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.
Coy Bryant
President and Chief Operating Officer
Mr. Bryant was appointed President and Chief Operating Officer in September 2020. He is responsible for the financial and operational performance, strategic direction, and leadership of the company.
Mr. Bryant joined Aka in 2014 as the Director of Operations and held that position until moving into his current role. 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.
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.
Leila McSween
Controller
Leila McSween is a Colorado licensed CPA with over 15 years of experience in the oil and gas industry. She joined Aka Energy in 2019. Mrs. McSween is concurrently working as a Controller at Red Cedar Gathering Company, where she started in 2008. Before that, Mrs. McSween worked in the Accounting and Finance departments of Sky Ute Sand and Gravel and Momentum Energy in Durango, Colorado. She also has international experience working in the oil and gas sector in Kazakhstan.
At Aka Energy, Mrs. McSween is responsible for directing daily financial activities, including the financial, administrative, and accounting functions. Mrs. McSween also oversees financial reporting, accounting, budgeting, forecasting, audits, and banking relationships.
Mrs. McSween holds a Bachelor’s degree in International Economic Relations from Kazakh State National University (Almaty, Kazakhstan) and an MBA from the University of New Orleans (New Orleans, USA).