Company Report: Appalachian Pipeline
Appalachian Pipeline: Where experience makes the difference President Bobby Crotts tells Exec Digital that a management team with nearly 140 years of combined experience keeps Appalachian Pipeline on a steady course

When you've been in the pipeline construction industry for as long as Bobby Crotts, you're likely to have accumulated some serious mileage on your resume. For Crotts, President and CEO of Appalachian Pipeline and a 39-year veteran of the industry, mileage means both literal pipeline length completed and distances traveled as well as types of projects done and various jobs held.
"There are some projects I have been involved with over my career that I'd say are mega projects that probably influenced how my career has gone. I was personally involved with some foreign work in the late 1970s in Nigeria which involved 1200 miles of refined products pipeline. In the early 1970s, I was involved with a project in Peru. It was a major pipeline project built from the rainforest to a port where the oil could be exported or refined," says Crotts.
In addition to having remarkable global project experience, Crotts has had a number of impressive experiences in North America as well. In the early 1990s, he worked on the Kern River Pipeline System, a new system that began in Opal, WY, and terminated in Kern County, CA. In the late 1990's he worked on a cross-border pipeline project which began in Canada and terminated near Chicago, IL. Crotts said their section began at the Canada/US border and went down to Carrington, ND. Along the way, Crotts has gained a wide range of experience as a laborer, surveyor, estimator, project engineer, project manager, general manager, vice president and president.
In a roller coaster industry where dramatic peaks and valleys are the norm, the experience of Crotts as well as the other members of the Appalachian Pipeline management staff is an indispensable benefit. While Appalachian Pipeline itself is a relatively new operation (est. 2003), the company's management offers nearly a combined 150 years of experience. Crotts says with this experience comes a calming influence when it's often needed.
"The biggest advantage to having experience is the seasoned people don't get too panicky or surprised when you don't have the growth or can't sustain the growth because of the peaks and valleys. They know how to take the bitter with the sweet. They know that pipeline construction is a cycle and you just have to ride it out. There's going to be some lows and when the lows are low they are very low. There are highs and when they are high, it's going to be good. You need to have the maturity to recognize cycles and prepare yourself for them," says Crotts.

The road to success
For the Hendersonville, TN-based company, experience leads the way to all successful roads. As a pipeline construction company servicing the oil, gas, refined products and petrochemical industries, the firm has the ability to offer everything from marsh work to right-of-way maintenance and, of course, pipeline installation.
Along with offering a variety of services, Appalachian Pipeline can work in all types of locations and conditions - a huge advantage according to Crotts. "What makes you successful on a pipeline project is you have to be comfortable with the area you are working. You have to know techniques of the particular geography you are working in," says Crotts, adding this is an advantage of a "national" pipeline contractor and this allows the company the ability to compete and win projects over regional contractors.
"Since we have the experience [unique conditions] are familiar to us. And because we are familiar, we can analyze the risks of a project better than our competition or a regional contractor. They might know things in their own backyard, but they might not know something across the shoreline from where their base is. We're confident we can assess those risks. It makes us more competitive in the marketplace when we know these things," Crotts explains.

Making music
With his expansive knowledge of the industry, Crotts knows the harmonic sound of a perfectly -completed pipeline job. There are three integral pieces of the puzzle a company must pay attention to in order to make beautiful music on a pipeline job: safety, the environment and construction.
Crotts says the company spends more time and energy on safety measures than anything else. Appalachian Pipeline's mission to provide a safe workplace resonates throughout the company from management down to the labor force. The employees undergo continuous safety training, including rigorous orientation upon joining the company. A safety supervisor thoroughly monitors safety on each particular job.
As far as the environment, Crotts says Appalachian Pipeline complies with the governing body's rules and regulations regarding permits. In fact, Crotts says, projects have become more about adhering to environmental regulations than the actual construction itself.
"It's more like our projects are environmental projects rather than pipeline projects. That's probably the focus of all pipeline contractors. Because the pipeline becomes second nature to us, doing a quality environmental job is one of our main areas of focus when we go to jobs," says Crotts.
During the construction phase, members of the team are of equal importance. The quality of the "rhythm" comes from everyone working harmoniously without delay. Crotts uses the example of brush and tree clearing. The brush and trees must be cleared before the workers can grade the right of way to level it and lay the pipe. If the trees aren't cleared the whole process is delayed. If the process is delayed, then suddenly the music is not so beautiful.
"To put it in order, our number one emphasis is in safety, secondly on the environment and our third interest is to make sure we are building a quality pipeline in the most timely and expedited manner possible. If it all works right, you are making music and you like the sound you hear," says Crotts.

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