Andrew Lewis
Andrew H. Lewis, known as “Andy,” served as a Gas Trader on the Central Desk at Enron North America (ENA), part of the company’s wholesale natural gas trading operations in Houston. Working under Hunter Shively’s Midwest Gas Trading group, Lewis focused primarily on intramonth gas trading and managed deals with utility customers including Peoples Gas Light & Coke Company (PGL&C). His inclusion in the UBS transition meetings in January 2002 indicates he was among the trading personnel retained as part of the successor entity formed when UBS Warburg acquired Enron’s trading operations after the bankruptcy filing.
Lewis’s email archive in the Enron corpus contains 2,386 messages spanning December 1999 to February 2002, documenting his work across the Central Desk’s trading operations, deal execution with Midwest utility customers, and the company’s final months leading into the UBS acquisition.
Career at Enron
Central Desk Position
Lewis worked as a trader on the Central Desk, one of the regional gas trading operations within Enron North America. The Central Desk focused on natural gas markets in the central United States, with Chicago as the primary hub. His daily responsibilities involved intramonth gas trading, managing positions with shorter time horizons than the long-term deals that formed the desk’s major commitments.
The Central Desk held daily meetings at 1:45 PM in team rooms on the fifth and sixth floors of Enron’s Houston headquarters. In November 2001, Lewis received communications about these meetings being relocated as the company entered its turbulent final months. As a member of the desk, he participated in the coordination sessions where traders shared market intelligence and position updates.
System Access and Trading Tools
To execute his trading responsibilities, Lewis required access to SITARA, Enron’s proprietary trading and deal management system. In June 2000, he requested expanded SITARA access from system administrators, writing: “I need access to the Central Intramonth deal tickets (Trade Blotter and Deal Manager) and Position Manager.” Intramonth trading involved different workflows than the longer-dated positions managed by senior desk members.
The SITARA system served as the backbone of Enron’s gas trading operations, tracking deal tickets, positions, and profit-and-loss calculations. Lewis’s access to the Trade Blotter and Deal Manager modules allowed him to enter and modify transactions, while Position Manager provided visibility into the desk’s aggregate exposure across various market points.
Team Dynamics
Lewis worked closely with several colleagues on the Central Desk. Richard Tomaski served as a key contact for deal confirmations and book management, frequently coordinating with Lewis on transaction verification and counterparty communications. Geoff Storey, who functioned as a senior trader on the desk, was among Lewis’s most frequent correspondents, as were Eva Pao and Sylvia Pollan.
The desk culture extended beyond trading activities. In one episode, Lewis composed a complaint on behalf of several Central Desk traders regarding Enron’s Astros ticket distribution. He wrote to Cindy in Human Resources: “Several of the traders on the Central Desk have asked me to forward our opinions to you regarding the sale of Astros tickets. First, on Tuesday, March 7, Eva Pao and myself went to get lunch and buy Astros tickets at 11:30 A.M. We walked the entire floor looking for the table with the tickets. It wasn’t until later that day we found out the tickets were sold out before they were supposed to go on sale.” The complaint captured the informal camaraderie among desk members who collaborated not just on trades but on accessing Enron’s corporate amenities.
Key Deals and Projects
Harper Pipeline Transactions
Lewis handled transactions involving the Harper delivery point on the Northern Border Pipeline (NBPL), a critical hub for Midwest gas supply. In March 2001, Richard Tomaski confirmed deal details with Lewis: “Andy - I just want to verify that ENA purchased (and booked) 10,000 mmbtu/day at NBPL Harper for Apr-Oct ‘01 at Vent + .055 from TransCanada on 3/22/01. Let me know if you have any questions.”
The Harper deals involved 10,000 MMBtu per day flowing over a seven-month term from April through October 2001. The pricing structure referenced “Vent + .055,” indicating a spread above the Ventura index price. Lewis sourced gas supply from major Canadian producers like TransCanada for delivery into the Central desk’s portfolio.
When counterparty assignments required adjustment, Tomaski directed Lewis on book management procedures: “Andy - can you please forward this email to your book person to change these attached deals from ENA-PGL to ENA - and the actual counterparty. Our confirmation guys should send out a confirm to verify these deals. Tony is continuing to look for additional Harper / northern border supplies.” Lewis coordinated between trading decisions and back-office confirmation processes.
Peoples Gas Light & Coke Relationship
Peoples Gas Light & Coke Company (PGL&C), the Chicago-area utility, was one of the Central Desk’s key customer accounts. Lewis participated in deal structuring and execution for PGL&C transactions.
In April 2001, Cary M. Carrabine documented a specific transaction involving Lewis’s desk:
| Field | Detail |
|---|---|
| Seller | ENA |
| Buyer | PGL&C |
| Pipeline | NGPL |
| Location | Amarillo Mainline Pool (Gage) |
| Term | August - October 2001 |
| Volume | 11,560 MMBtu/day |
| Price | IFGMR FOM NGPL Midcont. Index plus $0.065 |
| Origination | $0.005 or $5,317 |
This transaction moved gas from the Amarillo Mainline Pool in Texas to PGL&C’s Chicago service territory via the Natural Gas Pipeline of America (NGPL). The pricing referenced the Inside FERC Gas Market Report First-of-Month index for NGPL Mid-Continent, plus a premium of $0.065 per MMBtu. The origination fee of $0.005 per MMBtu generated approximately $5,317 in margin for the three-month term.
Western Frontier Pipeline Monitoring
Lewis tracked proposed pipeline infrastructure that could affect Central Desk trading opportunities. In March 2001, Hunter Shively forwarded information about the Western Frontier project, described as a “proposed greenfield pipe known as Western Frontier (Cheyne Hub to Williams Central’s Hugoton (KS) station).”
New pipeline capacity could alter price relationships between market hubs, affecting the Central Desk’s basis trading strategies. The Hugoton area in southwestern Kansas represented a significant production region, and new takeaway capacity would affect gas flows into Midwest markets.
Work-Life Balance Reflections
The demands of trading at Enron left limited time for personal pursuits. When a friend contacted Lewis about birthday plans in April 2001, he responded candidly about the work intensity: “I got a letter from Diem with their new London address. I figure I’ll give them a month or so to move in before I look into visiting. Of course, getting time off in this job is easier said than done.”
Long hours and constant market monitoring were expected at Enron’s trading desks. Intramonth positions needed active management over days and weeks rather than months and years, requiring consistent attention during trading hours.
Key Correspondents
Lewis’s email patterns reveal his working relationships across the Central Desk and related functions.
| Name | Messages | Position |
|---|---|---|
| Hunter Shively | 42 | VP, Midwest Gas Trading |
| Geoff Storey | 64 | Senior Trader, Central Desk |
| Richard Tomaski | Multiple | Chicago Operations |
| Patrice Mims | 58 | Retail Coordination |
| Eva Pao | 27 | Central Desk Trader |
| Sylvia Pollan | 24 | Central Desk |
| Bryant Frihart | 25 | Central Desk |
Hunter Shively served as Lewis’s direct supervisor, setting desk strategy and allocating trading responsibilities. Geoff Storey operated as a senior trading peer, and his volume of correspondence with Lewis indicates close collaboration on market positions. Richard Tomaski, based in Chicago, served as the operational link for Midwest transactions, handling deal confirmations and counterparty communications. Patrice Mims coordinated retail deals through Enron Midwest (EMW), connecting the wholesale trading desk with end-customer transactions.
Email Activity Patterns
Lewis’s email volume fluctuated with market conditions and organizational events.
| Period | Monthly Emails | Context |
|---|---|---|
| December 1999 | - | Archive begins |
| December 2000 | 391 | Peak trading activity |
| June 2001 | 305 | Active trading period |
| October 2001 | 326 | Pre-bankruptcy uncertainty |
| November 2001 | 254 | Company crisis deepens |
| January 2002 | 522 | UBS transition period |
| February 2002 | 110 | Archive ends |
The spike in January 2002 correspondence coincided with the UBS Warburg transition process, when trading personnel learned about their potential roles in the successor organization. Administrative communications, meeting invitations, and organizational updates accompanied the acquisition process.
A notable characteristic of Lewis’s archive is the substantial volume of external financial newsletter subscriptions. Services including Equity Alert Center, StockSelector.com, INO.com, and Motley Fool sent regular stock alerts and market commentary to his Enron email address. His personal interest in equity markets ran alongside his professional gas trading responsibilities.
UBS Transition
NETCO Selection
When UBS Warburg acquired Enron’s trading operations in early 2002, the successor entity was internally referred to as “NETCO.” Lewis was included in the transition process, receiving invitations to the orientation meetings that introduced UBS personnel and outlined the new organization’s structure.
On January 15, 2002, Lewis received a formal communication about the transition: “Throughout this week, we have a team from UBS in Houston to introduce and discuss the NETCO business and associated HR matters. In this regard, please make yourself available for a meeting tonight beginning at 6:00 pm at The Houstonian.” The meeting, codenamed “Lone Star,” brought together the trading personnel who would form the core of the new organization.
Lewis’s inclusion in these meetings showed the acquiring organization valued his trading skills and desk relationships. UBS sought to preserve the Central Desk’s customer relationships, pipeline contracts, and market positions through the transition.
Continued Operations
Lewis’s email activity continued through early February 2002, documenting his participation in the transition period. The handoff from Enron to the UBS-controlled successor required traders to maintain positions and customer relationships while legal and administrative processes completed the ownership transfer.
Personal Interests
Beyond his professional focus on natural gas markets, Lewis’s email archive reveals a strong personal interest in equity investing. His inbox contained substantial volume from services such as Equity Alert Center, FunnyMoney newsletter, INO.com, and StockSelector.com. These subscriptions provided daily stock picks, market commentary, and trading alerts focused on NASDAQ and NYSE equities.
Lewis also maintained connections to Worcester Polytechnic Institute (WPI), sharing links to the Sigma Alpha Epsilon fraternity page at WPI with contacts. He may have been a WPI graduate who stayed engaged with his alma mater’s campus organizations.
Travel interests included Thailand, with multiple emails in his archive relating to trip planning resources and airfare deals to Southeast Asia.
Legal Status
No public records indicate that Andrew Lewis faced criminal prosecution or civil enforcement action related to his work at Enron. As a mid-level trader on the Central Desk, his activities did not generate the legal scrutiny directed at senior executives and certain specialized trading operations. Neither the Department of Justice nor the Securities and Exchange Commission enforcement proceedings related to Enron’s collapse appear to reference Lewis.
His continued involvement in the UBS transition process and retention as part of the successor organization show he remained in good professional standing within the energy trading industry following Enron’s bankruptcy.
See Also
- Hunter Shively - VP, Midwest Gas Trading and Lewis’s supervisor
- John Lavorato - Executive Vice President supervising Financial Trading
- Phillip Allen - VP, West Gas Trading and peer desk head
- Louise Kitchen - President, Enron Americas
References
This article is based on 2,386 emails from Andrew Lewis’s archive in the Enron email corpus, spanning December 1999 to February 2002. Email queries were executed against the DuckDB database containing the complete Enron PST archive with 1.23 million messages. A significant portion of the archive consists of external financial newsletter subscriptions rather than internal business correspondence.