Born and raised in South America with past experiences working within different drilling environments, Carlos Salazar, Remote Directional Drilling Specialist, uses his distinct perspective to add value to H&P.
“I’m from a part of Venezuela that is known for oil and gas,” Carlos says, explaining how he grew up watching his father and extended family work in the oil and gas industry in the Lake Maracaibo area.
“I guess it runs in the family. It was only a matter of time before I followed in their footsteps.”
Carlos began his career in the petroleum industry as an intern, then Rig Electrician, which led to a job opportunity as a MWD/LWD Engineer, General Field Engineer, and eventually as Directional Coordinator before he was offered a contract job in Brazil as a Directional Advisor for a global energy service company. Carlos officially joined the H&P family in 2009 when he became a part of the development of a rotary steerable system for the rigs through H&P’s acquisition of MOTIVE Drilling.
Today, Carlos works in H&P’s remote operations center as a remote directional driller, a role that he says is essential in making the drilling process shorter, more efficient and, most importantly to him and his team, safer.
“The core values of companies are important,” says Carlos. “H&P focuses on safety and making sure the employees are taken care of. Everybody here has that same mentality, and I love it.”
And for Carlos, H&P’s commitment to its employees goes beyond just safety.
“I had my oath ceremony for my United States citizenship on April 30th. It took a long time, but H&P facilitated my visa and helped with my residency. I was able to come to the United States because of this company, and thanks to them, now it’s my home.”
When asked what motivates him at his job, Carlos quickly credits his family and the ability to broaden his own mindset every day through various collaborations in company-wide projects, such as the rollout of H&P’s Bit Guidance System.
“When you are part of a team in charge of developing something of that quality, you get to really understand your coworkers and their perspectives,” Carlos explains. “I want to come back satisfied from doing my job, and so do all of them. Everyone wants to feel proud of what they do, and in a workday, you can find a ton of opportunities to be intentional and meaningful.”