Dimension Energy

View This Article in BOSS Magazine

Success in the Downturn

There’s a lot to know about the energy industry. As one of the biggest industries in the U.S., energy is comprised of renewable energy and fuels, oil and gas, coal, and nuclear: but this is only the beginning of a long list of different markets.

That’s part of the reason Tim Nesler, Dimension Energy Services President and CEO, joined the industry in the first place.

“You’re always learning something new,” he shared with BOSS Magazine. “Since becoming part of this industry, I’ve always strived to bring best practices and new technology to the forefront.”

For Dimension Energy Services, that means offering a slew of services across the upstream (exploration and production), midstream (the transportation, storage, and wholesale marketing) and downstream (refining and petrochemical) markets of the petroleum industry.

In its infancy, Dimension Energy Services was not as diversified, and its clients didn’t look to Dimension to provide both maintenance in downstream services and construction of pipelines in its upstream services. It was primarily a midstream construction company.

However, the company has dedicated a key part of its strategy to bringing these two disciplines together under one company.

“Our employees have embraced and taken on a few new roles over the last year, and our strategy has accelerated over this time frame as well. We have excellent people with many years of experience in place to marry these services.”

This diversification across the entire industry has also helped the company stay relevant and successful in spite of the economic downturn the industry is currently experiencing.

“There’s no denying it—the market is in a lull right now,” Nesler said. “But we’re focusing on gathering systems that are with strong midstream providers. Not everyone is suffering the current consequences of the low energy prices, and we’re making a point to make ourselves available for these companies.”

Dimension and Nesler are focusing on gathering systems across New Mexico, Oklahoma, and Texas, with metering systems projects in New Mexico and Texas, and field compression projects in Texas. The company’s current workload is also coming from downstream maintenance projects in petrochemical facilities.

The market has been tough on everyone, but Dimension Energy Services has strategies in place to weather the storm.

“We’ve had to tighten belts significantly during this downturn and run leaner, but every cost-cutting strategy we’ve put in place will not impact our long-term growth goals,” said Nesler.

However, there is no cutting corners in safety for Dimension Energy Services. Since the company was founded, safety has been Dimension’s number one goal. Nesler pointed out that a safe workforce helps customers feel more at ease working with you, encourages more projects, and helps company culture and morale. In addition, government entities show interest in working with companies that have a high safety standard, as well.

“Safety attracts success,” Nesler said.

And there’s no better example of this than Dimension Energy Services. In the last six months, the company has made a concerted effort to lower its Total Recordable Incident Rating (TRIR) and has seen great results. Currently the TRIR is at 0.56, down from 1. Nesler even shared that the company is aiming to be below 0.5 by the end of this year, with a consistent push towards
0.25-0.35.

Other short-term goals include continuing to build the company culture—which is focused around communication and having all employees feel like part of the team—and challenging themselves in the jobs and projects they currently have on the docket.

“Long term, we’re hoping—like everyone else—that the energy downturn doesn’t last a decade like it did in the mid-1980s through the early 1990s. Once it runs its course, we are back to increasing our customer base.”

But all of this—the impressive safety record, the goals for the future—wouldn’t be possible without the strong team Nesler has.

“I’ve had the opportunity to work with a couple of other companies, and I can honestly say the people I am with now at Dimension are the best people I’ve ever had the chance to work with. They are conscientious of each other, and of the company, and embrace the culture and the changes wholeheartedly.

“My mentors over the years have taught me to think in terms of ‘we’ instead of ‘me’ because it’s the employees and team leadership that makes this company, and I’ve carried that mindset through Dimension.”