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How Gulf Energy Information Built a Research Team That Delivers and Stays

For a media company built on credible energy industry reporting, reliable research depends on people who know the work and stick around. Booth helped Gulf find researchers who go beyond the brief and build the knowledge that makes their work more valuable over time.
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About Gulf Energy Information: Founded in 1916, Gulf Energy Information is a leading media and information company for the energy industry, publishing nine magazines and brands, including Hydrocarbon Processing, Gas Processing & LNG, and H2Tech.

Industry: Media and Publishing

Headquarters: Houston, TX

Partner since: 2022

Challenge: Gulf needed accurate, consistent research from people who could build industry knowledge over time, after an earlier outsourcing arrangement brought inconsistent work and more turnover.

Solution: Booth hired researchers for Gulf and provides responsive client success, talent acquisition, HR, and IT support to help team members feel supported and stay focused on their work.

Results: Gulf had worked with the same team members for three years as of July 2025, with researchers building valuable knowledge, finding hard-to-reach contacts, and opening the door to additional roles.

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3+ years of retention

Gulf had worked with the same team members for three years as of July 2025, giving them time to build deeper knowledge of the business.

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Research
quality

Gulf's researchers help uphold the accuracy its publications are known for, digging deeper to find the right people and information when a search gets difficult.

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Beyond
research

As of July 2025, Gulf was considering adding a graphic designer, two marketing roles, and another researcher.

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"We've been working with the same team members for three years. We like not having much turnover, and we hope that they keep working for us for decades. The longer they're with us, the more valuable they are for us. And hopefully for them, it's mutual that we have that loyalty that builds up as well as a knowledge base."

Catherine Watkins

Chief Commercial Officer, Gulf Energy Information

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Impact Story Highlights

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Challenge

With publications built on credibility and accuracy, Gulf needs research that readers and editorial teams can rely on.

Media companies work with tight margins, so cost was one reason Gulf explored outsourcing. Research was a natural fit because the work could be done from different locations.

An earlier outsourcing arrangement, however, brought inconsistent work and more turnover. Gulf needed researchers who could deliver accurate information consistently, including when a search involved finding a specific person in a specific role and tracking down their contact details. It also needed people who would stay long enough to build familiarity with the work and develop the industry knowledge that makes their research more valuable.

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“When a customer calls us in the middle of the night, we generally have two to four hours to get there and make the repair. If we don’t make it in time, ice cream melts, meat spoils — major expenses occur. We have to make sure somebody answers that call, every single time. Putting that trust in the Philippines, in Booth — that was a big decision.”

— Sean Patrick, CEO, The Arcticom Group

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"Media companies, like many companies, are very sensitive to their margins, and in media, the margins are already very tight, and so costs are a big factor."

— Catherine Watkins, Chief Commercial Officer, Gulf Energy Information

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Solution

Gulf's president interviewed several providers before choosing Booth. The values aligned, and Gulf preferred a smaller partner that could give its business direct attention. The partnership started with research, where the right people could help Gulf maintain the accuracy and completeness its publications depend on.

Booth brought the infrastructure to support the team:

  • Specialist research talent: hiring people for detailed research that calls for persistence, accuracy, and attention to detail.

  • Close, responsive attention: a partner whose size lets it focus on Gulf's business, with a client success team that keeps communication clear and responds quickly.

  • Employment and team support: handling talent acquisition, HR, and IT, and helping people feel cared for so they stay and deepen their knowledge of Gulf's work.

  • Recruiting as needs change: helping Gulf consider additional roles as its needs extend beyond research.
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"The values of Booth matched well with Gulf's, and then also, we like the idea of working with a smaller group rather than a big company where a relatively small company, a media company, wouldn't get as much attention or focus."

— Catherine Watkins, Chief Commercial Officer, Gulf Energy Information

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“Every time we’ve needed to fill a role, Booth has delivered — a real pipeline of qualified candidates, pre-screened so we’re spending time on the right people. We’re not out searching. We’re selecting. And it’s not just skill set — it’s who’s going to fit the culture and stick around. That’s made our hiring sharper and our teams stronger.”

— Adam Knutz, COO, The Arcticom Group

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By combining operational speed, role diversity, and embedded partnership, Booth helped The Arcticom Group build a Philippines team that answered calls, processed billings, and escalated service requests — not as a vendor, but as part of the company.

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Results

Gulf moved away from inconsistent work and turnover. As of July 2025, it had worked with the same researchers for three years, and they had built a working knowledge of Gulf's research needs.

The partnership has delivered:

  • Long-term retention. Gulf values the continuity and the knowledge its researchers build over time, with little turnover. Across Booth, a 90% annual retention rate reflects the focus on keeping good people.

  • More thorough research. One researcher stands out for pursuing hard-to-find names and contact details rather than leaving gaps in the results.

  • Responsive support. Gulf values how quickly Booth's client success team responds and the teamwork it sees across Booth.

  • Potential to support more roles. As of July 2025, Gulf was considering a graphic designer, two marketing roles, and another researcher.
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"One of the more challenging jobs is to find a specific person or name in a specific role. One of the team members has been really fantastic at really just becoming almost like private investigator to get us the name and the contact information that we need. Instead of just saying, 'Okay, I couldn't find these three, I got all the rest,' but instead just really leaning in and finding every single last one."

— Catherine Watkins, Chief Commercial Officer, Gulf Energy Information

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"They always respond very quickly, very responsive, seem to be good teamwork within Booth. So that feels nice. And the longevity, I think, of the team members, that speaks a lot for Booth."

— Catherine Watkins, Chief Commercial Officer, Gulf Energy Information

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“Now we truly do that 24 hours a day. We can have people in the US billing during the day, people billing here at night — and you’ve increased your productivity in that same amount of time. That’s been something we’re really excited about.”

— Sean Patrick, CEO, The Arcticom Group

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The longer they stay, the more they're worth

Gulf came to Booth looking for more consistent research after an earlier outsourcing arrangement fell short. Booth helped bring the right people into Gulf's team and supported them as they developed a deeper understanding of the business. For a business that runs on accurate information, the people who stay are the ones who know where to look.

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"Go with Booth! Know what you want, communicate it. Stay in touch. Possibly integrate the team more directly into the company so they feel part of something as well as being part of Booth, they're part of our company, part of Gulf."

— Catherine Watkins, Chief Commercial Officer, Gulf Energy Information

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“Now we truly do that 24 hours a day. We can have people in the US billing during the day, people billing here at night — and you’ve increased your productivity in that same amount of time. That’s been something we’re really excited about.”

— Sean Patrick, CEO, The Arcticom Group

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A People Business, Built for Growth

For The Arcticom Group, offshore expansion was never just about cost or coverage. It was about extending a people-first company into a new market — and proving that quality, culture, and commitment don’t shrink when a team goes global.

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“We’re a people organization. Without our people, we literally have nothing. Since we chose to come to the Philippines, we’ve made sure internally that the employees here are exactly the same as they are across North America — they’re our team. We train them the same way, provide the same opportunities for growth. We’ve really made sure people look at the Philippines team as our team.”


— Sean Patrick, CEO, The Arcticom Group

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