Opening Plenary Session
All attendees, exhibitors and visitors are welcome to attend the Opening Plenary Session.

Wednesday, March 3, 2010
8:00 a.m. – 9:15 a.m.

WELCOME & INTRODUCTION
Eldon Ball – Conference Director, PennWell Corporation

CHAIRMAN’S OPENING REMARKS
Jim Macklin – Helix Energy Solutions Group

KEYNOTE PRESENTATION
Charting a Course Through a Troubled Economy
Owen Kratz – President & CEO, Helix Energy Solutions Group, Inc.

Mr. Kratz is President and Chief Executive Officer of Helix Energy Solutions Group, Inc. He was named Executive Chairman in October 2006 and served in that capacity until February 2008 when he resumed the position of President and Chief Executive Officer. He was appointed Chairman in May 1998 and served as the Company’s Chief Executive Officer since April 1997 until October 2006. Mr. Kratz served as President from 1993 until February 1999, and has served as a Director since 1990. He served as Chief Operating Officer from 1990 through 1997. Mr. Kratz joined Cal Dive International, Inc. the progenitor company, in 1984 and held various offshore positions, including saturation (SAT) diving supervisor, and management responsibility for client relations, marketing and estimating. From 1982 to 1983, Mr. Kratz was the owner of an independent marine construction company operating in the Bay of Campeche. Prior to 1982, he was a superintendent for Santa Fe and various international diving companies, and a diver in the North Sea. Mr. Kratz is also a Director of Cal Dive International, Inc. Mr. Kratz has a Bachelor of Science degree from State University of New York.

Scene Setting Presentation
Don Vardeman – Anadarko Petroleum Corp.

Robert “Don” Vardeman is vice president of worldwide projects for Anadarko Petroleum Corp., a position he has held since the merger of Kerr-McGee with Anadarko in August 2006. After graduating magna cum laude from Texas A&M University in 1975 with a degree in Electrical Engineering, he began his career with Amoco in operations, drilling and facilities. He later joined Sun Exploration and Production Company, predecessor of Oryx Energy Company where he held positions of increasing responsibility, including manager of facility engineering, engineering manager for Midway-Sunset Cogeneration Project and manager of the Neptune project. Kerr-McGee merged with Oryx in 1999, and he later became vice president of marine facilities engineering. Vardeman and his group have led the execution of several of the company’s deepwater developments, including Nansen, Boomvang, Red Hawk, Gunnison, Constitution and Independence Hub, the world’s deepest production platform. These projects include 3 successive generations of spar technology for deepwater developments. In November 2005 Don was awarded the Citation of the Order of the Lion of Finland by the President of Finland for meritorious service to the maritime industry of Finland, where most of the industry’s spar projects have been built. In 2009, Vardeman received the Achievement Award from the Engineering and Construction Contracting Association. He serves on the Engineering Advisory Council at Texas A&M and has just completed 2 years of industry service as the Chairman of the Board of Directors of Offshore Technology Conference.