After a one-year hiatus, the Permian Basin International Oil Show will return this year and many businesses will be returning to Odessa for the three-day event.
Numerous oil companies will make their way from all over Texas but there will also be a number of businesses coming from outside the state that will be setting up booths at this year’s show which is scheduled to run from Oct. 19-21 at Ector County Coliseum.
Some of these businesses that are from far away are no strangers to the Permian Basin International Oil Show.
For others, this will be their first time at the biennial trade show in Odessa.
About 750 businesses are expected to be at this year’s Oil Show.
It is estimated that about 230 of those companies are from outside the state of Texas.
One of those companies is Triad Industrial Consulting LLC out of Arizona.
Keven Birck, who works as a partner of Triad Industrial Consulting, says this will be the third time that they’ve been to the Permian Basin Oil Show.
“The first year (2016) we were facing the west and the sun just melted us,” Birck said.
“The next show, we were able to get a tent facing the east and it was really cold in 2018.”
Birck says they’ll have about three to four people from Triad Industrial at the Oil Show.
Triad Industrial helps provide the heavy machinery market with proactive maintenance techniques and products that help out in value.
“We have products that are very helpful for the oil industry because it’s such large equipment,” Birck said.
Triad’s consultants help evaluate the oil analysis and assist their customers translating the oil analysis reports.
“The main thing is that it helps extend the longevity of the equipment and prevent maintenance. But the secondary is that it reduces the oil changes and increases the length of oil changes to five times longer,” Birck said. “Instead of changing their oil every 20 days on these drilling rigs, they’re going longer than six months. Generally, an oil change on a drilling rig can cost up to $5,000. It saves a ton of money on the oil changes.”
Obviously, the goal for these businesses is to sell products at the trade show but Birck also said that one of the main reasons they will be at the show is to find some good sales people.
“Not being over in that area, we don’t have anyone over there that can stop by and talk to people,” Birck said. “It’s just kind of difficult. My partner in Roswell, N.M. is getting up there in age and can’t go out there as much so we’re hoping to introduce some products and find some sales people as well.”
When the pandemic hit last year, the price of oil plummeted and many businesses in the industry suffered.
While some are still in recovery, Birck said it’s been a hectic year and has affected investors and the companies they’ve dealt with at Triad Industrial.
“Last year, I know that Odessa and Midland got hit and the oil prices dropped at the same time,” Birck said. “Most of the companies that we’ve been dealing with are the small operators. We’re not talking the Pattersons but the smaller ones that maybe have 10 rigs. Most of the investors are hiring the larger rigs, the super stackers and the smaller companies are getting pushed out. The two things affected us in a large way because the super stackers and the price of oil dropped. The price of oil is back to where it was but we’re not seeing business on our aspect because most are going to the super stackers.”
With this upcoming Oil Show, Birck says he is looking forward to networking with others.
He also says the price of registering at this oil show is cheaper compared to other trade shows.
“It’s a great way to meet new people and they give a very fair price,” Birck said. “We’ve done a lot of shows and I’ve seen some shows that are like $2,000-$3,000. The PBIOS is like $800. You get a lot of people coming through there. It’s just a great way to expose and if you’re wanting to get into the oil and gas industry, this is a great way to exposure your business in this industry.”
Another business that will be making the long trip to West Texas this month includes FedPro Inc.
Based out of Cleveland, Ohio, FedPro is a manufacture of lubricants, cleaners and specialty chemicals and has been around for over a century.
“We’ve been in it a long time,” FedPro’s Vice President of Sales for the Industrial Commercial Division Dave Johnson said. “A majority of our business is in the petroleum industry. A bigger portion is from the refinery out. So we do business with fuel distributors, fuel retailers. Most of our products are on the vast majority of the retail fuel locations in this country. That said, we still do a fair amount of business on the production side in miscellaneous lubricants and cleaners, water finding and gas gauging pace and things of that nature.”
Like Triad Industrial, FedPro isn’t new to the Permian Basin International Oil Show.
This will be the 10th time that the company has made the trip to West Texas for the show.
“Well, it is the center of the universe as far as oil goes and I’m of the opinion that that is the premier show in that market,” Johnson said “We’ve done it about eight or 10 times. I don’t remember when we first started but it’s always a good value for us in terms of the time and money spent versus the leads or other business opportunities generated. Odessa is not a great place to travel to but after you get past that, then it’s all good.”
Like most of the businesses that will be in attendance, Johnson says they’ll be looking at sales opportunities.
“Certainly there is also technology and new emerging things in places where we can go to sell products,” Johnson said. “Lastly, we want to go to learn about the industry itself. We’re a satellite product. We’re loosely allied and there are so many facets of this. Even people who are directly involved with this, there is only a small segment of the industry that they have day to day contact with. We don’t know what we don’t know.”
Unlike Triad Industrial and FedPro, one company that will be at this year’s oil show for the first time is Oil Tool Solutions from Denver, Col.
Oil Tool Solutions, which has recently been rebranded as Hulk, provides cable protection.
“We’re an oil field service company,” Director of Sales and Operations at Oil Tool Solutions Matt Smart said. “We’re specifically in the production side of the upstream oil and gas space, focusing on cable protection.”
Smart says they are looking forward to sharing the company’s vision regarding cable protection at this year’s trade show.
“Having not been a part of this, we’ve heard it’s a big show,” Smart said. “We’re looking forward to sharing the products we have as a company and looking forward to seeing all the other oilfield services that will be at the show.”
They’re also looking forward to further promote their product and to make a representation to the companies that they’re doing business with.
“Being a part of the community and learning more and being involved and seeing what benefits we can get from a company standpoint is the reason for being there,” Smart said.
They may be based out of Denver, Col., but Oil Tool Solutions has facilities in Midland, Houston, Williston, N.D. and Casper, Wyo.
Oil Tool Solutions’ facility in Midland has been there for two years now.
“West Texas, the Permian Basin, that is the most prolific oil and gas area right now,” Smart said. “That’s where the operators are currently expanding. Our business transitioned down there as of two years ago, following one customer. Now we’re doing business with over 15 customers down there.”
Smart said that the company has been involved with a couple of other trade shows and that this is relatively new to them.
“We’re continuing to learn as we go to these trade shows,” Smart said. “We’re looking to see other setups and get the vibe and feel of the oilfield trade show. It’s really about getting in tune with the attendees which hopefully will be engineers, operators, people that will purchase the product and educate them about why cable protection on today’s unconventional wells is more of a necessity to extend the running life.”