In his time working at Great Southern Press as a Sales and Marketing Manager, Editor and Executive Director, Scott Pearce has been instrumental in driving The Australian Pipeliner to new heights, and has helped form strong and lasting relationships with key industry players.

During his time at Great Southern Press, Scott’s commitment to the magazine and the promotion of the pipeline industry was evident not only to those who worked with him at Great Southern Press, but also throughout the industry.

A career in the pipeline

Scott’s beginnings with Great Southern Press (then Pipeline Publications) began when friend and current Managing Director Chris Bland asked Scott to help with the design layout of the magazine.

It was after this that Scott joined the company full time, officially starting as Sales and Marketing Manager in May 2003.

Chris remembers the first edition of The Australian Pipeliner that he and Scott worked on.

“The first issue we published was the 2003 APIA Convention edition, which was an August issue due to the Convention being held in Darwin that year. We had one old Macintosh computer, which broke down just as we were finalising the August edition. We lost everything and had to re-do the whole magazine.

“The magazine needed to be included in satchels to be handed out at the APIA Convention, and we received the magazine back from the printers the day we were leaving for the event. We couldn’t courier it in time, so we packed the magazines into 12 suitcases, each weighing the maximum of 32 kg. We had a battle with the flight company, but delivered the magazines to the Convention in the end!

“Everything seemed easy and possible after this,” says Chris.

Scott and Chris worked as a two-man band for some time, involved in all aspects of magazine production – from managing editorial content, to selling advertisements, to designing and laying out the magazine. And it wasn’t until the start of 2005 that the company grew to four full-time employees.

In 2006, Scott became Editor of the Pipeliner in recognition of his achievements and dedication to the magazine.

Since then, Scott has seen the growth of the Pipeliner from 96 pages to its current page count of over 160 pages, as well as the launch of new products such as the I♥Pipelines stickers, Major Pipeline Map of Australia, the Pipeline Protection poster, and other pipeline industry related products such as the PPO Annual – all of which have become important resources for the industry.

He has also spearheaded the development of other energy publications such as Gas Today and Pipelines International, and has helped drive growth within Great Southern Press to over 35 employees over three continents, responsible for ten in-house publications and over eleven industry events. The growth of Great Southern Press as a company has served to benefit the development of the Pipeliner, with many opportunities for cross-promotion and a wider readership.

On the ball at Convention

Scott has a genuine love of the pipeline industry, and this was most apparent at each year’s APIA Convention.

He would produce the daily PPO Convention newsletter, take photos at each Convention event, and be on hand for advice on the Pipeliner and related products– all the while still taking time to establish lasting relationships with those in the industry.

Sales Manager Tim Thompson says “When I first went to the Convention, a great way to start talking to people was to mention that I was a colleague of ‘Pearcey’s’. It was like an ice breaker, and you’d end up discussing amusing stories of Scott at the event.

“He certainly wasn’t shy of dressing up for each year’s fancy dress event, coming as characters such as the Tinman, Dr Evil from Austin Powers, and the White Rabbit from Alice in Wonderland. But the best would have to be Scott’s recent performance at the 2009 Cairns Convention, dancing with the band on stage.”

Nurturing a passionate pipeline team

Incoming Pipeliner editor Lyndsie Mewett has worked with Scott for nearly four years on the Pipeliner and the pipeline daily news service PPO Latest.

“Scott has taught me so much throughout our time working together. He was always willing to explain about aspects of the industry – and if he didn’t know, he could point me toward the right APIA member to speak to.

“I am very grateful to have had a mentor that could teach me not only about the magazine production process, but also about the industry that the Pipeliner represents and the many personalities within it,” Lyndsie says.

Tim says “Scott has a real passion for business and the industry. Via Scott, I’ve learnt the importance of building strong relationships, of being committed to the industry that you’re working in, and to maintain a high standard of customer service.

“I really appreciate all the assistance Scott has provided me over the six and a half years I’ve been at Great Southern Press. He has allowed me to develop the skills necessary to promote and connect with this key industry.”

On leaving, Scott says “I’ve been incredibly fortunate to work with members of the pipeline industry over the past eight years. It is a great industry that is made even better by the dedicated people who work within it. From the moment I commenced, the industry was extremely welcoming, and since then I’ve learnt an incredible amount about pipelines in Australia.

“I’ve also been very lucky to have worked with a wonderful team at Great Southern Press who have, like me, been dedicated to serving the industry. I’m particularly excited that Lyndsie Mewett will be taking on the role of Editor of Pipeliner – she will do a great job.”

Scott leaves Great Southern Press having fostered a team dedicated to promoting the pipeline industry.

The team at The Australian Pipeliner and Great Southern Press wish Scott every success in his future endeavours. A well-known figure at APIA events, he will be missed by his colleagues and the many friends he made in the pipeline industry.