The industry has seen many ups and downs during the last 4 years, companies declaring bankruptcy and some merging just to survive, long term employees being let go for some to stay in the black, thousands of people without jobs and nowhere to find work. In the midst of this was a small company, Map Oil Tools.
This is the story of their CEO, Ragen Borel..
Ragen started working for Serva Group in Wichita Falls, TX, parent company of Map Oil Tools, in 1994 as a Warehouseman. Basically doing whatever they would let her do, such as sorting o-rings, organizing inventory, filing schematics, light assembly and sandblasting. She gradually assumed more responsibilities in planning and logistics, working herself into taking over warehouse operations for Serva’s centrifugal pump facility once she graduated high school.
In 2003, Serva eliminated the Map Oil Tools product line. Her father, who had started as a salesman in the early 90’s, was the president of Serva at that time. They both liked the Map line and, rather than see it go, decided to buy the line and move operations from Texas to Louisiana to service the Gulf of Mexico.
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“Frankly if I provide the team with the resources they need to meet customer demands, then I have done my job.â€
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Ragen and her Father started from zero in 2004 with a two year non-compete, using that time to build up their client base and inventory. In 2006 they geared setup operations in New Iberia, La. They have since grown to supply 200 service companies and distributors in 70 countries. They have transitioned from a standard downhole tool manufacturing company to developing some of the best cutting edge technology in the market today for downhole tool activation.
Because she spent time in every department as the company grew, her typical work day can involve Operations, Purchasing, R & D, Corporate Sales, Marketing and Supply Chain Management. The diversity in her day to day is one of the things she loves the most about what she does. Her primary objectives are to ensure that the culture of quality is well maintained within the organization and to deliver profitable results during what is still a very challenging time in the industry. She also works very hard to promote the companies new technology and support the engineering team in testing on site and in the field.
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“I can’t describe how fulfilling it is to see the organization survive and thrive in this market and it is 100% because of the contribution of our team as a wholeâ€
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Map Oil Tools is a nimble, talented team of problem solvers.
Newcomers in any industry face a variety of challenges that depend a great deal on the organization they are in. As a private company, Map Oil Tool’s enjoys a certain degree of flexibility and control in how they grow. Upward mobility is an important part of the company culture. She feels that the “corporate environment†of major operators and service companies is very different in that regard. People often start in a larger organizations to acquire training and experience, then branch off to smaller, more dynamic companies once they feel they’ve hit a ceiling in the corporate world.
When she is not working, she stays very active as a single mom with three girls (5,7 and 12) so boredom is definitely not a problem she has to deal with. Cooking is a passion for her because she says that it brings friends and family together. She loves to dance, sing, hike, fish, and swim with the alligators in their pond.
“Traveling and meeting new people feeds her soulâ€
To see more about Ragen and what her team over at Map Oil Tools are doing with downhole tool technology and innovation, visit their website at https://www.mapoiltools.com/
