2025 Atigun Awards spotlight: Ben Parker, Technician of the Year
Alyeska Shops Maintenance Technician Ben Parker is a true team player who radiates positivity in everything he does. Whether he’s handling day-to-day tasks or lending a helpful hand, Ben leads by example. His exceptional interpersonal skills and ability to connect with others while sharing his expertise of TAPS made him a perfect choice to co-lead a pipeline tour for 21 new-hire technicians in 2024. Ben’s commitment to see others succeed often leads to impromptu training sessions on technical topics. He’s respected by his peers and is an asset to workgroups along the pipeline.
In this Q&A, Ben talks about his love of his job and his tightknit Shops team.
What is your favorite part of your job?
Working alongside the multitude of great people from Pump One to Valdez. Getting the chance to work in such beautiful areas of the state, like Atigun and Thompson Pass is also hard to beat.
Do you have a favorite day on TAPS? Tell us about it!
Not any one day, but shutdowns are always a great time with this great big team that is laser focused on conquering a complex job. We usually have a dedicated baseline crew with us that can tackle any challenge. The industry’s best valve engineers are onsite as well. Although we have to wrestle wrenches away from them occasionally, they are extremely helpful to have right there on the job. You get all these heavy-hitter technical guys together for a shutdown, and we could fix anything. That’s a great thing about working here, if things go sideways, I know we have a whole pipeline of people out there that would help…. And I need help a lot. It’s a great feeling.
Is there anyone you’d like to recognize who has helped you along the way or supports your work?
I’d fill a whole sheet with people who have helped and mentored me the past 14 years. Nearly everyone I’ve met along the pipeline knows something technical or has a great piece of life advice to share.
I seem to have been blessed to work around such amazing people that I’ve aspired towards. Seeing a veteran, “Old-Bull,” on the North-End work circles around any new employee they hand him to train.
Watching talented pipefitters work out in the torrential snow and wind for hours and hours, then scribble out calculations for a crucial pipe bend or critical lift. Seeing the way certain supervisors handle challenging situations and personnel. Attempting to help but instead watching in amazement as I & E Techs bring a black Pump Station back to life. Showing up after the Laborers or baseline have been out in the frigid cold, in tight spots, erecting hooches or building scaffolding, just to make our job easier.
Seeing the best-of-the-best tradesman out here, keeping oil flowing from Prudhoe Bay to Valdez, has most definitely made an impact on me. I’ve just been lucky to work right alongside some of these fantastic men and women and have tried to take a little bit of advice from each one of them.
I also have an amazing wife that handles all the truly hard work of everything at home and enables me to focus on the Pipeline. Working over extra days, being gone on holidays and missing kids’ sports games can be challenging, but my family is supportive and encouraging. That truly helps me out.
It’s been a fun 14 years, and I look forward to many more.