Weyburn 鈥� The Weyburn Unit鈥檚 discovery hole was spudded 65 years ago, and for 37 of those years, Key Well Servicing has been working in that field.
Key is currently owned by Kelsey Gerle and Gabe Runge, who purchased the company from Lyman Sargent and Toby Towne in November 2007. Gerle pointed out it has always been a locally-owned and operated company.
Key is a four-service rig outfit, primarily composed to two singles and two doubles. Recently, the doubles have been seeing more work, as they have been preferred by the oil companies. But that has changed over the history of the company, with singles in favour some years, and doubles in other years.
Their shop is on the Laurier Road, west of the Unit, and they have an office in Weyburn. The shop鈥檚 location places it relatively close to the Unit, but more importantly, as it is in the same rural municipality as the Unit, road permits are less of an issue.
Runge started working with Key in December 2000. Gerle had been working on drilling rigs for many years, but his rig went to work in northern Alberta, so he found work with Key on the service rigs. Gerle is originally from Ceylon and Runge is originally from Trossachs. Now they and their families call Weyburn home.
They bought Key in 2007, just in time to ride the roller coaster of oil prices, from a record high to a harsh low.
鈥淚t was a record high to a record low within the first year,鈥� said Gerle.
They had the two singles initially. They bought the two double-triples (double joint, triple rod capable) in 2013, and also added a flushby and a pressure truck. 鈥淲e had two flushbys for a while, then it slowed down, so we ended up selling one,鈥� Gerle said.
鈥淚t went to Mexico, and we should have went with it,鈥� he said with a laugh.
To work or for a holiday?
鈥淏oth!鈥� they exclaimed together.
鈥淲e should have sold the rigs and bought a resort,鈥� Runge said, smiling.
There鈥檚 not much market for singles these days in the southeast. 鈥淪maller companies that have shallower wells and quick pump changes, but they鈥檙e just waiting,鈥� Gerle said.
If they were to sell the two singles, they would get another double, but they don鈥檛 expect that to happen any time soon. 鈥淵ou would need a huge turn in the economy, too,鈥� said Runge. 鈥淭here鈥檚 so many rigs sitting.鈥�
They鈥檙e fully staffed right now. 鈥淚f we were to have Rig 1 go out tomorrow, we鈥檇 be short five guys. We have one extra guy right now. But if Rig 1 went out, we鈥檇 need a full crew.鈥�
They also have a part-timer come in as needed.
鈥淭here鈥檚 no schedule. It could be 21 days on, or four days a week. There鈥檚 no set schedule. If a big well goes down, you鈥檙e working the weekend. If not, you have the weekend off. Maybe a long weekend. Just whatever comes along, I guess,鈥� Gerle said. 鈥淲e try to do a 10 and four, but we鈥檝e tried so many schedules that didn鈥檛 work.鈥�
鈥淚t depends on the price of oil,鈥� Runge added.
鈥淎s soon as we鈥檇 have the four days off, a well would go down, and it just didn鈥檛 work,鈥� Gerle said.
鈥淲e tell them right away, there鈥檚 no set schedule.鈥�
If a worker has something important coming up, they need to book the time off so someone else can fill in, because they can鈥檛 count on having the weekend off.
They pay par or a little better than the Canadian Association of Oilwell Drilling Contractors鈥� recommended wage scale.
Key has 17 employees, including the two owners.
鈥淲e have a lot of older guys, a lot of long-term,鈥� Gerle said. One is in his 60s.
鈥淲e have had some turnover, for sure,鈥� Gerle said. 鈥淏ut we still employ great, long-term employees. We鈥檙e a family oriented business. On one rig, we have an uncle and a nephew. On another rig, we have a father and son.鈥�
鈥淣othing like it was in 2012-13,鈥� Runge added. 鈥淚t was really new faces then. It鈥檚 stable now.鈥�
鈥淎 few guys that had worked went back to school. We had a couple guys from Ontario take off and are not even around anymore,鈥� Gerle said.
The flushby generally works Monday to Friday. 鈥淚t鈥檚 steady,鈥� Gerle said.
While flushby units are common in northwest Saskatchewan, they are not common in the southeast. 鈥淥urs isn鈥檛 really for pump changes. We do more unseat, and pump chemical, to deal with the wax in this field,鈥� Runge said.
Gerle added the flushby is also used for high rod breaks.
鈥淲e only work in this field right now,鈥� Runge said. 鈥淲e have, in the past, ventured out for other companies.鈥�
The work has been steady.
Asked if two people walked in tomorrow, looking for work, would they take them, Gerle responded, 鈥淚f we had the work, we definitely would. It鈥檚 such a hard thing to say. If we had a phone call and an oil company said we wanted Rig 1, and we鈥檙e hoping it鈥檚 going to go out, we鈥檇 be gathering every resum茅 we can.鈥�
鈥淵ou get us those two guys, and we鈥檒l let you know!鈥� Runge said with a laugh.
Gerle likes the idea of having a pool of three men who are oriented to three service rig companies, for example, who could be called up to work around between those three companies. 鈥淚f, as a service rig company, we could keep three good guys busy, if they wanted to move around鈥� We have one guy who would rather move around for us and keep busy, than stick with one particular rig. He likes change. If we had three of them that could move to different companies, and have all their tickets and orientated, it would be easier.
鈥淲e all get along,鈥� he said of his local competitors.
Offering an idea, Gerle said, 鈥淚f you had a five guys, a full crew, that work well together, then you could have it where if that rig goes to work, and shuts down, they go to the next one. And if they are sitting, and nobody has work, then each company has to throw in a little bit.
鈥淓ach takes one,鈥� Runge said.
