Wholesale Marketer To Expand To Serve Retail Choice Customers, Adds Market Vets

Spire Marketing Inc. (SMI), formerly Laclede Energy Resources, applied for an Ohio natural gas supplier license to serve all customer classes in all service areas.

SMI serves large end users, including industrial and commercial customers, as well as utilities and power plants, in the Midwest, Midcontinent and Gulf Coast regions of the country

SMI said in its application that it plans on acquiring the majority of its prospective residential customers through the Columbia Gas Standard Choice Offer (SCO) auction programs. At a later stage, SMI said that it may expand its offerings to direct-mail campaigns and/or residential telemarketing. SMI may also utilize both digital marketing and outbound telemarketing to small commercial enterprises.

SMI buys and sells between 1.1 and 1.4 Bcf per day across the regional map shown below.

Earlier this year, John Grass joined Spire Marketing as Senior Vice President of Marketing and Origination

Grass, an industry veteran, previously served as Senior Director, Wholesale Origination at Sequent Energy Management, Vice President, Commodity & Trading Risk Management at Tyson Foods, Director, East Gas Trading at Mirant Americas Energy Marketing, and Director of Trading - Midwest Region at Columbia Energy Services Corp. Most recently, Grass served as Director, Marketing at Range Resources Appalachia LLC,

Another market vet, Ben Conner, recently joined SMI as Director, Southeast Business Development. Conner's previous positions in energy marketing includes Director of Origination at DTE Energy