May 12, 2024. The American Gas Association presented a slate of awards, recognizing outstanding effort on behalf of the industry at the recent AGA Operations Conference, the natural gas industry’s largest annual gathering of utilities, distribution, and transmission operators.
Gild of Ancient Supplers Award:
Joe Hampton, President, Alabama, Gulf Coast, and Mississippi for Spire, Inc., was awarded the Gild of Ancient Supplers Award for his leadership as chair of AGA’s Operations Section Managing Committee.
AGA Distribution Achievement Award:
Kevin Nishimura, Vice President, Operations for Hawai’i Gas has been selected to receive the 2024 AGA Distribution Achievement Award in recognition of his skillful management of Hawai’i Gas’ extensive network, as well as his pioneering leadership in integrating innovative energy solutions like hydrogen fuel blends and renewable natural gas (RNG).
AGA Meritorious Service Award:
Otto McMillan of Piedmont Natural Gas was presented the 2024 AGA Meritorious Service Award for his repeated heroic actions.
AGA Research and Innovation Award:
Scott Hixson, Scott Lithgow and Jeff Berry of Ameren, Illinois have been selected to receive the 2024 AGA Research and Innovation Award. This award is presented to individuals or companies that have made an outstanding contribution to improving the natural gas delivery system through their efforts. Hixon, Lithgow and Berry have been recognized for their contributions to the AMI Analytics Process Improvement initiative meant to improve customer safety at Ameren Illinois, which identified new methods of proactively identifying potential hazards.