The gas and oilfield services industry spans the gamut, from small mom-and-pop operations to major corporations. All play a vital role in supporting the extraction of gas and oil.
Acme Oilfield Services, profiled in this month’s issue of GOMC, is a company that falls somewhere in the middle of these parameters. One of the interesting things about Acme is how a very small family company evolved into another family’s growing company.
Michael Romines and his parents, John and Ellen Musselman, own two other oil industry companies. When Acme, one of their service vendors, abruptly decided to close its doors, they saw an opportunity and stepped in. They needed those services, and so did other operators in the region.
At the time, the pumping unit maintenance and repair business had only four employees. Since then, Acme has added oilfield construction, sandblasting and fabrication to its menu of services, and has grown to 40 employees across four divisions.
In addition to his parents’ involvement, Romines also brought his brother on board to handle sales, adding yet another family element to the business. And because the brothers grew up in a family business, they treat their employees like family, providing little extras, like paid time off for emergencies, that keep their people happy and dedicated to the company’s success.
Clearly, it has worked. Romines and his family set a goal to grow the business by 50 percent in 2014, and he says he’s confident Acme can accomplish that.
Bakken jobs market
It’s no secret that the Bakken region has been booming. A recent Associated Press story chronicled North Dakota’s new efforts to bring in workers to fill 25,000 job vacancies.
The state’s unemployment rate is the lowest in the nation, at less than 3 percent. The population – over 725,000 – is at an all-time high and is growing faster than any other state, and it’s all been driven by oil. The state is now the second largest oil producer in the United States, with only Texas ahead of it.
While many states are struggling to put more of their residents to work, North Dakota is courting would-be residents to fill a surplus of jobs across a wide spectrum of industries. The state recently launched a new campaign to attract workers to the high plains: “Find the Good Life in North Dakota.”
The state is footing half the bill for the $800,000 campaign, with the other half being donated by the New York-based oil company Hess Corp.
In a statement announcing the campaign, state officials said it is focused on career opportunities in North Dakota and promoting the state as “a great place to live, work and raise a family.” It will target workers across all the state’s industries.
While North Dakota’s advertising campaign and the success of Acme Oilfield Services may not seem fully intertwined, they both point to one indisputable fact: There is opportunity in the oilfield services industry. Those who put quality and safety above all else will find success.
Enjoy this month’s issue.
