After a five-year stint of coaching high school basketball, Randy Smith is returning to a field he’s very familiar with, oil and gas drilling. He’s taking the field experience he started accumulating in the late ’60s and sharing it with others in the industry through the launch of Smith Mason & Co., a year-old business dedicated to well control training. Along with partners Marcus Mason and Larry Schmermund, Smith is leading a company that provides International Association of Drilling Contractors (IADC) required training for oil and gas operators. Based in Lafayette, La., with additional locations in Nachez, Miss., and Houston, Smith Mason & Co. training consists of traditional classroom work and innovative field simulators that allow trainers to travel to the clients, which, Smith says, is key at a time when low oil and gas prices make training less convenient.
Q. What do you do and what keeps you coming back every day?