James Eckert has been named VP, Storage and Transportation of NJR Midstream Company, a wholly owned subsidiary of New Jersey Resources, effective Aug. 1, the company announced.
Eckert will succeed Ginger Richman, who will remain with the company to facilitate the leadership transition until her scheduled retirement Dec. 31, 2023.
NJR’s S&T business invests in, owns and operates high-quality natural gas pipeline and storage facilities used to serve customers in the natural gas marketplace, including distributors, producers, interstate pipelines, electric generators and wholesale gas marketers.
Its assets include the 84-mile Adelphia Gateway pipeline in southeastern Pennsylvania; Leaf River Energy Center in southeastern Mississippi, which consists of three salt dome caverns with a working natural gas storage capacity of 32 Bcf that connects to seven pipelines; and a 50% equity interest in Steckman Ridge, a 12 Bcf storage facility in Bedford County, Pennsylvania with access to two interstate pipelines and natural gas supplies from the East Coast and Rocky Mountain regions.
Eckert will be responsible for leading NJR’s S&T business, including overseeing a diverse team of employees, developing and executing new and organic growth opportunities and driving operational and organizational efficiencies across all S&T’s assets. He also will serve as President of Adelphia Gateway LLC and Leaf River Energy Center LLC upon Richman’s retirement.
NJR CEO Steve Westhoven applauded the announcement.
“With more than three decades of natural gas marketing and operational experience, James is a respected leader and welcome addition to our executive team,” he said. “This is a critical time for the energy industry; and I have every confidence he will position our storage and transportation business for continued success and serve our customers and company well.”
Eckert brings extensive experience, including leadership roles in operations, marketing, business development, asset optimization, gas scheduling, gas control, storage, operations planning, measurement and procurement.
Prior to joining NJR, he served as SVP of Business Development at Millennium Pipeline in Houston, Texas, where he was responsible for developing new business prospects that support the growth and expansion of Millennium’s pipeline assets; identifying opportunities to increase supply and demand to add value for existing shippers and driving customer growth through infrastructure enhancements. Before working at Millennium, Mr. Eckert spent more than 20 years with El Paso Corporation and 10 years with TC Energy, where he worked as VP of Marketing and Optimization and was responsible for marketing gas transportation and storage assets across the U.S natural gas pipelines.
Richman has been a key member of NJR’s executive team for over 20 years and served in numerous leadership roles across the organization, including Vice President of S&T, where she is responsible for overseeing all strategies for S&T’s assets and leads commercial operations and regulatory functions to support the effective management of day-to-day business activities, customer transactions and compliance. Prior to leading S&T, she was VP of NJR Energy Services, where she was responsible for business development, strategy and expanding the business’ footprint into new market areas.
“Ginger has contributed immensely to the success of our company over the course of her career,” Westhoven said. “Her leadership and contributions have been invaluable to the growth of our S&T business and organization. I thank her for her dedication and service that have helped drive our company forward. On behalf of our entire organization, I wish her well in her retirement.”
