In recent years, Sam Thigpen saw a need for a true market leader when it comes to natural gas solutions. As a result, he decided to start Thigpen Solutions, which will provide turnkey natural gas solutions management from the fuel source to end-user equipment. BIC Magazine recently visited with Thigpen to learn more about his company’s beginnings, its goals for the rest of 2018 and how customers will benefit by using Thigpen Solutions.
Q: How did Thigpen Solutions come to be?
A: Last August, I had the opportunity to have a discussion with BP Energy Partners LLC — a Dallas-based middle-market private equity firm that invests in the growing natural gas industry — about the current state of the natural gas fueling and solutions industry. During the discussion, I outlined the strategy I would implement if I were to get back in that business. The BP Energy Partners team agreed with my strategy and became my partner in Thigpen Solutions.
Q: What needs in the industry will Thigpen fulfill?
A: End users are transitioning to natural gas solutions as a new way of doing business.
The driver behind this shift is economic, so we take the approach of managing the overall cost reduction in the fueling of the end user’s fleet. That fleet may be pressure pumping, drilling rigs, power generation or any myriad of other equipment. The solution management approach optimizes every aspect of fueling, from the fuel source to the end-user equipment.
Q: What does Thigpen Solutions hope to accomplish in the natural gas market?
A: The natural gas solutions business needs a true market leader. The service companies of today are regional and specialized in most cases. There is not a clear-cut industry leader in the natural gas fueling and solutions industry.
Thigpen Solutions is strategically positioned to take that market-leading position.
Q: How will using Thigpen benefit a customer?
A: Our customers benefit in a few ways. First, they benefit by reducing their fueling costs across entire fleets or regions. Our solutions are optimized for each application to provide the customer with the most fuel cost savings possible every time. Secondly, through our solution management approach, the customer does not need to dedicate internal personnel to manage the fuel cost savings programs. Our solution managers coordinate directly with customers and act as partners by aligning them in tests with their overall savings goals. Last but not least, our customers benefit from our solutions because we incorporate all natural gas fuel types available and feasible.
Q: What are Thigpen’s objectives for the rest of 2018?
A: Our objectives for 2018 are very clear. We will round out our management team, establish our first facility and office location in the Houston area, and deploy our initial fleet of equipment across the oil and gas and power generation markets. That may not sound like a very aggressive plan to most; however, for a start-up, it is about as aggressive as it comes.
The future is very bright for Thigpen Solutions. With the increasing diesel prices and environmental regulations, natural gas is attracting more and more attention than in previous years. While natural gas is our primary business driver, our ability to help fleets manage diesel consumption when natural gas is not possible to procure promises to be an industry-leading approach.
For more information, visit www.Thigpensolutions.com or call (832) 856-8585.
