Kevin Fordham Reflects on a Transformative Year at Cokebusters USA

12 months ago Kevin Fordham began as Chief Executive Officer of Cokebusters USA.  It was our MD James Phipps who suggested him for the role, having worked with him years earlier.  Kevin responded to initial conversations very enthusiastically and asserted that he was ready for a new challenge.   With plenty of work to do from our Americas Centre in Houston, Kevin and the team have been kept busy this past year and we thought it fitting to ask him to share his own reflections of the journey so far…

“If you would have asked me a little over 12 months ago what I expected from my work life over the coming year I could have never foreseen the satisfaction I have gained from joining the international Cokebusters team.

Coming from a corporate background into a family business, with all values that go along with it, has been a breath of fresh air.  The team I have are an amazing bunch, at all levels of the organization.  They care about getting the job done and they care for each other, which is quite something.

I feel very privileged to have been selected for this position and enjoy the different challenges and triumphs it presents each day.  For example how many people can say that within a few months of being in a new position, they were invited to Windsor Castle to represent the company and meet HM King Charles?!”

So, reflecting on the first year in the seat, what has been achieved?

“We replaced our essential but aging fleet of personnel transport vehicles with seven new Dodge RAM 1500 pickups, which are more practical and fitting for our business needs.  We also acquired 4 new super sleeper tractor trailers.”

“We have retained our highly trained and competent Technicians and Supervisors, as well as onboarding several additional quality individuals.  We have introduced supervisor training as part of our investment in people and have continued to regularly implement safety and technical training to ensure we deliver on site for our clients – right first time, every time.

We recognize that training alone does not ensure competence.  So we are working towards not only improving technical training, but also ensuring competency through assessment and improvement in some of the behavioural aspects of the job.  Again we are developing this initiative jointly with our counterparts in the UK to ensure we have alignment right across the company.”

And there’s a new premises to look forward to?

“Indeed! Back in December we sealed the deal on a 5 acre land purchase in Tomball, Houston for a new US HQ.  We are now rapidly moving toward permitting with the aim of breaking ground in July.

Our teams have been fighting against their working environment at Theall Road for too long and everyone is excited to have a purpose built premises, designed to suit the company’s needs.  We intend to provide spaces for each person to perform their function and collaborate easily in a pleasant environment we can all call home.”

How has Cokebusters USA’s relationship with its clients developed over the past 12 months?

“Previously our clients viewed us solely as heater mechanical decoking and inspection specialists.  I have met with several of our key clients across the country and discussed our pipeline inspection capabilities with them.  It seems we were not recognizing, at least in the US market, the full extent to which we can serve the energy industry with our cutting edge technology.

Meeting with our oil refining clients has been insightful for me.  Earlier in my career I was actively involved in major turnarounds on facilities across the globe, but that was some time ago. So getting together with turnaround teams helped to recalibrate me in the challenges and effort required by these operators to be incident free, on time and on budget.  The focus for Cokebusters as a service provider during these outages, is to perform at the highest level to help them meet these objectives.

During my site visits it is firstly heartening to witness firsthand the camaraderie and teamwork our operations teams demonstrate. It has also been reassuring to receive unsolicited feedback from our clients that Cokebusters is reputed to provide a safe, efficient and professional service.  Additionally, we strive to be viewed as a problem solver; utilizing our in-house technology and expertise to help overcome client challenges.

We are further building on our relationships with our clients to collaborate in the planning stages of an outage to ensure when we arrive at site there are no surprises. As an old colleague of mine said, plan the work, then work the plan!”

What are your thoughts on the relationship between the UK and USA teams?

“The collaboration between the two Cokebusters entities on either side of the Atlantic has been one of the aspects that has truly impressed me.  Whether it be development of a high level business strategy, technology, safety lessons learned and even developing plans for the new premises, we now have a one team approach and involve our folks at all levels.

We’ve seen this with our foreign exchange exercises where members of each team have been over to visit their counterparts across the pond.  Scotty & Ryan spent some time getting to know the UK team back in January and I know the UK workshop team are always keen to assist our guys with the Double Pumping Units we have over here.  It’s been great seeing the two teams connecting and sharing their expertise more than ever this past year and long may it continue!”

We also asked the CB USA team themselves if they had any reflections on how Kevin’s first year as CEO had gone.  Risky perhaps, but Kevin needn’t have worried as the testimonials were 100% positive!

We thought we share a few snippets of feedback from the team at Cokebusters USA:

Operator and Fabricator, Ryan Bonzagni:
“Kevin says what he means and does what he says.  To myself and a lot of the other guys honesty, integrity and respect go a long way, but actions go the furthest.  I may be wrong, but I’m pretty sure Kevin’s middle name is ‘action’!”

Site Supervisor, Preston McGinnis:
“Kevin has done an exceptional job in his role here at CBUSA, holding everyone accountable in their duties and roles here at the company, leading us to grow within the Industry.”

Operations Manager, Trent Teague:
“Kevin has great leadership qualities. The general atmosphere here is better than ever before!”

Shop Manager, Scotty Wilkins:
“Cokebusters USA, with Kevin Fordham at the helm as CEO has driven a 180 degree change in the confidence of our Management team, not to mention the level of respect that he has earned from our employees.  Morale is at an all-time high, production is up and his word is golden.  He fits the Cokebusters family mold like a glove!  We learned that he keeps his promises and so we have confidence in him as a leader.”

Site Supervisor, Enrique Medrano:
“I had heard it talked about for the past 7 to 8 years, but we finally got to purchase the land for a new facility! Exciting times ahead.”

Health & Safety Manager, Paul Kelleher:
“In just 12 months our new CEO has brought fresh energy, clear vision and a renewed sense of purpose to the organization. This past year has been one of growth, connection and momentum – and we’re only just getting started!“