Parkland’s strategic move to expand business throughout the U.S., Canada and Caribbean regions.
Parkland Fuel Corp. is opening a Supply and Trading Floor in Houston, Texas.
This move represents a strategic effort to firmly establish Parkland into the growing U.S. fuel market and to capitalize on acquisition opportunities to expand its supply presence across the Canadian, U.S. and Caribbean regions where it does business. Parkland’s supply platform and access to capital has led to 20 acquisitions over the past 10 years throughout North American and the Caribbean.
The supply and trading floor will be located in downtown Houston and is expected to employ up to 15 people, largely focused on fuel supply, risk management, big data analytics, fuel trading and acquisition implementation.
Leading the facility will be Fred Askari, vice president of supply. Askari is an industry veteran with more than 30 years of leadership experience in the supply, trading and operations aspects in the oil and gas industry. Previously, Askari served as gasoline trading manager for ENI Trading and Shipping, where he focused on developing a market presence in the Caribbean through short and long-term lease of tanks, creating blend operations and developing shorts. He has held several leadership positions at Freepoint Commodities, Glencore Ltd. and Reliance Industries.
Joining him will be Jorge Pradilla, the director of wholesale and supply. Pradilla has nine years’ experience in the energy industry, working on the supply side and the customer side of the business. Pradilla recently spent four years at Waste Management, where he led the transformation of the energy sourcing and supply chain strategy programs. Previously, Pradilla held various roles in business analytics, pricing, professional services, and process improvement within the industry.
“Houston is the epicenter for North American energy infrastructure. We aim to strengthen our long-term partnerships in the supply, planning and optimization industries here in order to grow the U.S., Canadian and Caribbean market tremendously over the next several years. Our trading floor marks our first significant move to position ourselves for continued success,” said Ryan Krogmeier, senior vice president of supply, trading and refining for Parkland Fuel Corp.
