Aka Energy Group, LLC has an experienced management team dedicated to providing the very best in midstream services to its customers. Our philosophy is to provide dependable, high quality, high-value service every day to every customer. We believe in developing long-term relationships with our customers as partners, based on the quality of our services and the integrity with which we provide those services. We believe our customers’ satisfaction and success is the cornerstone of Aka’s success and we work to be our customers’ mid-stream provider of choice.
Aka’s management team is dedicated to conducting all operations in an uncompromisingly safe and environmentally conscientious manner. Aka employs Best Management Practices as well as stringently conforms to all legal and regulatory requirements. Every employee is trained to understand safety and environmental protection as an essential part of their job.
Kourtney Hadrick
President and Chief Operating Officer
Kourtney Hadrick has over 20 years of experience in the oil and gas and petrochemical industry. She is responsible for providing strategic leadership to Aka Energy, LLC and for achieving the goals and objectives of the business.
Prior to joining Aka as President/COO in 2017, Mrs. Hadrick was employed by Aka Energy Group, LLC as the Vice President of Operations, supporting both the Red Cedar and Aka businesses. Mrs. Hadrick joined Aka in 2012 as the Vice President of Engineering and Development and was responsible for managing engineering and development projects associated with Aka’s growth and maintenance capital projects for new development, as well as optimization and support of daily operations. Prior to joining Aka, Mrs. Hadrick was employed by BP America Production Company, where she held various engineering and operational management positions which included Onshore Site Manager and Operations Manager for natural gas production fields and midstream facilities in Colorado, Texas, and Wyoming. Mrs. Hadrick was also employed by URS Corporation and Union Carbide prior to joining BP.
Mrs. Hadrick has a B.S. in Chemical Engineering from Purdue University.
Coy Bryant
Director of Operations
Responsible for daily operations of all Aka Energy assets, Mr. Bryant joined Aka in 2014 as the Director of Operations.
Prior to joining Aka, Mr. Bryant began his career in 2002 with ExxonMobil Production Company as a Facility Engineer in onshore South Texas and offshore California. Subsequently, Mr. Bryant joined the Kinder Morgan CO2 Company, working in roles of increasing responsibility in engineering, production operations management, and business development.
Mr. Bryant holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Civil Engineering from Texas Tech University and a Master of Science in Mechanical Engineering with an emphasis in Nuclear Engineering from the University of Texas at Austin.
Dan Jefferson
Director of EH&S
Dan Jefferson is a member of the Southern Ute Indian Tribe and is responsible for developing, implementing, coordinating, and maintaining company-wide environmental-, health- and safety-related programs, policies, and procedures specific to applicable safety and health laws, as well as assuring compliance with tribal, state, federal, and local rules and regulations.
Upon his graduation from Ignacio High School, Mr. Jefferson attended Denver Institute of Technology, achieving a Certificate in Automotive Mechanics. He is a member of the American Society of Safety Professionals, is a Certified Inspector of Sediment and Erosion Control, and is a Tribal Appointed Commissioner to the State of Colorado Environmental Commission. He joined the Southern Ute Indian Tribe in 1985 as Custom Farm Director and in 1987 as Natural Resources Field Coordinator. In 1990, Mr. Jefferson began his career in the Oil and Gas Industry as an apprentice completing the program to become Natural Gas Operator with WestGas, a Subsidiary of Public Service of Colorado.
Mr. Jefferson’s career with Red Cedar includes positions as Plant Operator, Operations Supervisor, Process Safety Management Coordinator, and Manager of Plant Operations at the Arkansas Loop Facility. Prior to his current position, Mr. Jefferson served as Training and Development Coordinator and Environmental, Health, and Safety Manager.
Jake Mallett
Director of Business Development and Optimization
Jake Mallet is responsible for supporting business development, strategic asset optimization, and commercial activities of Aka Energy assets in the DJ and Permian Basins as the Director of Business Development and Optimization. Mr. Mallett joined Red Cedar in 2008, working in roles of increasing responsibility within the engineering, operations, business development, and commercial disciplines. Prior to joining Red Cedar, Mr. Mallett was employed by the US Department of Commerce in the NIST/NOAA agencies providing engineering support for multiple research projects. Subsequently, Mr. Mallett was employed by ForeRunner/URS Corporation, working in engineering and project management roles for various Oil and Gas Companies.
Mr. Mallett earned a Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering and a Master of Science in Mechanical Engineering with an emphasis in Applied Mechanics both from the University of Colorado at Boulder.
Bryant Frihart
Executive VP – Business Development & Commercial Services
Bryant Frihart has over 30 years of varied industry experience with increasing accountability and responsibility in energy trading, Natural Gas and NGL marketing, risk management, gas supply, and business development. Prior to joining Aka Energy, Mr. Frihart worked in commercial and trading roles at UBS, Enron, PG&E, Vesta Energy, and Occidental Petroleum.
At Aka Energy, Mr. Frihart is responsible for coordinating all commercial endeavors surrounding the Aka Energy assets in New Mexico and Colorado. He joined Aka Energy in 2004 via the acquisition of Frontier Field Services by Aka Energy; he was named Vice President of Commercial Services in 2008 and later promoted to his current role of EVP in 2016.
Mr. Frihart holds a B.B.A. in Petroleum Land Management from the University of Oklahoma and has completed the Strategic Leadership Business Course at the University of Chicago.
Tom Weinheimer
Director of Engineering
Mr. Weinheimer joined Red Cedar in March 2011 after 26 years of engineering and management experience in the oil & gas industry spent in Havre, MT, Bakersfield, CA, Williston, ND, Taft, CA, Casper, WY, Odessa, TX, Midland, TX, and Farmington, NM.
His experience includes production engineering, facilities engineering (both pipeline and compression), production supervision, management of construction & roustabouts, pipeline/facilities/wells modeling for the BP major project, base operations facility support for the CBM compression facilities, and new engineer hire mentoring for Halliburton, Getty Oil, Amerada Hess, ARCO Oil & Gas, Vastar Resources, and BP America.
At Red Cedar, Mr. Weinheimer is responsible for the management and supervision of the Company’s engineering, project, and construction services, including technical support, project management, design and drafting, and construction supervision.
Mr. Weinheimer holds BS and MS degrees in Petroleum Engineering from Montana Tech.