Bakken Midstream Names Head of Business Development

 

Bakken Midstream Natural Gas, LLC (“Bakken") today announces Curt Launer, one of the Founders, has formally joined the company as its Head of Business Development. Launer will focus on development of value-added utilization of natural gas including power generation, processing, pipelines and the infrastructure to attract petrochemical production to North Dakota.

Launer joins from S2K Financial (S2K), where he led the energy advisory business in natural gas infrastructure. Previously, Launer was with American Energy Partners in Oklahoma City where he developed and financed energy related businesses, and was an investment banker at Deutsche Bank and Sagent Advisors. From 1987 until 2005 Launer was an equities research analyst at Credit Suisse and Donaldson, Lufkin and Jenrette (DLJ). Launer began his career at Arthur Young and Company and also worked for Mobil Oil and Gruss Petroleum Management.

In 2011, Launer was inducted into the "Institutional Investor Hall of Fame" and named "One of the Best Analysts of All Time" in recognition of his work in various natural gas related categories and 12 years of first place rankings in the annual Institutional Investor magazine poll. He has originated and participated in over $30 billion in merger and acquisition transactions and $50 billion in equity and debt capital raising. Launer contributed to numerous critical events in natural gas in North America and internationally in financings, testimony and regulatory proceedings including all facets of exploration and production, midstream infrastructure and liquefied natural gas. 

Founder and Chairman of Bakken Steven E. Lebow says, “Curt has long experience in midstream energy and we have been working together in North Dakota for more than three years.  I am delighted Curt accepted my invitation to join Bakken’s business development effort full-time.  I first met Curt at DLJ and we partnered in later years at Sagent Advisors.  I am thrilled that the Bakken Midstream team has Curt available full-speed at this very important time in North Dakota. We are ready to execute the vision Curt has participated in elsewhere, building natural gas infrastructure for value-add opportunities in North Dakota.”

Bakken CEO Mike Hopkins adds, “I am delighted that a founder of the company is coming on board and I look forward to working with Steve and Curt to realize the vision that they and others established in founding this company.”

Curt Launer commented, “I am very excited to have the opportunity to be a founder at Bakken Midstream with Steve Lebow. He has financed and built numerous world-class companies including Costco, PetSmart, Starbucks and ULTA Beauty and we share the goal of utilizing and adding value to North Dakota’s abundant natural gas resources.  Steve’s business acumen, the Bakken team, my experience with midstream entities including Enterprise Products, Energy Transfer, Kinder Morgan and others, combined with support from the State of North Dakota, is a peerless combination.”