend group and their spouses all rotate homes to host Risk, Monopoly, Cards Against Humanity or whatever else anyone wants to play. All our kids run around, and we let them be wild for a few hours.
