The Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002

Merger
InterNorth, in its conservative success, became a target of corporate takeovers, the
most prominent being corporate raider Irwin Jacobs. InterNorth CEO Sam Segnar, in
searching for a company to merge with to fend off takeover attempts as a poison pill,
discovered HNG. In May 1985, Internorth acquired HNG for $2.3 billion, 40% higher
than the current market price, in order to avoid the corporate takeover attempt. The
combined assets of the two companies would create the second largest gas pipeline
system at the time in the United States.
Internorth’s north-south pipelines that served Iowa and Minnesota complemented
HNG’s Florida and California east-west pipelines well.
Post-Merger Rise (1985–1991)
The company was initially named "HNG/InterNorth Inc.", even though InterNorth was
technically the parent. At the outset, Segnar was CEO for a short time, before he was
fired by the Board of Directors whereupon Lay was tapped to be the new CEO. Lay
moved the headquarters of the new company back to energy capital Houston. The
company then set out to find a new name, spent upwards of $100,000 in focus groups
and consulting before "Enteron" was suggested.
The name was eventually dismissed over its apparent likening to an intestine and
shortened to "Enron." (The distinctive logo was one of the final major projects of
legendary graphic designer Paul Rand before his death in 1996.)
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