I asked Cathy how she sees the marketplace for seismic analysis over the next quarter – what’s the marketplace like for the next 90 days?
… historically winter is the busy season but things are slow this year. The industry is a bit of a slump driven by low natural gas prices. But the demand for the in-depth reservoir work my team does is high and will likely continue to be so as producers try to maximize the information they get from seismic data before going to the expensive drilling and fracking stages.
And over the next 5 years?
… the industry isn’t really exploring anymore. Fracking is becoming more and more important and with it, more intense uses for seismic. It used to be that companies would shoot seismic on a speculative basis and evaluate all formations from top to basement. Now companies are far more targeted, using 3D imaging and are much more specific in the formations they analyze.
What qualities distinguish your preferred colleagues, collaborators and suppliers?
… loyalty, honesty, win-win relationships. As a consumer, I’m not a big online shopper. I like to get a feel for what I’m buying, and for who I’m buying it from. Quality. Convenience.
What distinguishes you that causes people to choose Cathy Martin to do business with – why are you been selected over your competitors?
… similar reasons I expect. I work with a very good group at Hampson-Russell. I have had repeat clients specifically request that I handle their project over some of my colleagues - probably because of my strong exploration background and my practical view on the highly theoretical work we do.
What do you lose sleep over, what do you worry about?
… remembering all the things I need to do … and then forgetting them in the morning!
Who or what influenced you most – that has made a difference in your life, or that was a major turning point?
… a grade 11 physics teacher, Ralf Gmell. He wasn’t my teacher, but he and his wife virtually adopted a group of us – he was a strong male role model, which I needed after my dad left. Norm Cooper, was a great mentor in my early days as a geophysicist. And my dad. I thought he was a musical god. He was magic on the piano. Never a lesson, played by ear. I must also mention my mother – after dad left, she went into mourning for about a year, but then emerged from the cocoon of being “Mrs. Bill Martin” to being ‘Ruby’. She became a very strong woman because she had 4 kids that were counting on her.
Who is your hero – real or mythical – who inspires you?
... Captain James T. Kirk because, for me, Star Trek represented hope for our civilization and the romance of space travel.
Work life balance?
… I’m working too much these days, but am able to get to the gym a few times a week, and have most evening free to practise my music and sing. I had my dream trip last year to Bhutan – a small Buddhist country nestled between Indian and Tibet, just a stone’s throw east of Nepal. That bought me serenity for many months…
What are you reading?
… just finished The Natural by Bernard Malumud – downloaded it on my KOBO. I have a mound of mostly half-read self-help books on my nightstand. (is there a self-help book for that?)
Her ride?
… golf cart, bike, C-train and bus – and my 1996 Mercedes 280C. I just gave her a facelift so Sadie is lookin’ fiiiiiine