NXT 2019: Speaker Overview
Keynote Speaker:
Will Gadd
Safety First – Mitigating Risk
in the World’s Most Dangerous Environments
— Champion Ice Climber & Paraglide Pilot
Will Gadd was the first person to climb a frozen Niagara Falls not because he was crazy, but because he could convince everyone from the Governor of New York down to the state police that the risk of climbing Niagara could also result in some massively positive outcomes.
Will speaks on the topics he lives daily: Excellence, managing risk, resiliency, seizing opportunity, high performance outcomes and risk mitigation in low-knowledge environments.
Featured Speakers
One Team, One Fight – How to Approach Risk
and Strengthen Your Safety Culture
Lance Robinson
Director of Safety,
1st Marine Division – Environmental Compliance Liaison
After 11 years of active duty in the Marine Corps, Mr. Robinson transitioned to the Marine Corps Reserves to continue a career in Occupational Safety and Health. He was immediately hired as a Civil Servant with the First Marine Expeditionary Force (I MEF) where he deployed three more times in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom and Operation Enduring Freedom, Afghanistan.
Mr. Robinson and his staff continue to provide hands-on support of field training exercises and in-depth inspection and review program for 27 subordinate units consisting of 20,000+ active duty Marines and Sailors. Mr. Robinson retired from the Marine Corps Reserve after completing 22 year of combined service.
Using Data as a
Competitive Advantage
Matt Johnson
Environmental Health & Safety Manager,
Reynolds Polymer Technology
Matt Johnson joined the Reynolds Polymer team in 2006 as a night shift Material Handling employee. Matt spent the next few years working in many different departments at Reynolds Polymer where he eventually ended up managing their chemical lab. After an OSHA inspection at Reynolds Polymer found zero violations in the lab he managed, he was asked to step up into the Safety Manager position.
Over the next 8 years Matt and his team went on to create a world-class safety culture at Reynolds Polymer Technology, earning SHARP certification through OSHA’s On-Site Consultation Program in 2016, and a Gold Member of the Environmental Leadership Program sponsored by the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment in 2018.
Executive Panel: Panelist
Richard Jackson
President & COO, Spark Power
Richard oversees the Spark Power operating companies and comes to Spark with 20 years of experience in various leadership roles across several industries. Prior to joining Spark, Richard was Managing Director for North America for the France based company, Winoa Group overseeing their business operations. Richard also spent 19 years in the electrical equipment manufacturer’s industry playing several senior roles in sales and operations with Moeller Electric and Eaton Corporation.
Richard holds an MBA from Athabasca University and Bachelor of Commerce Degree from Ryerson University.
Executive Panel: Panelist
Chris Payson
CEO, Reach Wireline and Hybrid Completion Tools
Chris Payson, brings over 15 years experience in energy services. Prior to his current role, Chris served as Executive Vice President of Completions at Nine Energy Service where he had significant growth over a 3-year period. He previously founded and led two successful startups; American Eagle Raingutters and CDK Perforating.
Chris was born and still currently lives in Jacksboro, TX with his wife and two daughters. He began his journey into the workforce as a Corrections Officer and Shift Supervisor with Lindsey Correctional Facility. During his downtime, Chris enjoys spending time with his family and fishing.
Executive Panel: Panelist
Jeremy Hand
CEO, Avenge Energy Services Inc.
Jeremy Hand oversees Avenge as CEO and started the company in
2005 with two vacuum trucks and one other employee. He owned
and operated the trucks and grew the company from the trenches.
Born and raised in Peace River, Jeremy is originally a Journeyman Instrumentation Tech.
He had the opportunity to work in Yemen, Iraq, Dubai, Uganda, and the Philippines. Avenge has grown to be the biggest privately-owned industrial cleaning company in Canada located across Western Canada.
Jeremy holds himself and the company to a standard of authenticity, trust, transparency, and proactive service. He still resides in Peace River, Alberta with his family and was the World Jet Boat Racing Champion in 2015.
The Fututre of EHS
Adrian Bartha
CEO, eCompliance
Adrian formed eCompliance with his business partner in 2012 after experiencing firsthand how a workplace incident affected a power company that he helped lead.
Combining his background in finance with his knowledge of health and safety, Adrian now educates safety professionals on how to demonstrate a return on safety. He shows them how continuous improvement can be leveraged as a competitive advantage, using language that resonates with high-level executives.
Handling Change Management
in a New Era of Safety
Star Hofer
Director of Customer Success, eCompliance
Star leads the Success Team at eCompliance, which includes onboarding, training, professional services, retention, and support.
She has built a reputation for growing high-impact teams focused on customer value and quality relationships over her 12-year career. As a process-driven leader and certified Project Management Professional (PMP), her mission is to help all customers unleash the power of advocacy through safety.
