B.Sc. - Physics and Mathematics, University of British Columbia, 1967

Upon completion of his education Mr. Bygdnes joined Texaco Canada in Calgary, Alberta as Assistant to the Chief Geophysicist for Canada. His responsibilities included. acquisition and interpretation of seismic data, mapping and joint recommendations for well site locations in conjunction with company geological personnel, and field supervision of seismic crew operations as company representative. He led a marine seismic crew down the length of the Mackenzie River to the Arctic Ocean where they initiated the first shallow water marine seismic operation for Texaco Canada.

Enthused by the challenge of the Arctic program Mr. Bygdnes left Texaco to join the Calgary firm Explor-Alta as Field Supervisor of Arctic Marine operations in summer and Operation Manager for land seismic operations in winter. Operating out of relatively small boats in the Beaufort Sea, with a crew of 30 men, Explor-Alta was able to provide important seismic data for companies such as Texaco, Exxon and Gulf Oil.

After several years Mr. Bygdnes left Explor-Alta to set up his own, private company specializing in acquisition and computer processing of seismic data. He eventually moved to Vancouver to form Consort Energy Corp. The company participated in small joint venture oil well drilling operations in Texas, Oklahoma and Kansas.

When the oil business faltered in the early eighties Mr. Bygdnes turned his attention to various other endeavors, including mineral exploration, before purchasing the rights to a patented ice replacement product from an inventor in San Diego. In 1981 Mr. Bygdnes formed Cryopak Industries Inc. and over the next 12 years acted as president, CEO and Chairman of the Board. He was able to raise in excess of 12 million dollars largely through European investors. The company now has annual sales of 14 million.

Mr. Bygdnes left Cryopak in 2002 and is now focused on building County Line Energy.

Ken Berscht, Vice President of Corporate Development

Mr. Berscht brings to the company considerable experience in financing within the oil and gas industry. He is a graduate of the University of Western Ontario Business School, a member of the Society of Mining and Metallurgy, and is qualified as an IFA in England. In his career as a broker he has qualified with the Investment Dealers Association in Canada and as a General Principal with the NASD and the NYSE in the USA.

In his career as a broker he has managed institutional accounts in Switzerland and Europe. Ken was also directly responsible for bringing investors from Taiwan and Japan into the equity markets in Canada.

In the oil and gas industry he has been Vice President of Enerplus International, one of Canada's largest Oil and Gas Income Trusts. He has assisted in financing a number of junior companies in the petroleum industry including such names as Alberta Oil and Gas, Maxx petroleum and many others in their formative stages in Canada. He was instrumental in financing a ten million dollar oil drilling project in Benin West Africa and aided in financing of a Keltic Petrochemical plant in Nova Scotia.

For the past six years he has been the administrator of an Oil and Gas fund in the Cayman Islands and hold a license as a mutual fund administrator.