In The Field with Brandon Vandyke
The Instrumentation & Electrical team leader takes us behind the scenes of a compressor station.
January 22, 2024
By the CNX Human Resources team
It's an In The Field double feature!
For the first In The Field of 2024, we follow Automation & SCADA Control Foreman Brandon Vandyke, who literally keeps the lights on at CNX facilities and, indirectly, across the nation. Brandon installs and services electrical equipment at well pads and compressor stations that move enough natural gas every day to power a city. See what his job entails.
Brandon and his team, which includes 2021 Mentorship Academy graduate Reiss Coole, help ensure the electrical infrastructure, devices and systems – the backbone of our operations – are safely and reliably maintained. Regular inspections, tests, and troubleshooting are conducted by CNX technicians to mitigate and quickly address issues to avoid operational disruptions.
Vandyke explains that his job is “kind of like working a puzzle—you know what the end result has to be, but you have to figure out what’s preventing you to get there.”
As one of our core values, Responsibility means safety is a top priority for CNX and the natural gas industry as a whole. Our foremen and technicians are cornerstone to the robust safety standards we practice and hold ourselves to.
These proactive safety measures at everything from our well pads to compressor stations optimize operational performance and better protect area employees and local residents.
“Appalachian energy is more than just producing gas—it’s economic stability and reaching out and giving back to the community,” Vandyke noted. As a native of Southwestern Virginia with a family history in the oil and gas sector, Brandon takes pride in his contributions to meeting Appalachia’s energy needs.
From installation to maintenance and servicing, it is skilled technicians like Brandon that ensure the advanced power systems running natural gas operations are resilient and, most importantly, safe. We’re grateful for the skillsets Brandon brings to the team, as well as his direct contributions to developing clean, Appalachia-produced natural gas.
Want to learn more about I&E technicians in the natural gas field? Watch this special In The Field Extra with Brandon as he walks through a typical day.
More In The Field
