Hector Jacques Selected for Oil and Gas Pioneer Award

Geotechnical engineer and entrepreneur Hector J. Jacques, Chairman of Jacques Whitford, has been named OTANS Petroleum Pioneer for 2006. The award will be presented October 3 at the Petroleum Pioneer Dinner at the World Trade & Convention Centre in Halifax.

Hector Jacques started his career in geotechnical engineering services after completing his master’s degree in Engineering from the Technical University of Nova Scotia. After working for a couple of years for another firm, he teamed up with fellow TUNS graduate Michael Whitford to form Jacques Whitford in order to service what they predicted would be a growing engineering services industry.

Mr. Jacques has had a long career in the petroleum services industry. In the early 1980’s, Jacques Whitford was one of the first local companies to prove that Nova Scotia companies could compete – and succeed – for contracts in the then-fledgling offshore oil and gas industry. In 1979, he formed a strategic joint venture with McClelland Geosciences in Houston, in order to provide geotechnical services to the Canadian offshore. In 1989, Fugro Consultants International merged with McClelland Geosciences to form the largest offshore geotechnical firm in the world. The Fugro Jacques joint venture has been successfully providing offshore geotechnical and geosurvey services since then. In 1985, Jacques Whitford also started to provide environmental consulting services to the oil and gas industry. Since then, the company has been involved in all the major offshore plays on the Scotian Shelf and Grand Banks. Jacques Whitford has built on the expertise developed in offshore Nova Scotia and Newfoundland, expanding its operations throughout the world and establishing the company as a globally recognized presence in the geotechnical and environmental services industry.

Employing over 1400 people worldwide, Jacques Whitford presently has offices in every province and territory in Canada. In the United States, offices are located in Maine, New York, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Pennsylvania and Rhode Island. The firm also has joint ventures in Trinidad, W.I., UAE and Qatar.

Mr. Jacques has served on numerous boards and is presently Chairman of the Board of Directors of Jacques Whitford.

Additional titles and awards include:

• Engineering Award for Distinctive Achievement in the Practice of Engineering by the Association of Professional Engineers of Nova Scotia, 1983.
  
• Beaubien Award for Distinctive Achievement in the Practice of Engineering by the Association of Consulting Engineers, 1986.
• Canada 125 Anniversary Medal, for his significant contributions to compatriots, community and to Canada, 1993.
  
• Fellow, Engineering Institute of Canada, 1994.
  
• Honorary Doctorate of Commerce, Saint Mary’s University, Halifax, 1995.
  
• Atlantic Canada Entrepreneur of the Year, 1996.
  
• Fellow, the Canadian Academy of Engineering, 1997.
  
• Honorary Doctorate of Law, Acadia University, Wolfville, Nova Scotia and the University College of Cape Breton, Sydney, Nova Scotia, 2001.
  
• Nova Scotia Business Hall of Fame, 2001.
  
• Gold Medal for distinction and exceptional achievements in their chosen engineering fields, Association of Professional Engineers of Nova Scotia, 2002.
  
• Honorary Doctorate of Law, Dalhousie University, 2005.
  
  

“Hector Jacques smashes the myth that Nova Scotia firms cannot be leaders on the world stage,” says OTANS Chair Barry Clouter. “He has built a firm that spans the globe and has kept his local roots. We are pleased to honour this pioneer and thank him for his years of leadership in the Nova Scotia oil and gas community,” added Clouter

The OTANS "Petroleum Pioneer Award" is presented by the Association to recognize and acknowledge those individuals, groups, companies or their organization, which, through their outstanding accomplishments have had an influence on the development and growth of Nova Scotia's petroleum industry.

The Offshore/Onshore Technologies Association of Nova Scotia (OTANS) is a not-for-profit organization representing the interests of organizations in the oil and gas industry in Eastern Canada. Since its inception in 1982, the membership of OTANS has swelled to more than 350 member organizations throughout Atlantic Canada. The associations’ mandate is to represent, connect, and advise members, facilitating the development of the local oil and gas industry.