The APCA Board of Directors voted in 2022 to create an APCA Hall of Fame to recognize and celebrate the contributions that individuals have made over the years to the success of our association and to the success of the merit shop pipeline construction industry.
Current APCA members can nominate as many people as they like. Once a person is nominated, he or she remains nominated in perpetuity and will be considered each year until inducted.
JW Gully began working in the pipeline business in 1966 with Harbert Construction in Gonzales, Louisiana.
He later went to work for the Houston Contracting Company, starting in Krotz Springs, Louisiana as timekeeper and later as office manager. He worked in Trinidad in 1970 and then transferred to the company warehouse in Belle Chase, Louisiana. There he was manager of equipment maintenance and in charge of logistics. He handled all import and exports of equipment, parts, and supplies relating to their overseas projects.
Over the next five years, JW moved to warehouse manager, then to the Houston office as equipment manager of U.S. and overseas projects, and finally to Vice President of procurement and maintenance of equipment for worldwide projects. In that role, he made frequent trips to visit projects in the Middle East, South America, and West Africa.
JW founded Sunbelt Tractor & Equipment Company in Houston, Texas on Friday June 13, 1980, to lease and sell pipeline equipment. That is when he became a member of the Rocky Mountain Pipeline Contractors Association, which later became APCA. In 2001 he moved the company to College Station, Texas.
In 2005, JW sold Sunbelt Tractor & Equipment Company to his son, Kevin Gully, and nephew, Brooks Gully.
JW then activated Sunbelt Equipment Marketing Inc to manufacture pipe trailers, flotation wagons, and miscellaneous other units. He introduced the first rubber track crawler carrier to the pipeline industry. Sunbelt has continued to grow and provide quality equipment at competitive rates along with maintaining a legacy of honesty, service, and integrity to the highest standards.
JW said that he is proud to be part of the pipeline industry among several loyal APCA customers like Troy, Sunland, Castle, MPG, MG Dyess, WHC, and many others.
In 2015 the Houston Pipeliners Association named JW Pipeliner of the Year.
In 2023, JW sold SEMI to his daughter, Bridget Ann Fry.
Now JW is a part time-consultant and spends time golfing and enjoying his wonderful family. He and his wife of 61 years, Zelda, have three children - Kevin, Kyle, and Bridget - four grandsons and three granddaughters. They are lifetime members of the Methodist Church.
Shell Sanford's career journey began in 1983, when he joined an offshore lay barge as a laborer and welder's assistant, constructing pipelines in the North Sea near Norway. Initially planning a summer stint before returning to college, Shell ultimately fell in love with the pipeline industry and never looked back.
After several years in the North Sea, Shell transitioned into mechanized welding, which is what his father – Bobby Sanford – did for more than 50 years, and where Shell would spend the next 25 years of his career. This career path led Shell to work across five continents, immersing him in diverse cultures and countries. In 1985, he recalls arriving in Saudi Arabia with nothing but a duffel bag, $500 in borrowed money, and no cellphone or credit card. In addition to financial motivation, Shell found deep satisfaction in the challenging work and enjoyed the camaraderie – "Achieving something, reaching a goal as a team."
In the early 1990s, Shell co-founded RMS Welding Systems, where his son Bobby currently works, carrying on his family's industry legacy.
Several years after returning home to Texas, Shell went to work for Sunbelt Equipment in 2013, "just temporarily," he said. Shell still works there today and says the last ten years with the Gulleys have been a blessing. He has enjoyed working for a family-owned business where honesty and integrity are held to a high standard.
Shell reflects fondly on the pipeline industry's legacy nature, citing several APCA members like Troy, Castle, MG Dyess, and Sunbelt as examples. Looking forward, he is optimistic about the future: "The pipeline industry is changing every day. I'm in my 4th quarter, but I see the next generation of leaders in this industry, and I see a bright future."
Before entering the pipeline industry, Jimmy Montgomery, a native of Odessa, Texas, served in the U.S. Marine Corps and attended North Texas State University. Following his graduation in 1970, Jimmy joined the family enterprise, building on a legacy inherited by his father.
Lewie Montgomery, Jimmy's father, started the pipeline stringing business in 1945, building upon his experience working on emergency pipelines during World War II. Since, Montgomery Trucking has become a cornerstone in providing pipeline logistics services, with the business now thriving into its fourth generation 78 years after it began.
When Jimmy assumed management of Montgomery Trucking Co. in 1973, the company became involved with the Rocky Mountain Pipeline Contractors Association. Demonstrating his leadership and commitment to the industry, Jimmy served as President of the Associate members, and during a period when his company transitioned to the contractor segment of the association, he served as Treasurer.
Jimmy said that participating in APCA has been one of his most treasured activities, and he has a long list of great friends and mentors gained during his 50 years of membership. In turn, Jimmy has mentored numerous young professionals, fostering growth and imparting wisdom gained from his many years in the industry.
Central to Jimmy's life is his family and faith, as reflected in his large and growing family, which includes 14 grandchildren and three great-grandchildren.
David Dacus, Chairman of Troy Construction, has been a leader in advancing the company's reputation for safe, efficient pipeline and facility construction, as well as integrity maintenance across the United States. Under his leadership, he has secured Troy's position as a forerunner in the oil and gas industry.
David's career in the pipeline sector began right after high school as a laborer and welder helper for his uncle, Troy Dacus. He balanced this work with his academic pursuits at Stephen F. Austin University in Nacogdoches, spending holiday breaks working for his uncle.
After graduating from college in 1979, David transitioned into full-time employment at Troy Construction and in 1992 he gained sole ownership of the company. Under his guidance, Troy experienced remarkable growth, expanding from 75 employees to over 3,000, until he passed the leadership mantle to his eldest son Taylor in 2019.
From day one, David has always prioritized the individual safety of each and every employee at the company. His tenure as leader is marked by numerous industry recognitions and awards, a testament to his effective and amiable leadership style, which is rooted in trust and integrity.
David has served many years on the APCA Board of Directors, in all the officer positions, and as President. He is currently an Advisory member to the Board. Notably, in 2018 he received the Pipeliner of the Year lifetime achievement award from the Houston Pipeliners.
In his free time, David enjoys spending time with his three sons, being a proud grandpa, and traveling with his wife, Debbie.
Born in 1928, Morris Farrar grew up southeast of Guthree, Oklahoma, on a farm. In addition to being in the dairy industry, his family custom cut and baled hay to supplement their income. When his father became ill during his freshman year, Morris left high school to support his family as the eldest son.
Morris embarked on his pipeline career in 1949, working on a significant 300-mile pipeline project stretching from Cushing, Oklahoma, to Borger, Texas. Then in 1952, he married the love of his life, Barbara “Bobbie” Pickle-Farrar. Less than a year later, he was drafted into the U.S. Army, serving in the Korean War and returning as a Sergeant in December 1954. Post-war, Morris swiftly climbed the ranks in the pipeline industry, becoming a construction superintendent by 1957.
In 1962, Morris and Barbara settled in Dover, Oklahoma, laying the foundation for their future. They ventured into entrepreneurship in 1968, founding Farrar Construction. Starting with just eight employees, they grew the business to over 300, focusing on installing oil and gas pipelines in Oklahoma and neighboring states.
Morris joined the Rocky Mountain Pipeline Contractors Association in the late 1970s, where he served as an active member, on the Board of Directors, and as President.
In addition to Farrar Construction, Morris established Capitol Trencher Corporation in 1979. The company manufactured trenchers, many of which are still in use today. Besides his pipeline endeavors, he was a lifelong farmer and rancher. Along with his own farm and ranch operation, located in a couple of different counties in Oklahoma, he purchased and ran Oklahoma Feeders feedlot in Coyle. His community engagement was profound, exemplified by a 25-year tenure on the Kingfisher County Excise Board, over 50 years as a Mason, and a lifelong member of the Baptist Church.
Morris's legacy is carried on by his three sons, Randy, Steve, and Mark, who purchased Farrar Construction Company in 1996.
John Eddie Soileau, a 1963 graduate of the University of Southwestern Louisiana with a Bachelor of Science in Civil Engineering, joined the United States Army in 1963 and received his Honorable Discharge in 1965. He then began his pipelining career with Louisiana Intrastate Gas Corporation in Alexandria, La., as a Pipeline Engineer, transferred to Design Engineer and was eventually promoted to Senior Design Engineer. He was later employed by Ashy Construction as an Engineering Superintendent.
In May 1974, Eddie founded Sunland Construction Inc. & Affiliates, a small regional contractor doing oil well hookups. At the time, a gallon of gas cost $0.55 and a barrel of oil was just sort of $15. Under his leadership, Sunland has and continues to grow into a healthy, profitable, and widely respected family of companies.
Eddie's tenure is highlighted by significant contributions to the industry, including:
1) Implementing safety initiatives that have become industry standards
2) Maintaining Sunland's merit shop status through numerous challenges, including pickets and union pressures, with the invaluable assistance of Greg Guidry
3) Expanding Sunland with regional offices in Louisiana, Houston, Texas, Alabama, and New Mexico
4) Pioneering and refining directional drilling techniques in pipeline construction
5) Being among the first contractors to successfully diversify into station construction
6) Strategically positioning Sunland as a diversified construction company capable of navigating the industry's fluctuations through a broad range of services including Pipeline, Facility, Integrity, I&E, and renewable work
In a letter from to Eddie from Ed Kull, former APCA Executive Director, Kull said, “Knowing and working with you has been one of the greatest pleasures of my life. You are truly a fine person, and in my view you are right up there with Bill Coors in the run for Mr. Free Enterprise. I guess the highest compliment I can pay is: When I grow up I want to be just like you."