Business

Equitrans Midstream COO talks opportunities at Chamber PowerBreakfast

NEW PITTSBURGH COURIER — Executive VP and COO Diana Charletta says her firm Equitrans Midstream is a “1-year-old company with a 135-year history” in the oil and natural gas business. That is because, as she explained to the African American Chamber of Commerce PowerBreakfast audience, May 23, it was spun off from EQT last year and is now a publicly traded, stand-alone company. But it’s more than that.

Published

7 years ago

June 10, 2019

rtmdroach

By Christian Morrow

Executive VP and COO Diana Charletta says her firm Equitrans Midstream is a “1-year-old company with a 135-year history” in the oil and natural gas business. That is because, as she explained to the African American Chamber of Commerce PowerBreakfast audience, May 23, it was spun off from EQT last year and is now a publicly traded, stand-alone company. But it’s more than that.

“Today it is the third-largest gas gathering company in the country,” she said. “In April we acquired Eureka Midstream in Ohio and Hornet Midstream in West Virginia. We are also partnering on the Mountain Valley Pipeline in West Virginia, the Southgate Pipeline from Virginia to North Carolina and three other pipelines specifically for powerplants.”

In energy industry parlance, midstream companies gather, store and transmit natural gas and by-products like ethane from the upstream producers, drillers, and frackers like EQT to downstream residential and commercial suppliers like Peoples and Columbia Gas.

“We move the energy that keeps America moving,” she said.

But, Charletta said, Equitrans is increasingly storing and transporting something else—water, both clean and recycled—for use in fracking operations. Some of its pipeline projects are strictly for water transport. And with a footprint above both the Marcellus and Utica shale plays, the company is positioned to be the premier midstream provider in the Appalachian basin.

And with its acquisitions and expansion, Charletta said the company plans to expand something else.

“We are looking to increase our supplier and contractor base,” she said. “So, in the coming months, we will be setting up a workshop with the Chamber on doing business with Equitrans.”

Chamber President and CEO Doris Carson Williams said, if an introductory meeting she had with Charletta’s boss, Equitrans CEO Thomas Karam is any indication, she expects big things.

“We just had a chat and within 20 minutes he’s joined the Chamber as a Presidential Roundtable member,” said Williams.

Following her presentation, Charletta told the New Pittsburgh Courier that there are more opportunities for small and minority-owned companies to do business with Equitrans than one might think.

“We have thousands of miles of pipeline, hundreds of compressor stations, and we have to build roads, so there’s a lot of infrastructure, and while we’re trying to eliminate tankers eventually, we still have a huge fleet of vehicles,” she said. “Even though we have in-house engineers and attorneys, we contract out some of that work too, and there’s insurance. A lot of what we do is through contractors, so there are opportunities.”

After thanking Charletta, Williams welcomed new members and reminded the audience of several upcoming events including a “Grow with Google” workshop, June 18; a cybersecurity workshop, June 20, and the next PowerBreakfast meeting with speaker Christina Cassotis, CEO of the Allegheny County Airport Authority, June 14.

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This article originally appeared in the New Pittsburgh Courier.

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Oakland Post: Week of February 25 – March 3, 2026

The printed Weekly Edition of the Oakland Post: Week of – February 25 – March 3, 2026

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1 week ago

March 1, 2026

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Chase Oakland Community Center Hosts Alley-Oop Accelerator Building Community and Opportunity for Bay Area Entrepreneurs

Over the past three years, the Alley-Oop Accelerator has helped more than 20 Bay Area businesses grow, connect, and gain meaningful exposure. The program combines hands-on training, mentorship, and community-building to help participants navigate the legal, financial, and marketing challenges of small business ownership.

Published

2 weeks ago

February 21, 2026

Oakland Post

Bay Area entrepreneurs attend the Alley-Oop Accelerator, a small business incubation program at Chase Oakland Community Center. Photo by Carla Thomas.

By Carla Thomas

The Golden State Warriors and Chase bank hosted the third annual Alley-Oop Accelerator this month, an empowering eight-week program designed to help Bay Area entrepreneurs bring their visions for business to life.

The initiative kicked off on Feb. 12 at Chase’s Oakland Community Center on Broadway Street, welcoming 15 small business owners who joined a growing network of local innovators working to strengthen the region’s entrepreneurial ecosystem.

At its core, the accelerator is designed to create an ecosystem of collaboration, where local entrepreneurs can learn from one another while accessing the resources of a global financial institution.

“This is our third year in a row working with the Golden State Warriors on the Alley-Oop Accelerator,” said Jaime Garcia, executive director of Chase’s Coaching for Impact team for the West Division. “We’ve already had 20-plus businesses graduate from the program, and we have 15 enrolled this year. The biggest thing about the program is really the community that’s built amongst the business owners — plus the exposure they’re able to get through Chase and the Golden State Warriors.”

According to Garcia, several graduates have gone on to receive vendor contracts with the Warriors and have gained broader recognition through collaborations with JPMorgan Chase.

“A lot of what Chase is trying to do,” Garcia added, “is bring businesses together because what they’ve asked for is an ecosystem, a network where they can connect, grow, and thrive organically.”

This year’s Alley-Oop Accelerator reflects that vision through its comprehensive curriculum and emphasis on practical learning. Participants explore the full spectrum of business essentials including financial management, marketing strategy, and legal compliance, while also preparing for real-world experiences such as pop-up market events.

Each entrepreneur benefits from one-on-one mentoring sessions through Chase’s Coaching for Impact program, which provides complimentary, personalized business consulting.

Garcia described the impact this hands-on approach has had on local small business owners. He recalled one candlemaker, who, after participating in the program, was invited to provide candles as gifts at Chase events.

“We were able to help give that business exposure,” he explained. “But then our team also worked with them on how to access capital to buy inventory and manage operations once those orders started coming in. It’s about preparation. When a hiccup happens, are you ready to handle it?”

The Coaching for Impact initiative, which launched in 2020 in just four cities, has since expanded to 46 nationwide.

“Every business is different,” Garcia said. “That’s why personal coaching matters so much. It’s life-changing.”

Participants in the 2026 program will each receive a $2,500 stipend, funding that Garcia said can make an outsized difference. “It’s amazing what some people can do with just $2,500,” he noted. “It sounds small, but it goes a long way when you have a plan for how to use it.”

For Chase and the Warriors, the Alley-Oop Accelerator represents more than an educational initiative, it’s a pathway to empowerment and economic inclusion. The program continues to foster lasting relationships among the entrepreneurs who, as Garcia put it, “build each other up” through shared growth and opportunity.

“Starting a business is never easy, but with the right support, it becomes possible, and even exhilarating,” said Oscar Lopez, the senior business consultant for Chase in Oakland.