SPE Drilling Engineer of the Year!

The prestigious SPE Drilling Engineer of the Year Award has been awarded to Charles "Rick" Stone, CEO and Chairman of Signa Engineering Corp.

At the recent SPE/IADC Drilling Conference in Amsterdam, Signa Engineering Corp. CEO Charles R. "Rick" Stone received the prestigious Drilling Engineer of the Year Award from the Society of Petroleum Engineers.

Click to enlargeThe award is given annually to a single recipient to recognize their outstanding achievements in the engineering field or for their contributions to the advancement of engineering discipline.

The award, formerly called the "Drilling Engineering Award," was bestowed on Rick Stone at the Netherlands conference, which drew more than 1,100 attendees from 41 countries, including Australia, Canada, China, Russia, Malaysia, South Africa, Singapore, the United States and Europe, according to the SPE website (www.spe.org).

Every year, the SPE recognizes industry professionals who set the standards of excellence in their technical specialties. The list represents a "who's who" of the petroleum industry, a designation Rick Stone personifies with his exemplary history. Rick Stone, with 24 years experience in oil & gas operations, has served as the figurehead of Signa Engineering Corp. since he created the company in 1992. He is an SPE member who has authored many SPE papers and is considered by many to be among the topmost Oil & Gas operations experts in the nation.

The SPE's Drilling Engineer of the Year Award has been bestowed upon many notable people who made lasting contributions to the field of engineering. They include:

SPE members can nominate colleagues or industry leaders who deserve such special recognition. Nominations are received through February 15 each year, and many of the awards are presented at the SPE Annual Technical Conference and Exhibition in October. Some awards are presented during other conferences throughout the year, according to the SPE website.

In addition to drawing more than 1,100 people, the 2003 conference offered 92 papers, three plenary sessions and an exhibition of 1,030 square meters with more than 46 displays. Keynote speakers were: Gert-Jan Kramer, President and CEO of Fugro; Tony Meggs, Group Vice-President of Technology for BP; John Gibson, President of Halliburton; Larry Dickerson, President and CEO of Diamond Offshore Drilling; Julian West, Senior Director of International Oil Strategy for Cambridge Energy Research Associates; and Jennifer Craw, Chief Executive of Scottish Enterprise Grampian.

For more information about SPE's honors and awards, visit www.spe.org or call Sue Kindred at (972) 952-9393 or e-mail awards@spe.org.