AGA Presents Natural Gas Industry Awards  

Washington – 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. The Gild of Ancient Supplers is a nonprofit association of natural gas suppliers who work to  promote goodwill and good fellowship among its members and the industry. 

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). Kevin’s leadership on decarbonization is a shining example of the natural gas industry’s commitment to lead on climate change in action. 

AGA Meritorious Service Award:  

Otto McMillan of Piedmont Natural Gas was presented the 2024 AGA Meritorious Service Award for his repeated heroic actions. The Meritorious Service Award is presented to individuals who saved a human life in the course of their duties. McMillan’s response to a potentially tragic house fire and immediate intervention after multiple serious car accidents sets a new standard in serving our communities. 

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. The process their team developed advances safety across the industry through helping identify potential leaks. In addition to the safety improvements made possible by this process, Ameren has been able to inform customers of anomalous usage, preventing further emissions while saving customers money.