I joined Transco in 2006 to provide engineering and design information for a new division manufacturing rolling cone rock bits and cutters for HDD hole openers.

In 1982 I was hired - with ideas but no experience - to work as a rock bit design engineer at Globe Oil Tools (later became RBI). There were 7 of us in the department by 1985. I was mentored by engineers that had previously worked at Smith, Security and Reed rock bit companies. A major oilfield depression started in '85. By '89 I was the only engineer left. From 1989 until 2005 I was responsible for the designs of TCI and milled tooth rolling cone rock bits. The designs included: forgings, bearings, seals, lubrication systems, and cutting structures for:- Three cone rock bits from 3-1/2" diameter up to 36" diameter- Two cone rock bits from 7-7/8" diameter up to 17-1/2" diameter- One cone rock bits from 3-1/4" diameter up to 6-1/2" diameter- Rolling cone bi-center cutters from 8-1/2" diameter to 17-1/2" diameter- 4 cone core bits from 9-7/8" to 14-1/2" (most were for the IODP out of Texas A&M)- Cutter segments for HDD hole openers up to 42" diameteralso:- Percussion hammer bits from 4-1/2" diameter up to 15" diameter - a small number of PDC bits from 4-1/2" diameter to 12-1/4" diameter During those years I was awarded several patentsRBI was purchased by a venture capitalist group in 2004. Several executive decisions were made that decimated RBI's rolling cone rock bit business. One of those decisions was to stop supplying cutter segments to customers manufacturing HDD hole openers. Transco Manufacturing Australia was one of those customers. They offered me an opportunity to provide the engineering for them to begin manufacturing their own cutter segments and rock bits in a new facility in Australia.

It was a small family business started by my father. - During my time there I built most of the special equipment: Centrifuges with quick release magnets for molding, molds, machine for crushing and sizing marble chips, sanding and polishing lathes, a paint booth- Sold products from a truck in most of the states between Texas and Rhode Island; established sales with about 300 customers; made delivery trips through those states about 3 to 5 times per year from '69 to '78I also worked at every stage of the operation as needed:- crushing, classifying and mixing material to match various types of granite- molding, sanding, painting, polishing and shipping the vases - artwork for advertising material- sales- projecting inventory goals- building and repairing equipment- sweeping the floors

Operated a well site laboratory during drilling of oil wells.- caught, cleaned, described and stored samples of drilling cuttings from prescribed intervals.- maintained a log of formation characteristics, drilling parameters, and detected hydrocarbons- maintained the electronic hydrocarbon detecting equipmentThere were two or three of us on site so we could keep the lab operating 24 hours per day while drilling was occurring.

I started as a small parts fabricator. I made parts for a prototype mock up of the F-111 from blue prints. These parts normally weighed 10 pounds or less.After a few months I was promoted from bench work and taught to operate a manual lathe and after a few more months I was taught to operate a manual milling machine.

I started in a department assembling wiring harnesses for microwave communication systems, then worked with the circuit board assembly group. During the last several months I earned a promotion to the inspection and repair group. All this was in the microwave communication division.