Paul Patkotak and Jake Bellinger have been named Operations Managers at UIC Oil & Gas Support’s facility in Deadhorse. They will work opposite rotations, sharing responsibility for the company’s growing portfolio of work managed out of the facility. This includes oilfield support, heavy haul services, complex logistics support for North Slope infrastructure, and summer and winter tundra travel.
Both Paul and Jake have spent years in the field on the North Slope, and they bring a working knowledge of what crews need to get the job done safely in an Arctic environment.
Paul has been with UIC Oil & Gas Support for more than three years. Before joining the company, he developed expertise in Arctic freight hauling and Community Winter Access Trail (CWAT) operations with Arctic Transportation & Logistics and Eskimos Inc. At UIC Oil & Gas Support, he worked as a PistenBully and heavy equipment operator, running winter freight from Deadhorse to most North Slope villages and helping establish and maintain the CWAT. He also operated heavy equipment on village waste cleanup and fiber projects. Now, as operations manager, Paul is focused on helping the company grow. “There are always new challenges,” he said. “The crew we have makes it a little easier being away from home.” Between rotations, Paul enjoys spending time with his wife and 9-year-old daughter. They practice subsistence hunting year-round, by boat and by snowmachine.
Jake joined UIC Oil & Gas Support in July, bringing 20 years of North Slope experience in equipment and material logistics. Most recently, he was shop foreman for Conam Construction. Like Paul, Jake appreciates the new challenges and rewards each day brings. He also enjoys the people he works with and the wide range of services the company offers. “With hard work, dedication, and applying the core values of UIC with everything we do, I look forward to seeing what we will accomplish in the future,” he said. Jake was born and raised in Cooper Landing and is a husband and father of two boys. Off the Slope, he enjoys hunting and fishing in Prince William Sound, snowmobiling in the Kenai mountains, and spending time with his family.
“Over the last five years, we’ve built a reputation on the North Slope as a reliable and talented group who step up wherever we’re needed to get the work done right,” said Joe Barron, UIC Oil & Gas Support General Manager. “We’ve expanded our team, including this rotational role for Paul and Jake. They each bring unique skills, valuable experience, and a commitment to UIC values. The Deadhorse shop runs year-round, and having Paul and Jake on opposite rotations means there’s always an experienced manager on site to keep the work moving.”
UIC Oil & Gas Support moves freight, equipment, and people across Arctic tundra year-round, builds and maintains snow trails that make winter travel possible, and runs heavy haul trucking on the Prudhoe Bay road system. Clients include oil and gas developers and operators, telecom companies, construction contractors, village and borough governments, and state agencies. UIC Oil & Gas Support is a subsidiary of UIC Commercial Services, a division of Ukpeaġvik Iñupiat Corporation.