Matthew McCleary is area operations manager for fracturing services for Sanjel Corp., a Canadian service company operating in the Bakken oil play.
Matthew McCleary
Area operations manager for fracturing services, Sanjel Corp. Matthew McCleary says Montanans will soon be hearing more about Sanjel Corp., a Canadian company that has been operating in the booming Bakken oil play for more than a decade. Sanjel already employs hundreds of Montanans and will soon be adding more jobs, he said. McCleary is Sanjel’s area operations manager for fracturing services. Modern technology has transformed the Williston Basin into one of the nation’s most prolific oil-producing regions. “We’ve been in the Williston Basin for more than 10 years and we employ close to 500 people in the basin,” McCleary said. Horizontal drilling technology allows drillers to turn the drilling bit from vertical to horizontal to maximize contact with oilbearing formations. After the well is drilled, it is “fracked,” which is shorthand for hydraulic fracturing. In the process, sand and chemicals are pumped down into the hole at high pressure to open up pores that stimulate production. “We’re able to go down there and create super highways for this oil to flow from the reservoir into the well,” McCleary said. As companies rush to develop the prolific Bakken formation, service compa-
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nies like Sanjel play an integral role in keeping the oil flowing. The Bakken oil play has been a big story for several years, but exploration is starting to pick up in Montana. “There’s some exploration going on in central Montana, but it’s in the exploration phase,” McCleary said. “With any luck, maybe activity will start to pick up in places like Winnett and Melstone.” McCleary grew up in the Roundup area. His ancestors were ranchers and miners, and one coal seam is even named after the McCleary family. He went to work for Sanjel after graduating from Montana Tech with a degree in petroleum engineering. “I wanted to stay close to the Billings area, and Sanjel was a very new company here,” he said. What’s the toughest challenge you face in your job? In Sanjel safety is always top priority. So promoting safety and keeping a positive safety culture is always a challenge when hiring new employees. Many of our new employees come from other industries that don’t always have the same safety culture. We work diligently through training to
Age: 30. Family: Married. First job: Ranch hand. What I’m reading: “Decision Points” by George W. Bush. Liked this movie: “A River Runs Through It.” Uses this website a lot: foxnews.com Here’s how I relax: Fishing.
Ian McDonald, a dentist at Pickens Family Dental, is also president of the ZooMontana board of directors. He believes things are looking up at the financially troubled zoo. He relaxes by cooking.
Dr. Ian C. McDonald General dentist, Pickens Family Dental
ensure that our employees have a safe work environment. If you could make one positive change for Billings, what would it be? I want to keep working on expanding our business in Billings area so we can provide more jobs. Aside from profit and loss, how do you measure success in your job? Growth of our company is one way I measure success. In the last three years we have hired more than 700 employees in our U.S. business unit. We have hired approximately 100 additional employees in Montana alone. Which living person do you most admire? My grandmother Sue Olson. What do you consider your greatest achievement? Graduating college. I’m happiest when... I’m outside doing something with my wife that we enjoy such as fishing, hunting, working cattle.
ZooMontana suffered through a difficult time in 2011 due to financial problems, the loss of accreditation from the Association of Zoos and Aquariums and a change in management. But Ian McDonald, a Billings dentist who is president of the zoo’s board of directors, believes better times lie ahead. “It was a very stressful time for the zoo. But the board clung together and we got good advice about what to do, and we made some necessary changes to get things going,” McDonald said. A new marketing plan is designed to reconnect ZooMontana with the community and build the brand. McDonald also has confidence in the new director, Jeff Ewelt, who genuinely likes Billings and is excited about the opportunity to run ZooMontana. “The goal is to convince the public that the zoo is a necessity to the community,” McDonald said. “And once you can prove it to the community, it becomes a lot easier to approach the public for support.” Dentistry runs in McDonald’s
family. His grandmother was one of the state’s first registered dental hygienists. His mother is a dental hygienist, and his father ran a dental office in Billings for about 40 years. How did you get where you are in your business? It was always in the back of my mind to follow in my father’s footsteps. I also knew I wanted to come back to Billings to raise a family and contribute to the community that gave me such a great experience as a child. My profession allows me to choose where I want to live, so Billings was an easy choice. If you could make one positive change for Billings, what would it be? The one positive change I would like to see is a stable financial future for ZooMontana, ensuring a top-notch educational and entertainment attraction in Billings. Aside from profit and loss,
Age: 31. First job: Bag boy at Hilands Golf Club. What I’m reading: “Mere Christianity” by C.S. Lewis. Liked this movie: “The Shawshank Redemption.” Uses this website a lot: gozags.com. Here’s how I relax: Watch movies, cook, hunt, a little fishing, watch football, Gonzaga basketball. how do you measure success in your business? The patients are the best barometer for success. If they are happy, then you know you have done a good job. Which living person do you most admire? My fiancée, Halley Montalban. She is a rock. What do you consider your greatest achievement? When I was a freshman in high school, my dad had a heart attack when we were out hunting. I’d only driven one time before that. I was able to keep it together to drive him to safety, where he was lifeflighted to Billings for surgery. He is still alive today because of me ... doesn’t get much better than that. I’m happiest when...a case comes together perfectly. 40UNDERFORTY