888-465-1569 holeproducts.com Kylie West Great Basin Drilling Kylie said a fellow Veteran at her local VFW who worked in the drilling / mining industry introduced her to the drilling community. She was hired at Great Basin Drilling in Nevada, and has enjoyed learning all she can in the past year. “Big shout out to Great Basin Drilling for the patience to teach me everything I know and giving me a family to turn to. I’m constantly in awe of everyone I meet in the drilling community and the neverending stories and wisdom they’ve shared with me,” she said. To her, the best part of the job is how every day presents a new set of challenges. “There are no groundhog days in drilling,” she explained. She would definitely like to see more women participating in the drilling industry. “For most women, this doesn’t even seem like an option. I really think if more women gave it a shot, they’d realize how much they really can do. The hardest part is building confidence in your own abilities and trusting that you DO, in fact, know what you’re doing,” she stated. Kylie has big plans for her drilling career as she is passionate about eventually getting her drilling license and taking on residential well drilling with her own company one day. In addition to her nieces and nephews, whom she adores, she also hopes to inspire future well drilling professionals to never doubt their own strengths and abilities. Cindy Taylor Bechtol Engineering & Testing, Inc. After serving in the U.S. Air Force as a mechanic, Cindy discovered Ace Drilling was looking for a drill helper, she thought she’d give it a shot. This was the beginning of her 22-year drilling career. In 2018, Ace Drilling closed its doors and after 17 years of drilling, she found herself looking for a job. “Bechtol Engineering at that time, did not have a rig or drilling department. They bought a rig, hired me, and I guided them on the drilling side of things. Currently we are operating like a well-oiled machine and have plans for building expansion and another rig. I am the head drill operator and responsible for the maintenance, repairs, and operation of our CME-45B truck-mount drill rig. Safety of the crew and completing jobs efficiently also falls on my shoulders. My goal is to keep drilling as long as I can and retire here,” she said. Cindy said the best part of the job is being able to travel all around Florida and see the various soils and the varying geology across the state. The hardest part is the weather and some of the jobsite locations; summers in Florida are brutal and some of the wooded, swampy sites can be a little dangerous. Cindy really enjoys being part of the drilling industry. “Being able to talk to homeowners, property owners, and engineers gives me the opportunity to shed a positive light on the drilling industry and how we can help,” she stated. OCTOBER 2023 WorldWide Drilling Resource® 6
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