Who We Are

Dan Altena, PE

Principal

Dan Altena has over 40 years of varied experience in the oil and gas industry including leadership roles in commercial/business development, project development and management, operations, and engineering. The breadth of his experience encompasses contract negotiations, asset transactions, oil and gas allocations/settlements, complex economic analysis, design and optimization of gathering systems and processing facilities, operational management/support, and litigation support/expert testimony.

Mr. Altena established Branch Energy Services, LLC in 2006 and served clients until 2010 when he joined Anadarko Petroleum Corporation as General Manager of Southern and Appalachian Midstream. At Anadarko, he led a department responsible for commercial, engineering, and operational activities for Eagle Ford, Marcellus, West Texas, East Texas and Midcontinent assets. These areas experienced substantial growth as Anadarko expanded its midstream footprint via capital of $550 million per year to support the growth in Anadarko’s operated volumes in these areas to over 1 BCFD of gas and over 50,000 B/D of oil by 2013. Projects included multi-party joint ventures, new oil and gas gathering systems, new gas processing plants, large third-party processing agreements and asset “drop-downs” to Anadarko’s MLP affiliate.

Mr. Altena reestablished his consulting practice at Branch Energy Services in 2013. Prior to 2006 he was a Consultant for Barnes & Click, Inc. where he conducted numerous due diligence evaluations related to the acquisition or financing of midstream assets, provided litigation and expert testimony services, and conducted asset optimization projects. Before Branes & Click, he served in a variety of engineering, operations, commercial and management roles at Duke Energy Field Services, Union Pacific Resources and Exxon.

In 2018, Mr. Altena and Mr. Richard Black formed Branch Energy Services II, LLC. In 2019, Mr. Altena and Mr. Black formed Branch Operating Company, LLC, which operates and manages assets in Texas, Oklahoma, and New Mexico for private investors including Mr. Altena and Mr. Black. Mr. Altena is a past chair of the Technical Committee of the Gas Processors Association, holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Chemical Engineering from Purdue University, a Master of Science degree in Chemical Engineering from the University of Texas in Austin, and is a Registered Professional Engineer in Texas.

Richard Black

Principal

Richard Black has over 40 years of experience in the oil, gas and petrochemical industries including roles in operations, engineering, business development, and commercial management. His areas of expertise include oil and gas gathering, compression, treating and processing, fractionation, gas transportation, petrochemicals and associated feedstocks, commodity sales, hydrocarbon marketing and logistics, project development and management, contract negotiation, financial assessment and due diligence reviews. Mr. Black also provides expert testimony for clients.

Mr. Black began his career at Arco Oil and Gas Company (ARCO) and later ARCO’s majority-owned affiliate Vastar Resources. At ARCO and Vastar, he had increasing operations, engineering, and business development roles supporting the company’s ventures in most of the major U.S. oil and gas basins. He joined BP America, Inc. in 2000 as BP’s Deepwater Commercial Manager where he led a department responsible for the commercial development of world-class Gulf of Mexico deepwater oil and gas pipeline infrastructure exceeding one billion dollars installed cost. Additionally, he led commercial negotiation of BP’s oil and gas transportation, storage, and processing associated with the company’s largest basin development at the time. This accomplishment included negotiation and formation of numerous companies with various industry leading partners.

In 2003, Mr. Black founded Blackhawk Energy Consultants, an energy consulting firm providing business development, project evaluation, and economic consultation for the Midstream, Upstream, and Petrochemical industries. His consulting engagements included opportunities in major U.S. basins including shale infrastructure development in the Barnett, Marcellus, DJ, and Eagle Ford as well as international opportunities in Trinidad and Israel. In 2014, Mr. Black joined Siluria Technologies as Executive Vice President of Business Development where he helped develop and commercialize revolutionary catalytic processes that convert natural gas to olefins and fuels.

In 2018, Mr. Black and Mr. Daniel Altena formed Branch Energy Services II, LLC. In 2019, Mr. Black and Mr. Altena formed Branch Operating Company, LLC, which operates and manages assets in Texas, Oklahoma, and New Mexico for private investors including Mr. Black and Mr. Altena. Mr. Black holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Mechanical Engineering from Oklahoma State University.

Sam Kirk

Sam Kirk has 15 years of oil and gas experience with E&P, midstream, and oilfield service companies in various roles such as engineering, finance, commercial development, operations, and planning. Areas of involvement include asset valuations and transactions, contract negotiations, economic analysis, oil and gas allocations, gathering systems design, and litigation support.

Sam began his engineering career at Rolligon Corp. (now National Oilwell Varco) designing equipment for the oilfield services industry. He then joined Anadarko Petroleum Corporation’s Midstream group, evaluating assets for inclusion into their MLP affiliate. He also served in Commercial Development, negotiating contracts for both onshore and offshore business, and then in Corporate Portfolio helping to manage Anadarko’s Gulf of Mexico E&P opportunities.

In 2013, Mr. Kirk joined Branch Energy Services II, LLC, providing economic evaluation, engineering, and litigation support. In 2017, he transitioned to serve as Operations Manager for a large manufacturing company and then rejoined Branch in 2019. He holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Mechanical Engineering as well as an MBA, both from Texas A&M University in College Station, TX.

Carter Simmons

Carter Simmons is a seasoned professional with over 25 years of experience in the oil and gas industry. He has held various leadership roles in marketing, commercial and business development, showcasing his expertise in areas such as accounting, transportation logistics, product marketing, contract negotiations, and midstream infrastructure projects related to natural gas, NGLs, and crude oil.

Mr. Simmons began his career at NorAm Energy (later Reliant Energy), where he quickly rose through the ranks in the natural gas transportation and trading group. In 2007, he joined Murphy Energy Corporation, where he expanded his skills and served as a Manager, Director, and Vice President of Business Development.

In 2017, Mr. Simmons joined Branch Energy Services II LLC, bringing with him a wealth of experience and knowledge. He currently serves on the Board of Directors for Synergy Missions, a non-profit formed in 2012. He holds a Bachelor of Business Administration and Master of Accountancy degrees from Baylor University.

Kristin Gallogly

Kristin Gallogly has over 14 years of engineering experience with proficiencies in reservoir analysis, infrastructure and pipeline design, economic analysis, construction management, oil and gas allocations, hydraulic modeling, project management, ArcGIS mapping, EH&S, and regulatory reporting.

Kristin began her career in 2010 working as a Reservoir Engineer for ExxonMobil. During her time at Exxon, she strategically planned and managed a wellwork program to provide uplift for deplete fields in Southern Louisiana along with many other reservoir studies. She also received formal training through ExxonMobil’s ECM program. Kristin then worked as a Civil Engineer for NV5, Inc. where she gained further experience in CAD drafting, civil design, pipeline design, fluid analysis, ArcGIS mapping, construction management, project bidding, and project management.

In 2015, Kristin joined Branch Energy Services II, LLC as a Consultant providing various engineering services to clients. She holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Civil Engineering from Southern Methodist University in Dallas.

Branch also utilizes various associate consultants with extensive industry experience to meet the needs of client engagements. These associate are typically semi-retired and offer unique experience and skills.