Who We Are

John Grier is the CEO and Founder of Crimson Pipeline (CP) a company in the business of acquiring and improving the operations of oil and gas pipeline systems. CP made its’ first asset purchase in 2005 and over the past decade, the company has made six additional major acquisitions, five of those from major oil companies.

Before starting the pipeline company, John was primarily in the Exploration and Production (E&P) business and he started Crimson Resource Management with a partner in 1986. The company again purchased oil and gas-producing properties, mostly from major oil companies. John and his partner successfully grew the company making a major divestiture in 2009 and after the sale, the company was split and John continued to keep the pipeline company.

John has a Bachelor’s Degree in Science/Chemical Engineering from the University of Oklahoma and a Master’s Degree in Business Administration from Harvard University.

Larry Alexander is the President and COO of Crimson Midstream and has over 35 years of experience in the oil pipeline business. Larry was instrumental in the formation of Crimson Pipeline in 2005 and has led its growth and development for almost two decades. Larry began his career as an engineer in the pipeline construction department at Shell Oil Company. During his 25-year career at Shell Oil Company and Shell Pipeline Company he held positions in project management, operations management, research and development, project coordination, joint ventures, environmental management, engineering management and business development.

Larry received a Bachelor’s Degree in Engineering from Louisiana State University and holds a Master’s Degree in Business Administration from the University of California, Irvine. He is also a Registered Professional Engineer (Texas – Inactive).

Robert is the CFO of Crimson Midstream and has over 15 years of experience in the chemical, energy, and banking industries. Robert began his career at Dow Chemical and after completing his MBA he began a notable career in mergers/acquisitions, banking, and finance. He has significant experience in midstream M&A transactions while working at Citigroup Investment Bank and UBS Investment Bank.

Robert received a Bachelor’s Degree in Chemical Engineering from the University of Utah, a Master’s Degree in Chemical Engineering from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, and a Master’s Degree in Business Administration from the Kellogg School of Management, Northwestern University.

Valerie Jackson is the Vice President of Engineering and Regulatory Compliance for Crimson Pipeline LLC and joined the Crimson Team in 2013 after working for BP/ARCO for 33 years. Valerie has held a number of positions in Operations Maintenance, Engineering, Finance and IT with increasing responsibility throughout the United States. Her most recent positions have included Asset Manager and IT Manager with BP West Coast Petroleum Products Business Unit.

Valerie holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Wyoming and a Master’s Degree in Business Administration from Seattle City University.

Mark Sandon is Vice President of Operations for Crimson and joined the team in early 2017. Mark’s responsibilities include directing and managing the pipeline operation throughout the organization. Mark brings an extensive background in pipeline operations and associated environmental regulations, operational efficiency and implementing best practices in operations activities.

Mark has over 20 years of experience in the oil pipeline and petroleum industry in a number of senior level positions. Most recently and prior to joining the Crimson team, Mark worked at Kinder Morgan in several different roles. These roles included Remediation and Emergency Response Manager, Environmental Affairs Director, Pacific Region Operations Director and most recently, Product Pipeline Operations Director focusing on budget, training and special projects.

Mark holds a Bachelor of Science Degree from Michigan State University, with graduate work performed at University of Colorado and Colorado State University.

Nestor Taura is the Vice President of Commercial for Crimson. Nestor joined the Crimson team in 2013 after working for Plains All American Pipeline L.P. for nine years and he was with Shell Pipeline/Shell Oil Company and has over 25 years of midstream experience. During his tenure at both Plains and Shell, Nestor held a number of positions in Operations, Engineering, and Commercial & Business Development with increasing responsibility.

Nestor’s most recent positions with Plains included Corporate Development Director and Project Development Director. With Shell Pipeline he held management positions in Business and Commercial Development, as well as International Projects.

Nestor holds a Bachelor of Science Degree in Electrical Engineering and a Bachelor of Science in Physics from the California State University, Fullerton.

Mike McGee’s first position after college was as a management trainee in the human resources department of an aluminum manufacturing company. Mike has spent over 25 years in progressively responsible human resources and general administration positions, within the manufacturing, mining, energy and automotive design business.

With his broad base human resources and general administration experience, Mike has been involved with setting policies to help organizations build capability; and structure coherent compensation and benefit policies geared to attract and retain high caliber talent. Additionally, Mike has lead management in labor management negotiations and change processes to help create a “best workplace” culture and in his GA role, he provided oversight on significant building expansion projects.

Mike holds a Bachelor of Science degree from Indiana State University in Safety Management and a Masters of Arts Degree from University of Phoenix in Organizational Management.

Paul Allison is Managing Director of Commercial primarily for the Crimson assets located in Louisiana and the Gulf of Mexico. He joined the Crimson team in 2012.

Paul is a 35-year veteran in the oil industry beginning with Chevron’s Manufacturing Department in Richmond California. After assignments in project engineering, refinery operations, supply & distribution, and international cargo trading, Paul managed a variety of strategic and commercial initiatives for Chevron Pipeline Company. In this capacity, Paul also served on a number of key joint venture pipeline management committees and boards, including Explorer Pipeline Company and the Trans Alaska Pipeline System.

Paul holds a Bachelor of Science Degree in Chemical Engineering from the University of Missouri.