Adds Significant Oil and Gas Industry and Public Company Experience
LEHI, UT / ACCESSWIRE / March 22, 2023 / Vivakor, Inc. (NASDAQ:VIVK) ("Vivakor" or the "Company"), a socially responsible operator, acquirer and developer of clean energy technologies and environmental solutions, is pleased to formally announce its newly constituted Board of Directors, as had been previously disclosed in the Company's 8-K filings.
Vivakor Chairman and Chief Executive Officer James Ballengee, commented, "We are extremely excited to welcome our new Board of Directors, who bring a wealth of expertise and knowledge both in our industry and the financial capital markets. Independent directors John R. Harris, Albert Johnson and David Natan, together with our CFO, Tyler Nelson, along with myself, now comprise our Board, strengthening our corporate governance. Our new directors provide a diverse range of experience applicable to oil and gas, operations, technology, public companies and capital markets. We are confident that this newly constructed Board will help us successfully navigate the capital markets."
Mr. Harris's years of experience with public company boards of directors, as well as his international business background, make a strong addition to the Board.
Mr. Johnson adds significant expertise, in particular with respect to the Company's midstream and downstream operations, having worked extensively in the oil and gas industry.
Mr. Natan adds considerable value through his extensive public company experience, which includes direct involvement in approximately 25 M&A transactions, as well as advising regarding successful fund-raising activities related to such transactions.
Mr. Nelson adds value to the Board given his strong financial background and familiarity with the Company in his role as Chief Financial Officer.
Full biographical information for each member of Vivakor's Board of Directors is set forth as follows.
John R. Harris combines over 35 years of experience in Board of Directors, CEO and Senior Management positions in a variety of industries including technology services, telecommunications, healthcare, and business process outsourcing. He currently serves on the board of directors for the Hackett Group, Hifu Prostate Services, GenHemp, and Everservice. Since 2009 Mr. Harris has primarily been a private investor, advisor, and board member for both public and privately held companies. From 2006 to 2009 he was CEO of Etelecare Global solutions a leading provider of offshore teleservices to Fortune 1,000 companies. From 2003 to 2005 he served as the CEO of Seven Worldwide, a digital content management company where he was previously a member of the board of directors of the company. From 2001 to 2003, Mr. Harris consulted with a variety of venture-backed early-stage companies. Previously Mr. Harris spent 25 years with Electronic Data Systems in a variety of senior executive positions to include President of the 4 strategic business units serving the telecommunications and media industries world-wide. He was elected as a Corporate Vice-President and Officer of the company. During his tenure with EDS, he gained extensive international experience working and living in the Middle East, Europe and Asia. Mr. Harris has extensive public company board experience through prior services on the boards of Premier Global Services, Cap Rock Communications, Genuity, Ventiv Health, Startek, Sizmek, Mobivity and Applied Graphic Technologies and served in a variety of positions to include board member, committee chairman, lead director and chairman. Mr. Harris received his BBA and MBA from the University of West Georgia where he serves on the Board of Advisors to the Richards School of Business.
Albert Johnson brings over 25 years of experience in operations and senior management in the midstream and downstream sectors of the oil and gas industry. Previously, Mr. Johnson had been involved in public and privately held companies holding various positions in senior management and serving as a member of boards of directors. From 2014 to 2015, he was Director of Business Development for Sunoco Logistics, LP., a publicly traded master limited partnership involved in the marketing, trading, transportation and terminalling of crude oil, products and NGLs. From July 2015 through May 2017, Mr. Johnson was the Vice President of Business Development for Navigator Energy Services, LLC., a private equity backed company involved in the gathering, transportation and terminalling of crude oil. From March 2018 to November 2022, Mr. Johnson served as Executive Vice President Business Development for ARX Energy, LLC. Since November 2022, Mr. Johnson has served as Chief Commercial Officer for ARX Energy, LLC., a privately held company involved in building a world class clean fuels facility in the Port of Brownsville, Texas. Mr. Johnson served on the Board of Directors for West Texas Gulf Pipe Line Company and on the Management Committee of SunVit Pipeline, LLC. He has an undergraduate degree in History from the University of Texas at Austin and an MBA finance concentration from Jones Graduate School of Business at Rice University.
David Natan currently serves as President and Chief Executive Officer of Natan & Associates, LLC, a consulting firm offering chief financial officer services to public and private companies in a variety of industries, since 2007. From February 2010 to May 2020, Mr. Natan served as Chief Executive Officer of a company focused on the solar industry and LED lighting products. From February 2002 to November 2007, Mr. Natan served as Executive Vice President of Reporting and Chief Financial Officer of PharmaNet Development Group, Inc., a drug development services company, and, from June 1995 to February 2002, as Chief Financial Officer and Vice President of Global Technovations, Inc., a manufacturer and marketer of oil analysis instruments and speakers and speaker components. Prior to that, Mr. Natan served in various roles of increasing responsibility with Deloitte & Touche LLP, a global consulting firm. Mr. Natan currently serves as a member of the Board of Directors and Chair of the Audit Committee of Global Diversified Marketing Group, Inc., a manufacturer, marketer and distributor of food and snack products, since February 2021; and serves as a member of the Board of Directors and Chair of the Audit Committee of the Board of Directors of Sunshine Biopharma, Inc. (Nasdaq: "SBFM") a pharmaceutical and nutritional supplement company, since February 2022. On August 15, 2022 Mr. Natan became an independent Director of Titan Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (Nasdaq: "TTNP") where he serves as Chair of the Audit Committee. Previously, Mr. Natan served as Chairman of the Board of Directors of ForceField Energy, Inc., from April 2015 to May 2020, and as a member of the Board of Directors of Global Technovations, Inc., from December 1999 to December 2001. Mr. Natan holds a B.A. in Economics from Boston University.
Tyler Nelson joined Vivakor on a part-time basis as Chief Financial Officer in 2014 and has served as full-time Chief Financial Officer since September 2020. Mr. Nelson is a CPA who worked from 2006 to 2011 in Audit and Enterprise Risk Services at Deloitte LLP (USA) and later at Withum+Brown, PC. He worked with clients with assets of more than $100 billion and annual revenues of more than $15 billion, which are considered some of the most respected financial institutions in the world. In 2011, Mr. Nelson began working for LBL Professional Consulting, Inc. where he provided merger and acquisition, initial public offering, and interim chief financial officer services to clients. Mr. Nelson continues to sit on the Board of Directors and remains an officer of LBL Professional Consulting, Inc. Mr. Nelson earned a Master's Degree in Accountancy from the University of Illinois- Urbana-Champaign, and a Bachelor's Degree in Economics with a minor in Business Management from Brigham Young University.
About Vivakor, Inc.
Vivakor, Inc. (NASDAQ:VIVK), is a clean energy technology company focused on the oil remediation and natural resources sectors. Vivakor's corporate mission is to create, acquire and accumulate distinct assets, intellectual properties, and exceptional technologies. Its Silver Fuels Delhi, LLC, and White Claw Colorado City, LLC subsidiaries include a crude oil gathering, storage, and transportation facilities, which feature long-term ten year take or pay contracts.
The Company's patented Remediation Processing Centers allows for the environmentally friendly recovery of bitumen (heavy crude) and other hydrocarbons from the remediation of contaminated soils. It is believed to be the only remediation system that can clean soils with more than 5% by weight oil contamination while fully recovering the oil and leaving the soil fully viable for reuse. Its Remediation Processing Centers currently focus on extraction from shallow, oil-laden sands in Eastern Utah, along with generating petroleum-based remediation projects in Kuwait and in Houston, Texas.
For more information, please visit our website: http://vivakor.com
Forward-Looking Statements
This news release may contain forward-looking statements within the meaning of the "safe harbor" provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Such statements are based upon our current expectations and speak only as of the date hereof. Our actual results may differ materially and adversely from those expressed in any forward-looking statements as a result of various factors and uncertainties, including economic slowdown affecting companies, our ability to successfully develop products, rapid change in our markets, changes in demand for our future products, legislative, regulatory and competitive developments and general economic conditions. These risks and uncertainties include, but are not limited to, risks and uncertainties discussed in Vivakor's filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission, which factors may be incorporated herein by reference. Forward-looking statements may be identified but not limited by the use of the words "anticipates," "expects," "intends," "plans," "should," "could," "would," "may," "will," "believes," "estimates," "potential," or "continue" and variations or similar expressions. We undertake no obligation to revise or update publicly any forward-looking statements for any reason.
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SOURCE: Vivakor