Todd McCorriston
With 20 years in the oilfields and deep-seated roots in agriculture, Todd McCorriston has spent a lifetime in two challenging industries often at the mercy of the unpredictable, cultivating a knack for designing novel solutions for rapidly changing environments. As president and CEO of Drillform Technical Services Ltd., a specialty equipment designer and manufacturer of innovative drilling equipment, he leads a group of likeminded experts in their pursuit to help energy producers increase efficiency, lower drilling costs, and create a safer drilling environment. Having all spent time in the oilfield, Todd and his team have not only seen firsthand the problems plaguing the industry, they understand the importance of solving them—and most importantly, how to solve them with better designs and better technology. Its suite of automated drilling solutions is built for seamless integration, fully capable of plug-and-play integration with the automated drilling systems of the future.
Todd co-founded Drillform in Calgary as a privately held company in 2010. The founders were eager to start this new venture to fix the problems with the old equipment they worked with in prior roles in the industry. “With the dramatic increase in the level of automation on rigs, we recognized the need to upgrade existing fleets and outfit new rigs with drilling equipment that would improve efficiency and safety on the rig floor.” For the past 10 years, Drillform has worked on doing just this, focusing on designing key elements to improve drilling rig performance, specifically equipment that torques and handles the drill pipe. With locations in Odessa, Texas; Calgary, Alberta, Canada; and Abu Dhabi, UAE, Todd’s niche company is filling the gap in an industry that has changed dramatically. “As the industry has shifted to longer horizontal well profiles, companies have spent a lot to find out what’s going on at the end of the drill bit that is miles underground. We saw a niche in the market where little investment was being made in the equipment above ground.,” he explains. With the strength of its people, and its track record and experience in designing, manufacturing, and commercializing automated drilling equipment, the company is helping its customers harness automation on the rig floor to adapt to the challenges of a rapidly changing environment.
Amidst what has been an incredibly challenging few years for the industry, particularly in Canada, Todd’s fundamental values that have driven Drillform’s success remain the same as he looks toward the future. “Building strong relationships with the team and stakeholders is key. The best ideas and decisions come from listening and collaboration. Show up early and stay late, but take time away with your family and friends so you can come back and tackle new problems,” he explains. “I am proud of what we have accomplished at Drillform. Our solutions will change the future of automated drilling around the globe. It has been one of the toughest roads I’ve traveled, but it’s very rewarding to be where we are today.”
Todd McCorriston
President & CEO, Partner — Drillform Technical Services Ltd.
Calgary | Odessa | UAE
LinkedIn: Todd McCorriston; Drill Form
Download the Top 100 Canadian Professionals magazine and check out Todd's feature on page 108.