HOUSTON, Feb. 19, 2014-- Azure Midstream Energy, LLC ("Azure") - a natural gas gathering and processing company based in Houston announced today that it has hired industry veteran Eric T. Kalamaras as Chief Financial Officer ("CFO") to further strengthen its veteran management team and help steward continued growth.<br /><br />Kalamaras most recently served as Senior Vice President and Chief Financial Officer for Valerus Energy Holdings, L.P. where he directed financial strategies for one of the largest providers of oilfield infrastructure and oil and gas handling solutions globally with approximately $1-billion enterprise value operating in 13 countries. Prior to that, he was CFO for Delphi Midstream Partners which was subsequently sold to Williams Partners, L.P. Kalamaras served in a similar capacity before that for Atlas Pipeline Partners / Atlas Energy, L.P.<br /><br />Kalamaras has extensive transactional and capital raising background with placement of over $30 billion of debt and equity capital in numerous structures for mergers and acquisitions, corporate restructurings, leveraged recapitalizations, and initial public/private offerings for debt and equity.<br /><br />"We are delighted to welcome Eric to our already potent management team," said I.J. "Chip" Berthelot, II, Azure president and CEO. "Eric is an industry all-star with proven experience bringing energy companies to the next level and helping deliver impressive returns to investors. He will be a key player in the next phase of Azure's explosive growth trajectory."<br /><br />In November 2013, Azure garnered industry-wide attention when it completed the acquisition of TGGT holdings for an aggregate sale price of $910 million after only a year in business. As part of that deal, Azure also acquired the East Texas Gathering System from Tenaska Capital Management, consolidating the two systems under one owner.<br /><br />Azure enjoys strong initial capitalization from investors who have seen significant success in previous Berthelot companies. Azure has an aggressive growth plan based on a combination of new development and acquisition of gathering pipeline projects. Azure's core management team has over 128 years of natural gas experience coupled with a strong track record of successfully working together in challenging environments.                                                                         <br /><br />About Azure Midstream Energy, LLC<br />Azure combines leading talent in the midstream natural gas business with local experience and robust financial backing. Azure delivers the economic impact and energy benefits of safely and efficiently moving North America's clean natural gas resources.