H&P is a family affair for former high school teacher Jeff Craft.
Jeff Craft wasn’t the first member of his family to work for Helmerich & Payne. Or the second. Or even the third.
“My wife has five sisters that are all married to guys that have worked at H&P in different areas,” laughs Jeff. “It’s a family tradition.”
While H&P has employees from all sorts of backgrounds and walks of life, Jeff’s former career is unique. Before joining our team, he was a high school teacher.
“It was an accident that I even came here. On summer break, two brothers-in-law asked if I could fill in for my wife’s brother, who had been working on a rig site. I enjoyed it, but it was hard work.”
Jeff wasn’t allergic to hard work (he was a high school teacher, after all), but what inspired him to trade the classroom for the oil patch?
“The culture was what brought me in,” says Jeff. “The other rig hands treated me like family. Within a month I turned in my resignation as a teacher and have been with H&P ever since.”
Jeff started on the rig but has since found his niche on the maintenance team in the Tulsa office. Thirteen years after his first hitch, he is now a Senior Maintenance Advisor and works on anything related to maintenance and maintenance procedures.
“We cast a real wide net,” says Jeff. “We’ve got a fleet of maintenance mechanics and technicians all over the world.”
Jeff says the transition from being a teacher wasn't tough and recently he has pulled from his former career by working on a training program for electricians.
“I love knowing at the end of the day that what I’m doing is going to positively impact the field,” says Jeff. “Every single paper on my desk helps the team on the rig floor. I feel a lot of support to do my job and do what’s best for the people I’m working for and with.”
What keeps Jeff at H&P is the same thing that brought him here in the first place.
“It’s the best company out there to work with,” says Jeff. “I’ve basically got a sister and brother here, along with my adopted grandpa. That’s the best aspect. The family aspect.”
Whatever your title, when you work for H&P, you’re part of the family.