One of the largest teams to compete in the Williams United Way barbecue cook-off event this year were employees of the companies’ Mechanical Integrity division (top). They garnered a third place with their Beef Brisket in the Blind Taste category.
Tammy Bonnice of Williams (above, left) congratulates Scott Phillips of Cactus Wellhead on the company’s first-place win with their Beef Brisket.
For more than a decade, business partners in the natural gas energy sector of northeast Pennsylvania have rolled up their sleeves for a friendly competition that benefits thousands of residents through local United Way agencies. On Sept. 13, Williams Companies hosted a barbecue cook-off event attended by employees of 64 companies, 36 of which also entered the contest. Hundreds of workers from all aspects of the industry enjoyed the opportunity to talk with people they often only see in passing or talk with on the phone, all while enjoying mouth-watering offerings of beef brisket, pulled pork, ribs and numerous side dishes.
“This is our 12th year for the barbecue,” said Tammy Bonnie of Williams. “I can remember when I started with Williams, it was only two years in. We started in a little baseball field in Nicholson with just a few vendors.” The barbecue was subsequently moved to LazyBrook Park in Tunkhannock, which provided plenty of space for the event to grow. This year, four large tents were packed with vendor displays, serving stations, and tables at which guests could eat and catch up with each other. Representatives from United Way agencies in Wyoming and Susquehanna counties in Pennsylvania, as well as Broome County along New York’s southern tier were also on hand share with guests how the funds raised during the event help them provide assistance to those in need in their communities.
“The money raised at the barbecue is part of our annual campaign,” said Wyoming County United Way executive director Kristen Huff. Whatever we receive, we turn it around in 2025 to allocate it to 22 different agencies across Wyoming County. We try to stick to the areas of education, income, and health. It helps a lot of people in our community.”
“Williams continuous contributions help individuals overcome barriers to healthy living by improving access to quality healthcare,” noted Broome County United Way fund development and accounts manager Maddy McClenahan. “Contributions support the United Way’s commitment to helping all kids and families thrive by expanding access to healthy food and addressing the systemic challenges that contribute to hunger and food insecurity; and is vital to improving childcare center quality and access.”
While the goals of the three agencies are similar, the manner in which they disburse the funds vary from one county to the next. “Our focus is helping children get well. We help agencies who do emergency funding – food banks and things like Interfaith, Red Cross, Salvation Army – all those great organizations. We couldn’t do it without Williams and their generosity towards us,” Susquehanna County United Way regional manager Tom Follert maintained. Through the agency’s Real Men Read program and their partnership with the Dolly Parton Imagination Library, they target literacy among the youngest of readers. For adults, Follert (below, foreground) related, his United Way invests a lot of effort into the Volunteer Income Tax Assistance program (VITA.) “Last year, we helped 216 people in Susquehanna County and did their taxes for free. We saved the people of the county about $37,000 a year in fees and taxes and brought back over $180,000 in taxes through returns.”
“Men from different companies and different walks of life go into the elementary schools and read to the kindergartners,” Williams Nick Lee, who also served as emcee for the cook-off, said of his participation in Real Men Read. “And each student gets a copy of that book to take home. I read ‘The Old Lady Who Swallowed Some Snow’ at Blue Ridge Elementary School.”
Kyle Falkenberg, a sales rep for Admar Equipment and Supplies, referred to Williams as a solid and trusted business partner who has grown the barbecue event over the years. “In exchange, we like to come here and help raise some money for a good cause and good food,” Falkenberg stated. “I like the way that the community comes together to help others.”
“Today, we’re cooking for a good cause – the United Way,” Dave Gaskill, a service technician for Hague Equipment Company, concurred. “We do it every year. It’s just something that we love to participate in. It’s a great event for a lot of people to come out and enjoy.” Hague was one of several cooking participants who prepared Brisket, pulled pork, and ribs but also offered some side dishes like macaroni salad, cole slaw, and jambalaya. “It’s all good eating.”
Phil Moser, a product support sales manager for Cleveland Brothers, estimated that his outfit has participated for at least 10 years. When asked how many plaques they had won, Moser (above, right) replied, “It all blurs together. We’ve won a lot. But. it’s not about the wins. It’s about the event and what Williams does for the United Way and the local community.” Admar and Cleveland Brothers were among the events’ biggest sponsors, along with Flynn Energy and Hague Equipment.
Williams employees from a variety of divisions and regions of the country put together three large teams to enter meat in the competition. “We use this as a team building event for our employees from the mountains of West Virginia and Ohio – getting our entire group together and bringing them up here for a couple of days,” Garrett O’Neil, a tech services manager for Williams Ohio River Supply Hub, explained. “We get to network, not only with each other, but also with our counterparts in the Susquehanna Supply Hub who we don’t see very often.” In 2023, their Butt Rubbing Maniacs took a Blind Taste first place award for their pulled pork.
There were numerous ways to win, and the Winners Circle included both familiar faces and some new entries.
In the Elite Blind Taste Test, Beef Brisket victors were 1st Cactus Wellhead, 2nd Edgen Murray, and 3rd Williams Mechanical Integrity.
Blind Taste Pulled pork: 1st Williams Butt Rubbing Maniacs (above), 2nd Hague Equipment, and 3rd Edgen Murray.
Blind Taste Ribs: 1st Proconex Automation Solutions, 2nd Williams Smok’m if You’ve Gott’m, and 3rd S2W Contracting.
Every taster was asked to put a plastic chip in a cup corresponding to their favorite teams. Winners in the Chips category were: Brisket: 1st Cactus Wellhead, 2nd Edgen Murray, and 3rd Hague Equipment.
Pulled pork: 1st Hague Equipment, 2nd DNow, and 3rd Samco.
Ribs: 1st Ariel Corporation, 2nd Quality Integrated Services, and 3rd Edgen Murray.
The Peoples’ Choice winners were determined by the amount of cash collected at each tasting station, regardless of what the team had prepared: 1st Cleveland Brothers $768, 2nd S2W, and 3rd Edgen Murray. All eligible funds raised before or during the event will be matched by Williams.
Finally, a mathematical formula combining the aforementioned wins was used to determine a Grand Champion, which turned out to be DNow.
“We couldn’t have done this with our amazing judges and cook teams,” Tammy Bonnice stated. “Our local United Ways spend countless hours and funds helping each other. That’s what it’s all about.”
Greeting Williams barbecue guests with a variety of promotional items were (above, from left) Shane Kiess, Roger Moody, and Kyle Falkenberg.
Members of the Cleveland Brothers cooking team at the Williams United Way benefit held at LazyBrook Park on Sept. 13 included (above, from left) Michael Avery, Ryan Altemus, Josh Rogers, and Phil Moser.
Team building and meat cooking were Williams employees from West Virginia and Ohio, including (from left) John Carroll, Joe Baldauff, Tyler King, Michael Gramlich, Russ Green, Garrett O’Neil, Cory Miller, and James Kropp Their Butt Rubbing Maniacs team took first place with both the Beef Brisket and Pulled Pork in the Elite Blind Taste Test category.
Williams Tech Services employees formed one of the three largest cooking teams at LazyBrook Park at this year’s barbecue cook-off to benefit local United Way agencies.