Finalist
Energy Services
It took awhile to make the leap, but in 1998, after being recruited heavily for several years, Jerry Winchester finally gave in and accepted an offer to leave his previous employer and assume the top spot at Boots & Coots International Well Control Inc.
When he arrived, the company focused on emergency response services, and its business model depended on being reactive rather than proactive.
Boots & Coots was well-known as a go-to firm in the industry with its legendary firefighting team, but Winchester recognized that those services had little long-term growth potential.
Rather, he saw an opportunity to shift gears and build upon the company’s expertise by tapping into unrealized employee skills and expanding Boots & Coots’ service offerings. By doing so, he could expand the company’s market share and jump-start its revenue potential.
Winchester had little trouble convincing employees and the company’s board of directors of the viability of his plan. With the backing firmly in place, he went to work developing oil field services related to the company’s expertise in pressured wells that could be performed on a more consistent basis. These included preventive services, pressure control, well intervention and equipment services that helped the company’s clients reduce “loss of control” in the oil fields before there were problems.
The moves led to a gradual reduction in Boots & Coots’ dependence on emergency response accounts, which previously had been 100 percent of the company’s revenue stream. Last year, emergency response services composed a mere 10 percent of operations and revenue.
Today, 10 years after Winchester became president and CEO, Boots & Coots remains an industry leader. The company employs 700 people and provides pressure control services to the oil and gas industry worldwide through eight domestic locations and six international hubs.
How to reach: Boots & Coots International Well Control Inc., (281) 931-8884 or www.boots-coots.com
