The build-out of the Permian’s midstream infrastructure over the past 10 years has created extraordinary opportunities for startup companies, most of them backed by private equity. Each of us could cite several examples of midstreamers that, with a combination of guile and grit, developed gathering systems, gas processing plants, pipelines and other infrastructure to serve the fast-growing needs of producers and shippers. In many cases, the assets they constructed were later sold — often at a hefty profit — to much larger firms. As we discuss in today’s RBN blog, even in the midst of sector consolidation, the entrepreneurial spirit of smaller Permian midstreamers continues.