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`http:/Avww.calgaryherald.com/story_print.html?id=9499559&sponsor=
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`Innovation — Groundbreaking innovation in Calgary
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`BY CALGARY HERALD, CALGARY HERALD FEBRUARY12, 2014
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`Dan Themig, co-founder and president of Packers Plus.
`Photographby: Adrian Shellard, Calgary Herald
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`So where exactly does innovation come from?
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`Some would argue that people are born innovators, while others believe that people can develop the
`skills and knowledge required to be an innovator. All agree, however, that innovation often starts with a
`spark that ignites a passion to create, a drive to embark on a journeythat is neither clearly marked nor
`easy.
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`That spark may be organic, personal and heartfelt, related to personal interest and experiences. Or,
`that spark may be more pragmatic — based on the opportunity to solve a problem, creating a market-
`driven solution. Whereverthatintial spark comes from, innovation is regarded as the core of every
`technology company, the fundamental building-block of ongoing success and sustainability.
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`PACKERS PLUS
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`Perhaps one ofthe greatest demonstrations of game-changing innovation developed in Calgary is that
`of Packers Plus. Creators of the StackFRAC system, the first ball drop system used to complete
`horizontal wells in multiple stages, the companyhastruly revolutionized the oil and gas industry.
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`Reflecting on the genesis of Packers Plus andits incredible success, co-founder and president Dan
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`Exhibit 2007
`IPR2016-01509
`IPR2016-01509
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`Innovation — Groundbreaking innovation in Calgary
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`http://www.calgaryherald.com/story_print.html?id=9499559&sponsor=
`
`Themig explains that he and his partners Ken Paltzat and Peter Krabben “decided right from the outset
`to be a high-value provider,” allowing them to “compete at the highest level” in an industry that, at the
`time, was not knownfor innovation.
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`Themig recounts when the company wasestablished in 2000, “the industry was into diversification, |
`told my business partners that we needed to be focused — pick a narrow technology and compete
`worldwide.”
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`Deciding to address the mostdifficult downhole challengesin the oil and gas industry, Themig believed
`that “if we could be world-class at those, we could be game-changing...but we really didn’t see it (the
`magnitude of the change) coming.” The company’s revolutionary technology launched the industryinto
`a new realm — horizontal wells and shale plays.
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`Reinforcing the company’s position as a world-leader — investing in research and development,
`launching new products and tackling new markets — Packers Plus has also revolutionizedits
`operations. The company recently opened the doors of its MX Manufacturing Centre — the first ofits
`kind in the world. This state-of-the-art facility includes the world’s first robotic assembly ofits type, and
`a testing and torqueing system that includes a proprietary traceability method that was developed
`in-house.
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`While innovation remains a cornerstone of Packers Plus’ continued success, Themig points out that
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`“we do a numberof things to spark innovation.”
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`Citing the company’s annual technical conference, strategy sessions and workshops where people
`from the various business units contribute to the direction of the company, he shares that “people come
`with the expectation that we are going to be innovative, that they will see innovation and that they will
`be part ofit.”
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`© Copyright (c) The Calgary Herald
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`2 of 2
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`2 of 2
`2 of 2
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`2/24/2014 11:17 AM
`Exhibit 2007
`Exhibit 2007
`IPR2016-01509
`IPR2016-01509
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