BOZEMAN, Mont. – October 8, 2026 – Bridger Photonics (“Bridger”), the global leader in methane emissions detection and intelligence, has named Hope Gas the first recipient of its inaugural Trailblazer Award. Dan Truman, Senior Director of Construction and PMO at Hope Gas, accepted the award from Bridger CEO Ben Little at the 2026 Trailblazers Summit in Bozeman, Montana.
The award takes its name from the word's original meaning: cutting a mark into trees so the next traveler doesn’t have to find the way from scratch. It recognizes operators that challenge the way things have always been done, turn methane data into business decisions, and share what they learn so the industry can move faster. It is a leadership award informed by Bridger’s view across more than 120 operators worldwide.
Hope Gas serves about 140,000 customers across 39 West Virginia counties. Its system includes nearly 3,000 miles of gathering pipeline with little data on its condition. Walking those lines would have taken years. Instead, Hope Gas worked with Bridger to survey the entire system and having actionable information for their crews in one week.
Hope Gas then ranked every finding by risk, weighing emission rate alongside pipe size and proximity to homes, schools, and churches, and made that ranking the starting point for its capital plan. Replacement work is now sequenced logically, crews stay productive, capital goes first to the lines that matter most, and emissions decline as those lines are replaced.
“A trailblazer isn’t the company with the newest technology or the biggest budget. It’s the one willing to go first, figure out the path in real time, and leave a mark so others don’t have to start from scratch,” said Ben Little, CEO of Bridger Photonics. “Hope Gas inherited a system that in places is older than World War II, and instead of accepting the old way of managing it, they turned leak data into a risk-ranked capital plan. That’s the shift we want the whole industry to make. Emissions data isn’t just a tool for finding methane. It’s a tool for running a better business.”
“Bridger Photonics has fundamentally changed the way we think about what’s possible,” said Morgan O’Brien, CEO of Hope Gas. “This isn’t simply an improvement in technology. It represents a meaningful shift in how we operate and how we envision the future.”
For more info, watch a visual case study of Bridger and Hope Gas’s collaboration:
About the Bridger Trailblazer Award
The Bridger Trailblazer Award is an annual award that recognizes the energy operator that goes first: one that sets a goal beyond compliance, turns emissions data into operational and financial decisions, and shares what it learns so other operators can follow. The name comes from trail-making, where a blaze is a mark cut into a tree so the next traveler doesn’t have to find the way from scratch.
Bridger Photonics selects each year’s recipient based on four criteria:
About Bridger Photonics (“Bridger”)
Bridger delivers trusted emissions intelligence that helps energy operators make faster, more confident decisions. Proven in oil and gas and relied on by leading operators worldwide, our solutions provide year-round, portfolio-wide visibility to reduce emissions, improve operational efficiency, and keep more product in the pipe. By combining comprehensive emissions measurement and actionable intelligence, operators can prioritize maintenance, reduce product loss, recover value, and continuously improve performance across every asset, location, and season. Trusted by companies including ExxonMobil, Chevron, Phillips 66, and many others, Bridger is helping operators transform emissions data into operational excellence. Explore our solutions or connect with our team to learn how emissions intelligence can support your operations.
About Hope Gas
Hope Gas is a Local Distribution Company (LDC) that proudly provides gas service to approximately 140,000 residential, industrial, and commercial customers in thirty-nine West Virginia counties. We monitor and maintain over 7000 miles of pipelines that safely deliver West Virginia natural gas to many homes and commercial and industrial sites. We currently employ approximately 650 employees working right here in our beautiful Mountain State with the sole purpose of staying true to our company’s mission and vision in West Virginia.