Celebrating Women In Energy: How Oil and Gas Come Together for a Cause and Community

March 3, 2024 jasonspiess The Crude Life 0

The Crude Life
The Crude Life
Celebrating Women In Energy: How Oil and Gas Come Together for a Cause and Community
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Every March since 1987, Congress and U.S. Presidents have designated March as Women’s History Month. This year, The Crude Life celebrates and honors their accomplishments and contributions in history with interviews and stories that center around women’s experiences in industry.

The Crude Life believes women are vital in energy.  Today more than ever. From a female’s point of view to intuition to specific skill sets, women are vital in energy.

Today’s women in industry are not only modern-day leaders, but truly are defining history as well.  Everyone at The Crude Life is grateful for all your contributions to industry, to your communities and to our planet.

Heidi LaBree, American Cancer Society, talks about MBI’s leadership on the Relay for Life project. She comments about how they were able to bring other companies together for the BBQ and pull off a top notch event. She also shared her observations of giving in the Bakken. LaBree believes there is a community within the Bakken and her observations have been that the giving has far exceeded her expectations.

 

Heidi LaBree

I’m from Brandon and I cover the Western North Dakota area.

Jason Spiess

And how long have you been working out here in the Bake? And then

Heidi LaBree

I have been working out here for about nine months, nine months.

Jason Spiess

Relatively new position.

Heidi LaBree

Yes, very

Jason Spiess

new before you took this position nine months ago. Where did you work? You don’t have to give the name of the place. But territory, I

Heidi LaBree

was a loan officer at a bank in Western Montana.

Jason Spiess

Western Montana. Okay. So you’re over on the Yellowstone side, kind

Heidi LaBree

of

Jason Spiess

not a lot of oil activity out there, tourist areas. And so what are your experiences since coming out here and working in the back in nine months ago? From Western Montana?

Heidi LaBree

It does, it’s, it’s a lot busier. Um My parents live in Dickinson and they’ve been here for quite a while. So even when I came here to visit, I’ve noticed the influx of people in the area. Um traffic is a lot heavier is the main thing. So it takes, it takes longer to go out to eat, just takes a little bit longer to do everything.

Jason Spiess

So, and what challenges have you experienced since coming out and working here in the Bacon. …

Heidi LaBree

I honestly don’t, I haven’t run into any challenges. It’s actually been very, very smooth transition and has gone very well.

Jason Spiess

Good to hear. Good to hear a lot of opportunity out here. Yes. Um You are with American Cancer Society. We’re here at the Bacon barbecue M B I is putting on the barbecue for a fundraiser for Relay for Life, which is a uh activity. What group organization? What is that? I know it’s a

Heidi LaBree

Walk. Yes. The relay for life is the signature or the signature fundraising activity for the American cancer society. Um it started in 1985 and just continues to grow every year. And this year we’re gonna reach the $5 billion dollar mark of funds raised throughout the entire um time of the relay for life.

And this is actually Missouri Basins. Fbi’s first year as a relay for life team. So they’re doing an excellent job and putting this, this event together here today. They’ve just gone all out. So it’s been really good

Jason Spiess

in the past nine months under your position at the American Cancer Society. Have you, have you noticed or have you heard any anecdotal or seen any technical numbers to indicate whether there’s a surge of giving out here in the, for non profits in the oil patch? Is it on par to what you thought it would be or is it less?

Heidi LaBree

I think it’s above and beyond what I ever imagined it would be. I’ve had um three relay for life events so far. Um My next one will be in Dickinson. But so far those three have well exceeded all their goals and expectations of myself and of the committees that plan the events. They’ve just all three have done very, very well. This is actually Missouri Basins, MB eyes. So they’re doing an excellent job and putting this, this event together here today.

They’ve just gone all out. So it’s been really good. I feel like there is a community within, within the bacon, especially working with the FBI relay for life team and just seeing how they’ve worked with all, not just other oil companies in the area, but just all, all companies in the area have, they’ve all come together to, to work to accomplish this. And it’s, it’s very neat to

Jason Spiess

see. Did you hear any stories about the bacon before you came out here?

Heidi LaBree

And

Jason Spiess

now that you’re out here, um, is there any facts or myths that stick out in your mind that now that you’re out here that, wow, I came out here and the traffic is as bad as I thought or it’s not as bad or the price of milk is X or um, whatever it might be or I, I’ve gone to a store and not harassed by everybody or whatever? Just, um, are there any facts or myths that you heard coming into here that you now have experienced that. Have your own

Heidi LaBree

opinion on. Well, the traffic is one of them. Um, whereas there is an increased amount of traffic, It hasn’t been as much as I expected when I had heard about it. I drive up to Watford City once a month and take highway 85 up that direction and it’s been pretty smooth, smooth drive every week. And, um, when I had first moved over here I had just heard horror stories about that highway and how busy it is and stuff and it hasn’t been as bad as I expected. Well, that’s good to hear.

Jason Spiess

Uh, it seems like everybody has a boxing story. I’ve, I’ve heard everything from car accidents to, uh, just guys driving out here having no money in their pockets and coming out here finding a job too. Um, a, uh, what was the other one? I heard that was just remarkable. Oh, a guy trying to run down, trying to beat the Amtrak to the next station because he missed his Williston one.

So it’s, you know, it seems like everybody has a bacon story that they tell friends and family from afar. Do you have one yet in the, in the nine months that you’ve been out here? Some unbelievable that could only happen out here

Heidi LaBree

type thing? Actually, I don’t, not yet. I’m

Jason Spiess

Sorry, but the fact that you call highway 85 somewhat safe, that’s, that’s the bucket story to me. I call it white knuckle highway.

Heidi LaBree

I haven’t, I mean, I haven’t felt uncomfortable on it yet, so that’s

Jason Spiess

good. Thank you much and appreciate the work you’re doing. I lost my mother to cancer. So I appreciate all the work that you guys are doing. It’s a, it’s a worthy cause and it’s something that I feel needs to be explored a lot further on. And that’s why we’re doing this for free. So,

Heidi LaBree

well, I appreciate your, your publicity here and I really appreciate the FBI team for putting it on, so it’s, it’s a great event so. Well. Thank you much. Alright, thank.

jasonspiess
Author: jasonspiess

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