Item 5.02 Departure of Directors or Certain Officers; Election of Directors;
Appointment of Certain Officers; Compensatory Arrangements of Certain Officers.
Departure of Gary J. Brauchle
On January 14, 2020, Gary J. Brauchle informed the Board of Directors (the
"Board") of Tallgrass Energy GP, LLC ("TGE GP"), the general partner of
Tallgrass Energy, LP ("TGE"), of his resignation as the Executive Vice President
and Chief Financial Officer of TGE GP effective on February 14, 2020. At the
request of the Board, Mr. Brauchle intends to remain with TGE in a non-executive
capacity through the end of 2020 in order to facilitate his successor's
transition to the role of Chief Financial Officer. Terms of Mr. Brauchle's
continued engagement during such transition period remains subject to ongoing
negotiation.
Mr. Brauchle's resignation did not result from any disagreement with TGE or any
affiliate of TGE.
Appointment of Gary D. Watkins as Chief Financial Officer
On January 14, 2020, the Board appointed Gary D. Watkins as Executive Vice
President and Chief Financial Officer of TGE GP effective February 14, 2020, in
addition to Mr. Watkins' current role as Chief Accounting Officer of TGE GP.
Mr. Watkins, age 47, has served as the Vice President and Chief Accounting
Officer of TGE GP from February 2015 until March 2019, and as Senior Vice
President and Chief Accounting Officer of TGE GP from March 2019 until his
appointment as Chief Financial Officer of TGE GP described above. In addition to
his service at TGE GP, Mr. Watkins has also served as Vice President and Chief
Accounting Officer of the general partner of Tallgrass Energy Partners, LP since
April 2014. Previously, Mr. Watkins served as Vice President, Controller and
Principal Accounting Officer of DCP Midstream Partners, LP and DCP Midstream,
LLC from May 2011 until his departure in April 2014. Mr. Watkins also held the
positions of Senior Director - Marketing Accounting and Director of Corporate
Accounting with DCP Midstream. Prior to joining DCP Midstream in November 2004,
Mr. Watkins held various positions of increasing responsibility at Advanced
Energy Industries Inc. Mr. Watkins also served in the Denver offices of Arthur
Andersen LLP and KPMG LLP from 1996 through 2002. Mr. Watkins is a Certified
Public Accountant and graduate of Colorado State University, where he received a
Bachelor of Science in Accounting and a minor in Economics in 1995.
There is no arrangement or understanding between Mr. Watkins and any other
person pursuant to which he was selected as an officer of TGE GP. Mr. Watkins
has no family relationship (within the meaning of Item 401(d) of Regulation S-K)
with any director, executive officer or person nominated or chosen by TGE to
become a director or executive officer. There has been no transaction since the
beginning of TGE's last fiscal year, and there is no currently proposed
transaction, in excess of $120,000 in which TGE is or was a participant and in
which Mr. Watkins or any of his immediate family members (within the meaning of
Item 404 of Regulation S-K) had or will have a direct or indirect material
interest.
Item 7.01. Regulation FD Disclosure.
On January 14, 2020, TGE issued a press release announcing its CFO Succession
Plan. A copy of the press release is furnished with this Form 8-K as Exhibit
99.1 and incorporated into this Item 7.01 by reference.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
In accordance with General Instruction B.2 to Form 8-K, the information provided
under this Item 7.01 and the information attached to this Form 8-K as Exhibit
99.1 shall be deemed to be "furnished" and shall not be deemed to be "filed" for
purposes of Section 18 of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the
"Exchange Act"), or otherwise subject to the liabilities of that section, nor
shall it be deemed incorporated by reference in any filing under the Securities
Act of 1933, as amended, or the Exchange Act, regardless of the general
incorporation language of such filing, except as expressly set forth by specific
reference in such filing.
Item 9.01. Financial Statements and Exhibits.
(d) Exhibits.
EXHIBIT
NUMBER DESCRIPTION
99.1 Press release issued by Tallgrass Energy, LP, dated January 14,
2020. (Furnished solely for purposes of Item 7.01 of this Form
8-K).
104 Cover Page Interactive Data File (embedded within the Inline XBRL
document).
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
© Edgar Online, source Glimpses