WWJ Closeup, September 2024

RYAN GILL
Vice President
Clouser Drilling Inc.
Grants Pass, Oregon

THE BEST ADVICE I EVER RECEIVED?
In business, you can’t be everything to everyone. Holds true in life as well.

THE KEY TO YOUR FAMILY COMPANY BEING NAMED 2023 SBA OREGON FAMILY-OWNED SMALL BUSINESS OF THE YEAR?
Customer focus, continuous improvement, and investment in the business. Making incremental changes regarding people, process, and equipment while keeping focus on client satisfaction. Investing in quality personnel, giving them the tools to succeed, and creating a good culture has been instrumental. We place a strong value on community and industry involvement.

AS FOURTH GENERATION, HOW SHOULD THE INDUSTRY RECRUIT THE NEXT GENERATION?
Looking at our industry and businesses to understand what we have to offer, I believe purpose, stability, and the challenges are attractive. In our business, providing stability and a positive company culture. Conversely, understanding traits of successful employees and hiring accordingly, which for us has been attitude, work ethic, and problem-solving abilities.

TOP LESSON IN RUNNING A CASING ADVANCEMENT SYSTEM?
Simply learning the advantages and disadvantages of a particular casing advancement system to predict its performance in the expected formation with the proposed well design. Experience seems to have been the best teacher.

HOW HAS YOUR COMPANY INCREASED DRILLING EFFICIENCY IN RECENT YEARS?
The last couple years our biggest challenge has been executing on the work in front of us. We’ve made process adjustments to let our drilling crews focus on drilling and remove wasted action on and off the rig. That’s been accomplished with improved equipment, additional support staff, and process improvements.

WHAT’S YOUR STANDARD PROTOCOL FOR DEVELOPING A WELL?
We encounter a variety of conditions in southern Oregon. The formation, construction, well production, and drilling method influence our protocol for developing. For hard-rock holes drilled air rotary, Oregon’s one-hour minimum development time is typically sufficient. Others may involve a combination of supplemental water, surging, and additional time spent developing.