Meridian Energy Group, Inc. Appoints Mark Fonda as its Director of Engineering

BELFIELD, ND--(Marketwired - Sep 28, 2017) - Meridian Energy Group, Inc. the leading developer of innovative solutions for environmentally-compliant oil refining facilities, announced today that it has reached an agreement with Mark Fonda, to become Meridian's Director of Engineering. Mr. Fonda will coordinate the engineering efforts for the Davis Refinery and all future projects on behalf of the company. As the Director of Engineering, Mr. Fonda will interface with partners such as Axens North America, Basic Equipment, Trailhead Engineering, and Vepica USA, to ensure the quality of the design and construction effort. Mr. Fonda will also certify the engineering and construction timelines are met for the Davis Refinery, which Meridian intends to build and operate in Billings County, near the community of Belfield, North Dakota.

Mr. Fonda is a Chemical Engineering graduate of the University of Pennsylvania with an MBA from Duke University and nearly 40 years' experience in refinery engineering and operations. He has held positions at Mobil, Ultramar, Amerada Hess, Coastal and Sunoco refineries along with recent experience in alternative fuels start-ups with Greyrock Energy and CH2E. Mark also worked for Jacobs Engineering for a few years doing environmental upgrade projects in BP and ConocoPhillips refineries. He recently served as an industry consultant in process engineering, project development, operations troubleshooting, reliability improvement and regulatory compliance.

Meridian CEO William Prentice said of this key addition, "I am very happy that Mark has elected to become part of Meridian, where he will be focusing on helping us to build and operate the Davis Refinery, which we believe to be an historic project in the domestic refining industry. Meridian has been very fortunate in attracting quality talent, and Mark is no exception." Mr. Prentice also noted that, "The decision on the part of Mr. Fonda caps a months-long search for the right individual."

Mr. Fonda had this to say, "I am excited to be part of the Meridian Energy Group team on the Davis Refinery, a project that represents a rebirth in the industry here in the US, employing a distributed market model and state-of-the-art environmental technology."

Thomas Johnson, Meridian Vice President of Operations, added, "I am very pleased to have Mark as part of the Meridian team. Mark's background in refinery process engineering, and his experience with startup energy projects is perfect for Meridian Energy Group, Inc. and the Davis Refinery project."

About Meridian Energy Group, Inc.
The Mission of Meridian Energy Group, Inc. is to provide long-term shareholder value through the development and operation of the cleanest, most efficient and environmentally-compliant crude oil refineries in the world, benefiting the community and its investors. Established in 2013, Meridian is led by industry experts with a combined 500 years of world-class expertise in energy & hydrocarbon processing, project development, finance, and large capital project management. Meridian Energy Group, Inc. current headquarters is in Belfield, ND.

For more information, visit:
http://www.meridianenergygroupinc.com