29 JANUARY 2021 Drilling Professional Spotlight Adapted from Information by Shelia McGinnis Shelia McGinnis, a drilling professional for All American Drilling and Pump Service, has been around this industry as long as she can remember, even as a child watching grandpa and dad drill. When grandpa retired, dad needed a new hand and took her on. Shelia has been working for her dad, James McGinnis, for two years now. Enjoying physical labor outdoors, excitement of new locations, and customer satisfaction encouraged her to become a drilling professional like them. Her daily routine is to check fluids, turn power on, load rig with fuel, get all tooling prepared, dig the water channel for a containment pit, and when drilling commences, shovel, shovel, shovel, and load pipe . . . then repeat. Reviewing job scheduling daily, Shelia contributes to the company’s productivity by ensuring her dad doesn’t miss any job walks. She likes organization with a plan because dad is spread thin sometimes. Mostly, she loves feeling like he needs her as much as she needs him. Shelia’s favorite part of her job is operating the rig, hitting water, and seeing the customers’ excitement. The hardest part is stemming out of a deep hole, pulling 25-foot pipes onto the truck, and shoveling tailings. Sheila says dad can get testy when things are not going according to plan, but she realizes he is harder on her because of his high expectations. Speaking of family, Shelia says hers is as crazy as they get, but she would never change them. She was raised by her dad and stepmom since she was two. With twin brothers and a sister, as well as two sisters and a brother on her mother’s side, Shelia has always aspired to be a role model for her siblings, hoping one day to teach her sister and twin brothers how to drill. With little downtime, Shelia enjoys simple pleasures: time with siblings, BMX biking, offroading, desert trips, and traveling. Her favorite movies are “50 First Dates” and “Mama Mia”, and her music tastes run to Reggae or alternative. Because her parents insti l led a unique work ethic, Shelia takes pride in hard work and the ability to hold her own in a male-dominated industry, keeping up with other male workers and sometimes outworking them despite being physically smaller. Encouraging other women to join the industry, she considers it a privilege to represent her gender. In fact, she aspires to be accepted solely on her ability and become the company drill operator. Proud to be a part of an honest and authentic company, Shelia insists drilling is about the sweat, persistence, and knowledge one invests in the job. WTR Stemming out. Organizing tools. Shelia and dad James. WorldWide Drilling Resource®
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