We went cross-country last month, visiting with drilling contractors to learn a little bit about them and their operations. Here we present profiles of some of the leading drilling contractor firms we met along the way. Of course, we weren't able to call on everyone, so if you'd like to introduce yourself and have your company profiled in an upcoming issue, fax a note to our contractor profile department at 847-297-8371 to request an entry form.

Eaton Drilling Co. Inc.

20 W. Kentucky Avenue
Woodland, CA 95695
Phone: 530-662-6795
Fax: 530-662-3342
E-mail: eaton@gotnet.net
Years in Business: 72
Number of Locations: 1
Number of Employees: 25
Number of Rigs: 7

F. H. Eaton founded Eaton Drilling Co. Inc., San Joaquin Valley, Calif., in 1928. He relocated the firm to Woodland, Calif., in 1931. His sons operated the business until 1998. Present owner/operator, Tom Eaton joined the company full time in 1974. The corporate focus is providing irrigation wells to California's agricultural community. Environmental remediation and municipal water district wells are other services performed.

Drilling for other purposes has encouraged company to expand its capabilities. Current equipment inventory includes custom-built 8-inch reverse rotary equipment. Its 6-inch reverse rigging allows company to drill wells deeper than 1,700 feet. These rigs also are converted to do direct mud rotary work where consolidated formations are likely to be encountered. Gardener-Denver 14W, Ingersoll-Rand Th-100 or Seismic 1700 are used for direct mud rotary test holes and multiple completion monitor wells.

Each person on the Eaton Drilling Co. team is essential. Their commitment to service and quality, and their expertise are the company's foundation.

Andrew Well Drilling Services Inc.

1268 E. 17th Street
Idaho Falls, ID 83404
Phone: 208-522-2794
Fax: 208-522-2798
E-mail: info@andrewwelldrill.com
Web Site: www.andrewwelldrill.com
Years in Business: 75
Number of Locations: 2
Number of Employees: 16
Number of Rigs: 9

Andrew Well Drilling Services has been providing quality environmental, municipal, irrigation, geotechnical, construction/foundation, domestic drilling and pump services throughout the western United States for nearly 80 years. These services include environmental (monitoring, vapor extraction, remediation wells), water wells (domestic and large diameter wells up to 30-inch diameter and 1,250 feet), geotechnical (SPT, soil survey, piezometer), construction (caissons up to 8-foot diameter, cathodic protection) and pump services (up to 600 Hp and 5,000 gpm, large production well systems, remediation systems). The company is a licensed in Idaho, Oregon, Washington, Montana, Utah, Arizona, California and New Mexico. It operates nine drill rigs and three pump rigs, along with a complete line of ancillary equipment.

Diversified Drilling Corp.

801 Maislin Drive
Tampa, FL 33687
Phone: 813-988-1132
Fax: 813-985-6636
E-mail: stuart@wellwater.com
Web Site: www.wellwater.com
Years in Business: 25
Number of Locations: 3
Number of Employees: 80
Number of Rigs: 22

Diversified Drilling Corp. is a premier, full-service drilling company that has experienced tremendous growth since its establishment in 1976. In 2000, the company made the decision to extend its sphere of influence by making key acquisitions of firms committed to the same standards of excellence. Well Water Systems Inc., Fort Myers, Fla., and Meridith Environmental Services of Orlando, Fla., have since joined the family.

Some of the services offered include aquifer storage and recovery wells, which are a specialty of the company. Large diameter production wells are routinely installed for agriculture and public water supply. Deep injection wells for disposal of treated domestic wastewater, plus chloride profile, monitor and other test wells also are part of the repertoire. Environ-mental wells have been constructed to extract hazardous waste and to monitor the subsurface movement of hazardous waste plumes.

E.H. Renner & Sons

15688 Jarvis Street NW
Elk River, MN 55330
Phone: 763-427-6100
Fax: 763-427-0533
E-mail: rerenner@ens.net
Web Site: www.ehrenner.com
Years in Business: 85
Number of Locations: 1
Number of Employees: 34
Number of Rigs: 16

There is a strong family tradition behind E.H. Renner & Sons - one that dates all the way back to the 1800s in Berlin, Germany. In the 1800s, one of the founders, Max Renner, brought his trade to southern Minnea-polis, where he began drilling and servicing wells. In 1932 when Edwin Renner established E.H. Renner Well Co. in St. Louis Park, the family's skill and reputation were already widely known.

Today, E.H. Renner & Sons is one of the oldest and largest full service water well drilling companies in the five-state area, specializing in:

• Ground water monitoring
  
• Test hole drilling
  
• Product recovery
  
• Industrial/irrigation water systems
  
• Municipal well drilling, well repair/maintenance
  
• Turbine pump sales and service
  
• Municipal pump systems and sales
  
• Geothermal systems
  
• Residential water systems

Recent Noteworthy Projects: Ground water remediation extraction system for the U.S. Navy; NIROP facility in Fridley, Minn.; two 700-foot, 18-inch turnkey ground water systems for Prairie Island Indian community.

Lang Exploratory Drilling

2745 California Avenue
Salt Lake City, UT 84104
Phone: 801-973-6667
Fax: 801-973-4572
E-mail: rmayer@boartlongyear.com
Web Site: www.boartlongyear.com
Years in Business: 25
Number of Locations: 2
Number of Employees: 225
Number of Rigs: 39

Lang Exploratory Drilling is a diverse rotary drilling organization offering unique mud and air rotary drilling services to a variety of industries. Service groups within Lang include water supply, environmental, energy, mining, and pump services and rehabilitation. Drilling methods include air hammer, air rotary, dual tube reverse air rotary, triple tube air rotary, odex-centris casing drivers, mud rotary, dual tube flooded reverse rotary, horizontal drilling and directional drilling services. The company can provide tooling for hole diameters from 5 inches to 60 inches with depths beyond 5,000 feet.

Recent Noteworthy Projects: Fifteen-inch coalbed methane drainage well drilled to 3,200 feet on a 45-degree angle using downhole directional motors.

Sam's Rotary Drillers Inc.

P.O. Box 150
Randolph, WI 53956
Phone: 920-326-5193
Fax: 920-326-5209
E-mail: samsyl@centuryinter.net
Web Site: www.samsdrilling.com
Years in Business: 30+
Number of Locations: 1
Number of Employees: 20
Number of Rigs: 10

Sam's has provided service to the southern Wisconsin area for over 50 years. The current business was started in 1947 by Sam Sr. and was then incorporated in 1968. Prior to that time Grandpa Bill Vander Galien drilled wells dating back to the 1930s.

Sam Vander Galien Jr. now owns the business, which is involved with commercial, industrial, irrigation, residential and municipal well drilling. The company's fleet currently includes eight rigs with service trucks, and its staff consists of seven experienced drillers and seven assistants and courteous office staff. We construct over 700 residential wells per year, as well as municipal and irrigation wells. The company recently expanded by acquiring the Dean Rickard Well Drilling Co., Linden, Wi.

Recent Noteworthy Pro-jects: City of Hudson, Village of Kewaskum, Watertown Water Depart-ment, Hydrite Chemical, Village of Cambria, Village of Fairchild.

Alsay Inc.

6615 Gant Street
Houston, Texas 77066
Phone: 281-444-6960
Fax: 281-444-7081
E-mail: sherry.skelton@alsayinc.com
Web Site: www.alsayinc.com
Years in Business: 41
Number of Locations: 12
Number of Employees: 150
Number of Rigs: 21

The management and supervisory personnel of Alsay have an average of 25 years of experience in the water well industry. The company provides complete water well systems on a turnkey basis, offering the comprehensive range of services required to provide professionally designed, constructed and maintained municipal and industrial water wells. Alsay has the capability to provide every element of a water well system, including test hole drilling, well casing and screen selection and installation, gravel packing, grout sealing, well development and testing, pump selection, and equipment sales and installation. The company's fleet of drilling and service rigs, which is the largest in its region, gives it complete coverage of south Texas and beyond, with rapid response capabilities.

Joe Samples Well Drilling

1029 Highway 25-32
White Pine, TN 37890
Phone: 865-674-2996
Fax: 865-674-0924
Years in Business: 47
Number of Locations: 1
Number of Employees: 12
Number of Rigs: 2

It seems the name Samples in east Tennessee is synonymous with water well drilling. Just ask the schoolteacher who quizzed her students about who drilled the first oil well and one pupil shouted, "Joe Samples!"

Joe grew up in the business, helping his dad around the rig since the age of 13. In 1954, he and his office manager wife, Velma, went into full-time business for themselves. After building to six drills and two pump rigs, Joe, at the age of 75, has downsized, but still offers full-service water well drilling and pump and water treatment sales and service. The company is very family-oriented, with numerous family members working in the business at one time or another. Even employees have expressed that they feel a part of the family. What is the driving force behind Joe Samples Well Drilling? The company says it's a desire to do a good job and to treat customers fairly.

Raymer Co. Inc.

1357 Comstock Street
Marne, MI 49435
Phone: 616-677-2751
Fax: 616-677-2909
E-mail: raymerwell@aol.com
Web Site: www.raymerwaterwells.com
Years in Business: 111
Number of Locations: 1
Number of Employees: 25 to 30
Number of Rigs: 16

Raymer Co. is a full-service water supply contracting firm that has been owned and operated by members of the same family since its founding in 1890. The company serves the municipal, industrial, commercial, irrigation, residential and environmental markets. The company specializes in large diameter, high capacity filter packed water wells drilled by the reverse circulation rotary method.

The company says its mission is to provide quality products and services at a competitive price and to do its utmost to protect the ground water resource, while, at the same time, promoting its safe and efficient use. And what's the secret to Raymer Co.'s success? Its employees say it is no secret at all - just working hard , remaining dedicated to the customers and employees, keeping abreast of changes in the industry and maintaining a commitment to excellence.

Recent Noteworthy Projects: Oden State Fish Hatchery, which consists of five 20-inch by 12-inch filter packed production wells with 1,000-gpm submersible turbine pumps.

Smith Well Drilling

168 Country Route 28 B
Niverville, NY 12130
Phone: 518-758-6142
Fax: 518-784-2765
E-mail: jaswellinc@aol.com
Years in Business: 20
Number of Locations: 1
Number of Employees: 5
Number of Rigs: 3

Jeffrey A. Smith, owner of Smith Well Drilling Inc. in Columbia County, N.Y., is president of the Empire State Water Well Driller's Association (ESWWDA). He has a certification from J. Sargent Reynolds College in water quality chemistries and well drilling technology. He is a National Ground Water Association (NGWA) Certified Well Driller and Certified Pump Installer, as well. Jeffrey, who is a fourth generation well driller, started his business in 1981.

Smith Well Drilling is a long-standing member of the ESWWDA, NGWA, American Ground Water Trust and the Water Systems Council. It has completed many successful water well rehabilitation and drilling projects for various municipalities in New York. The company provides services to public, commercial and municipal clients throughout the state, as well as domestic well drilling and pump service in a four-county area. The company says the keys to its success are quality service and adaptability - to change in the business environment and with varying customer needs.

Layne Christensen Co.

1900 Shawnee Mission Parkway
Mission Woods, KS 66205
Phone: 913-362-0510
Fax: 913-362-0133
E-mail: ljjarsulic@layne christensen.com
Web Site: www.laynechristensen.com
Years in Business: 119
Number of Locations: 80 worldwide
Number of Employees: 3,000 in Layne Christensen Co.; 1,000 in various international joint ventures
Number of Rigs: 600

Layne Christensen Co. and 115 in international joint ventures

Layne Christensen Co. provides drilling services and related products and services in four principal markets: water-related products and services, mineral exploration drilling, geotechnical construction and oil and gas services and production. Layne Christensen's customers include municipalities, industrial companies, mining companies, oil and gas companies and consulting and engineering firms located principally in the United States, Canada, Mexico, Australia, Africa and South America. These clients demand technical expertise, knowledge of local geological conditions, project management skills, access to significant amounts of capital equipment and cost effective pricing.

The company recently announced that it has formed a new company, Layne Water Development and Storage LLC, to pursue opportunities in the areas of risk management and financial services for water resources, water rights, resource acquisition, development and management. It will manage water-related risks and opportunities for clients from the energy, high-tech, real estate and investment sectors. The company intends to acquire and develop water assets with a focus on combining sustainable water resources with financial services for a total solution for water-short areas.