Sanjel USA has new shop in Williston

Sanjel Has a 26-year history in the oil field service industry in Canada, but it's only recently the company has had a higher profile in Williston. Sanjel USA opened a new 55,000 square foot shop on 15 acres on the east edge of Williston earlier this year. The shop includes eight truck maintenance and repair bays, a truck washing station, wet and dry material storage, and offices. "We plan to have an open house," said Kevin Corcoran, district service line manager, but it's easy to keep putting that off. Could be, they're too busy. Sanjel's Williston team supports all five of Sanjel's service lines, including acidizing, cementing, coiled tubing, fracturing and nitrogen services. The Williston District office is one of six in the United States, servicing the Rocky Mountain Region. The Williston district covers an area from Buffalo, S.D. to Sherwood, N.D., Corcoran said. They employ 55 workers out of the Williston shop, and they need more. Corcoran hesitates to give a starting wage because people move up fast at Sanjel. "The growth is, how fast do you want to move up? " he said. The company recruits across the state and the nation. He encourages people to check out websites like www.rigzone.com, or any one of a half dozen other firms who recruit oil field workers, but he'll also talk to people who walk in the door. The company's website, www.sanjel.com, also has career information. "If they've got a CDL they can come to work," Corcoran said. Any other necessary training is done on the job. Most of Sanjel's jobs involve hauling equipment to oil rig sites, which is why the driving background is so important. Once on site, Sanjel employees conduct the service work necessary with the tools and materials they bring with them. Each rig may be visited at one or more stages during drilling. They might put in surface pipe at 2,100 feet, for example, then come back to install intermediate pipe later. Interest from prospective employees comes from across the nation. "I've got a phone interview with a guy in Pennsylvania tomorrow," Corcoran said last week. Sanjel is a privately owned, Canadian-based firm, founded in Lac Labiche, Alberta. The company has had a presence in Williston since 1999. "The Williston community has been very supportive of our company and operations," said Shawn Reed, vice president of Sanjel USA, in a press release announcing the opening of the Williston District Office. "Williston's location within the Rocky Mountain Region is strategic to our company's operations and has definitely furthered our presence and expansion throughout the region," he added. In the oil field service business himself since 1990, Corcoran sees a bright future ahead at Sanjel USA. "We're going to continue to grow," he said, because there's plenty of work to go around.