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PETROLEUM DIRECTORY: Hitting the dirt at the 17th annual BP Classic
From planting seeds to paving trails, BP employees dig down deep for Alaska
Dawnell Smith PNA Contributing Writer
The worldwide realm of BP makes it tough for employees to feel like they work for the same company, let alone for the same team. The thought of getting everyone together for a long weekend of ballgames, barbecues and community work sounds overwhelming, if not absurd.
That didn’t stop approximately 1,000 BP employees, family members and friends from turning Anchorage into the stomping grounds for camaraderie, contribution and fun last month in the 17th annual BP Classic.
Though organizers were frazzled by the first of June, they all took a deep breath by the end of the week when BP volunteers from around the globe played in sporting events and worked on projects in Anchorage, Fairbanks, Kenai and Eagle River.
“We’ve estimated that we had about 600-plus people out and about the state doing volunteer work,” Ross Klie, BP Alaska’s executive sponsor of the Classic and business unit leader for health, safety and environment, told PNA in a recent interview.
Klie estimated that volunteers and businesses donated material, time, expertise and cash “into the six figures” to complete work on gardens, parks and trails from the Kenai to Fairbanks.
“Once people see the challenge, they kind of step up to it,” he said.
On top of that, the entry fees, prize giveaways and sponsorships during the golf tournament, fun run and hockey game generated about $100,000 for Wish upon the North Star, the YMCA and the Catholic Social Services Charlie Elder House.
Though challenged by the workload of organizing the Classic, Klie felt good about by what he heard from visitors and oldtimers.
“What I heard from the folks who came was that they had a great time and great hospitality,” said Klie. “I even heard comments that it was the best (BP Classic) they’ve ever done.” Hitting the dirt with rakes and balls Competitions between 30 squads included sports such as basketball, squash, racquetball, volleyball, bridge and chess. Most players came from North America, though some hailed from places like Belgium, China and Russia.
When not building trails, playing bridge or hitting the puck, participants also toured the state and got to know co-workers from the other end of the country.
The Classic began back in 1985 when an Amoco employee in Northwest Indiana challenged sister refineries to a softball game. With Amoco now part of BP, that playful dare set the stage for a popular and fruitful event that brings BP employees together from around the globe to engage in competition, community service and charitable contribution.
Participants pay for the trip themselves and take vacation time to do it. They gather each year in early June at a prearranged place. Next year, Houston will host the event. BP Alaska turns it up a notch Not only did the employees of BP Exploration (Alaska) Inc. put out the welcome mat this year, but they also put together some good teams, Klie said. The host city of the event can field three teams in every competition. He said Alaskans took advantage of the opportunity in many of the events.
Some local BP employees also bid to play against former NHL professionals from teams like the Chicago Blackhawks. Those who bought a spot on the ice in the annual BP Classic Dream Team Hockey Game contributed a total of $20,000 to charity. Planting the seed In between all the sporting fun, participants did substantial work on community projects throughout the state. For example, volunteers finished work on a garden at the Kenai Peninsula Food Bank and at the Eagle River Nature Center built a boardwalk and planted a garden.
At the Cuddy Family Midtown Park in Anchorage they did landscaping work that included making flower beds and rock gardens, and pouring a concrete slab for wooden seating. The 15.5 acre park is located next to the Loussac Library.
“This was something that had been in people’s minds and visions for two decades,” said Klie. The park still needs a lot of work, he said, but the volunteers “gave it shape and color.”
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