Chief Operating Officer,
Beacon Offshore Energy
Joe Leimkuhler is the Chief Operating Officer for Beacon Offshore Energy, located in Houston Texas and Covington Louisiana, Joe is responsible for all company offshore engineering and operations. Prior to February 2019 Joe was the Vice President of Drilling for LLOG Exploration based in Covington, Louisiana. At LLOG Joe was responsible for all Drilling and Completion Operations and Well Engineering, as well as external relations related to operations and engineering. Prior to joining LLOG in early 2012 Joe was the Offshore Well Delivery Manager for Shell International E&P Co, (SIEP) and Shell E&P – Americas, covering all Gulf of Mexico well operations.
Over the last 37 years he has worked offshore engineering and operations in a variety of capacities. Joe's prior assignments with Shell have included Subsea Development Manager for the Gulf of Mexico, and Deepwater Drilling Superintendent assignments on TLP, Drillship and Semi-Submersible well operations, and as an instructor at Shell’s Bellaire Research Center in Houston, where he taught Shell’s Drilling Engineering classes. Before working for Shell Joe worked for M-I Drilling Fluids in the Wyoming Overthrust belt and for ARCO in Drilling and Reservoir engineering in Bakersfield California.
Joe graduated from the University of Montana in 1981 with BS degrees in Geology and Forestry; in 1987 he graduated from the University of Wyoming with a MS in Petroleum Engineering.
Joe serves on the HWCG Well Containment Group – Board of Directors, the National Ocean Industries Association (NOIA) – Board of Directors, the National Board of Directors for the American Association of Drilling Engineers (ADDE) and served as the National President of AADE from 2007 to 2009. Joe is also Chair of the HSE Committee for the NOIA. Joe is a 35-year member of the Society of Petroleum Engineers, and also serves on various University Engineering Advisory boards focused on Petroleum Engineering. In 2011 Joe was awarded Meritorious Service Awards from API and AADE. In 2017 Joe was awarded the AADE Lifetime Outstanding Service award. Joe and his wife Stephanie live in Mandeville, La, they have two grown children and 7 grandchildren.
