The Driller
  • Sign In
  • Create Account
  • Sign Out
  • My Account
  • NEWS
  • CLASSIFIEDS
  • EQUIPMENT
  • SAFETY
  • VIDEOS
  • EDUCATION
  • SOURCEBOOK
  • EVENTS
  • SUBMIT
  • ABOUT
  • SIGN UP
cart
facebook twitter linkedin youtube
  • NEWS
  • Water
  • Geothermal
  • Construction
  • Environmental
  • Mining
  • All Industry News
  • EQUIPMENT
  • Rigs & Heavy Equipment
  • Consumables
  • Pumps
  • Featured Products
  • VIDEOS
  • Newscast
  • Drill Talks
  • Ask Brock
  • Emerging Drillers
  • EDUCATION
  • Drilling Business Insights
  • Reference Desk
  • Sponsored Insights
  • EVENTS
  • Conferences & Demo Days
  • Newscast LIVE
  • SUBMIT
  • Drillers @Work
  • ABOUT
  • Contact
  • Advertise
The Driller
search
cart
facebook twitter linkedin youtube
  • Sign In
  • Create Account
  • Sign Out
  • My Account
The Driller
  • NEWS
    • Water
    • Geothermal
    • Construction
    • Environmental
    • Mining
    • All Industry News
  • CLASSIFIEDS
  • EQUIPMENT
    • Rigs & Heavy Equipment
    • Consumables
    • Pumps
    • Featured Products
  • SAFETY
  • VIDEOS
    • Newscast
    • Drill Talks
    • Ask Brock
    • Emerging Drillers
  • EDUCATION
    • Drilling Business Insights
    • Reference Desk
    • Sponsored Insights
  • SOURCEBOOK
  • EVENTS
    • Conferences & Demo Days
    • Newscast LIVE
  • SUBMIT
    • Drillers @Work
  • ABOUT
    • Contact
    • Advertise
  • SIGN UP

Mountain Hydrofracture Joins the Party - Part 1

By Greg Ettling
May 1, 2005
Mike McGinn, a relative newcomer, shares with us his experiences.

Describing the division of responsibilities at the three-person operation known as Mountain Hydrofracture, managing partner Mike McGinn tells us, “I run the rig. I don't have a CDL nor do I intend to get one. We have a guy who drives the rig and then helps me, and when we break something [partner] Jeffrey [Holloway] fixes it.” It's always good when everyone knows their roles.

The Blue Ridge, Ga.-based company started up just four years ago. “My previous employment had nothing to do with this line of work - I was a vice president of a New York-based consulting firm,” which begs the obvious question: So how did you get mixed up with the water well hydrofracturing industry?

“I had a well of my own frac'd 10 years ago or so,” explains McGinn. “Originally, a driller came out and put in a well that we were told by the [general] contractor was producing 5 gallons per minute. When we ran out of water, I called the driller and said, “There must be a broken line here or something because we've got 5 gallons per minute. 'No,' the driller replied. 'You're getting half a gallon a minute.' So while the contractor and the driller pointed fingers at each other, we were getting nowhere. The answer, of course, was to drill another well. I had another well drilled 200 feet or 300 feet away.” That only made McGinn the proud owner of two wells that could only make half a gallon a minute. “The driller knew very little of hydrofracturing except that a guy up in north Georgia did that sort of thing,” McGinn continues. “He recommended I call this guy to see if he could find some way to get water out of these wells. When the fellow did come down to frac the well, I stayed home that day so I could watch. He did a really good job and I thought to myself, 'This is really interesting.' I like equipment and stuff so I thought that when I retire, this is something I should look at. So I watched it - for years. I concluded that this would be fun and totally different from what I had been doing - a great little business.”

Getting Started

McGinn soon did retire from his consulting gig and after a brief transition period, concentrated full-time on his hydrofracturing venture. “At that point, we had a crew doing the work and they were having lots of difficulties - getting stuck, breaking stuff; it was one thing after another. The capper is they both quit with no notice. Jeffrey and I were at Jubilee and when I checked my telephone messages on Saturday, they said, 'By the way, we won't be coming in on Monday.' So Jeffrey said, 'Why don't I drive the rig, and you and I will take care of things that way for a while?'”

So that's what they did - until they ran across a guy McGinn describes as “absolutely terrific.” Russell Ware was hired with the idea that he would run the hydrofracture rig and McGinn would help him. “We trained him for about four months,” McGinn relates. “Then when he and I went out the first time, he told me, 'I'm a little hesitant about doing the video examination, and if we get stuck, I'm going to get blamed. Why don't you run the rig and I'll do the helping and driving?'” So that's what they've been doing for the past couple years.

“Once the rig is in position, I run the frac cycles, do the video examination and handle all the customer stuff. And it's worked out very nicely that way,” McGinn stresses.

Spreading the Word

"We rely very heavily on drilling contractors referring work to us,” notes McGinn. “And that means the drillers have to buy into the notion of hydrofracture having a value, and they have to buy into the notion that their responsibility with the customer is to help them make an informed decision. If hydrofracture is a better option than drilling another well, that's what the drillers should recommend. It has taken some time to get them to do that, but we've managed to get that done. Over this period of time, most of the big developers know us now and they'll call us immediately when they've got a problem. And most of the drillers up in this area refer all of their hydrofracturing work to us. So over the past four years, we've built that bridge; the drillers understand that hydrofracturing is a legitimate technology.”

Furthering the cause, McGinn has taught a couple of classes at Jubilee and he teaches for the states of North Carolina and Georgia as well. Speaking of drilling contractor education, McGinn offers: “Lots of drillers have been to seminars and classes on hydrofracturing that talk about pumps and equipment and hoists and cables and packers and all that stuff, but they really didn't focus on why hydrofracturing works and the actual physical impact on the well that makes it produce more water. I think there's this underlying notion that there is some sort of voodoo going on.”

In his position, McGinn recognizes the need to stay at the leading edge of the industry's advancing technology. “There are a few guys around the country who are really bright and have a good grasp of this stuff,” he remarks. “I've talked at length with these people about hydrofracture's impact on a well, how you can measure it and what kinds of things improve the well development in terms of application and pressure. We've learned a lot and have developed a pretty good understanding of what the physical impact is of what we do, why this stuff really works and, as a consequence, how to make it work better.”

On the hardware side, McGinn says, “We constantly are improving our equipment. We have a hydraulic packer that Flatwater Fleet made especially for us. It was a design we came up with while Flatwater had something similar on the drawing board. It works exceptionally well; it makes a huge difference. And we have the largest frac rig that Flatwater Fleet has ever made, I believe. When it's loaded, it's about 75,000 pounds. It's a 2000 International model - all-wheel drive, about 37 feet long, 13 feet, six inches high and carries 3,200 gallons of water. It's a monster. It has a 6-ton crane on it, a Myers triplex pump and a big compressor - and all of this stuff is hydraulically driven.”

Taking advantage of the latest technological improvements is part and parcel of Mountain Hydrofracture's de facto credo: “We're constantly looking for ways to do our job better,” says McGinn.
ND

Share This Story

Looking for a reprint of this article?
From high-res PDFs to custom plaques, order your copy today!

Recommended Content

JOIN TODAY
to unlock your recommendations.

Already have an account? Sign In

  • geotechnical drilling rig

    6 Onsite Phrases Environmental Drillers Hate

    Here are six phrases that highlight common frustrations...
    The Underground Network
    By: Jeff Garby
  • Wayne Nash

    Pipe Stuck? Common Causes and Solutions for Drillers

    If you have drilled for any length of time, sooner or...
    Oil & Gas Drilling
    By: Wayne Nash
  • submersible pumps, water well pumps

    Selecting and Sizing Submersible Pump Cable

    This article helps pump installers and servicers decide...
    Water Wells
    By: Bob Pelikan
You must login or register in order to post a comment.

Report Abusive Comment

Subscribe For Free!
  • eNewsletters
  • Online Registration
  • Subscription Customer Service
  • Manage My Preferences

The Driller Newscast: New York Geo Talks 2025 Conference with Hands-on Driller Education

The Driller Newscast: New York Geo Talks 2025 Conference with Hands-on Driller Education

The Driller Newscast, Episode 147: Global Geothermal Collaboration at NY-GEO 2025

The Driller Newscast, Episode 147: Global Geothermal Collaboration at NY-GEO 2025

The Driller Newscast: Coiled Tubing Drilling and the Future of Geothermal

The Driller Newscast: Coiled Tubing Drilling and the Future of Geothermal

The Driller Newscast: 21st Century Drillers | Part 1 DEMAND

The Driller Newscast: 21st Century Drillers | Part 1 DEMAND

More Videos

Sponsored Content

Sponsored Content is a special paid section where industry companies provide high quality, objective, non-commercial content around topics of interest to the The Driller audience. All Sponsored Content is supplied by the advertising company and any opinions expressed in this article are those of the author and not necessarily reflect the views of The Driller or its parent company, BNP Media. Interested in participating in our Sponsored Content section? Contact your local rep!

close
  • demo of a DM450 drilling rig during a customer factory visit
    Sponsored byGeoprobe

    Built for You: Smarter Drill Rigs, Stronger Support, Bigger Opportunities

Popular Stories

MainPhotoTwoBrothers.jpg

Two Brothers' Journey Through the Drilling Industry

Tariffs

Tariffs Shake Up the Drilling Industry

AI and Drought Concerns

AI’s Growing Thirst for Water and Power

The Driller Classifieds

COMPRESSORS

EAST WEST MACHINERY & DRILLING IS BUYING AND SELLING AIR COMPRESSORS, AIR BOOSTERS, AIR ENDS & PARTS
Company: East West Machinery

DRILL RIGS

LOOKING FOR LATE MODEL TOPHEADS & DRILLTECH D25'S
Company: Spikes’s Rig Sales

DRILL RIG PARTS

MEETING DRILLERS NEEDS AROUND THE WORLD
Company: East West Machinery

ELEVATORS

SEMCO INC. PIPE ELEVATORS
Company: Semco Inc.

GROUTERS

GROUTING EQUIPMENT - GROUT PUMPS & GROUT HOSE REELS
Company: Geo-Loop Inc.

PUMP HOISTS

SEMCO INC. - BASIC PUMP HOISTS
Company: Semco Inc.

WELL PACKERS

LANSAS PRODUCTS - INFLATABLE WELL PACKERS
Company: Vanderlans Lansas Products

WELL SCREENS

WELL SCREENS & SLOTTED PIPE
Company: Alloy Screen Works

Products

Water Quality Engineering: Physical / Chemical Treatment Processes

Water Quality Engineering: Physical / Chemical Treatment Processes

By carefully explaining both the underlying theory and the underlying mathematics, this text enables readers to fully grasp the fundamentals of physical and chemical treatment processes for water and wastewater.

See More Products

Subscribe to The Driller Newscast

Related Articles

  • Mountain Hydrofracture Joins the Party - Part 2

    See More
  • The Hammer and Bit Scene - Part 1

    See More
  • The Latest In Drill Rig Technology -- Part 1

    See More
×

Dig deeper into the drilling and water supply industry!

Build your knowledge with The Driller, covering the people, equipment and technologies across drilling markets.

SIGN UP NOW
  • RESOURCES
    • Advertise
    • Contact Us
    • Directories
    • Store
    • Want More
    • Classifieds
  • SIGN UP TODAY
    • Create Account
    • eNewsletters
    • Customer Service
    • Manage Preferences
  • SERVICES
    • Marketing Services
    • Reprints
    • Market Research
    • List Rental
    • Survey/Respondent Access
  • STAY CONNECTED
    • LinkedIn
    • Facebook
    • YouTube
    • X (Twitter)
  • PRIVACY
    • PRIVACY POLICY
    • TERMS & CONDITIONS
    • DO NOT SELL MY PERSONAL INFORMATION
    • PRIVACY REQUEST
    • ACCESSIBILITY

Copyright ©2025. All Rights Reserved BNP Media.

Design, CMS, Hosting & Web Development :: ePublishing

The Driller
search
cart
facebook twitter linkedin youtube
  • Sign In
  • Create Account
  • Sign Out
  • My Account
The Driller
  • NEWS
    • Water
    • Geothermal
    • Construction
    • Environmental
    • Mining
    • All Industry News
  • CLASSIFIEDS
  • EQUIPMENT
    • Rigs & Heavy Equipment
    • Consumables
    • Pumps
    • Featured Products
  • SAFETY
  • VIDEOS
    • Newscast
    • Drill Talks
    • Ask Brock
    • Emerging Drillers
  • EDUCATION
    • Drilling Business Insights
    • Reference Desk
    • Sponsored Insights
  • SOURCEBOOK
  • EVENTS
    • Conferences & Demo Days
    • Newscast LIVE
  • SUBMIT
    • Drillers @Work
  • ABOUT
    • Contact
    • Advertise
  • SIGN UP