By: Fred Holmes/2009-2010 AESC President

July/August 2010

It has been a great honor and a blessing to serve as the 2009-2010 AESC National President. I know this is an overused statement and that everyone always says this, but from the bottom of my heart, I sincerely mean it!

There is a country/western song sung by Hank Snow called I’ve Been Everywhere. It’s about a trucker recalling all the towns he has been through. The lyrics are sung very fast as he starts naming all the towns he’s seen. Barbara and I can now sing the same song about all the places we have been to this year, and we can sing it just as fast. I told my wife, “Fasten your seat belt Barb, it’s going to be a bumpy ride.” Needless to say we’ve covered a lot of territory in the last year.

Fred S. Holmes, 2009-2010 AESC President, Key Energy Services, Taft, California

While representing AESC, we’ve been to Bakersfield, Kilgore, Houston, Tahoe, Laurel, Natchez, Hobbs, Odessa, Fort Worth, Bridgeport, Perryton, Andrews, Shreveport, Blanchard, Victoria, San Angelo, Grand Junction, Pittsburgh, Chicago and Washington D.C.

I saw and visited with a lot of my old friends and also met with a lot of new oilfield people in my travels. One common thread I found among all the oilfield people was this: they are hard working, tax paying, good ole red-blooded Americans — and last but certainly not least — they are salt of the earth people. All they ask for is an opportunity to support their families and to raise and educate their kids. I can’t emphasize enough what great Americans these people are.

We, along with everyone associated with AESC, need to tell the story more effectively in D.C. about the American oil workers and how Washington over-regulation and bureaucracy is killing the American oil workers’ jobs.

The other evening, I thought about oil imports and how they affect jobs for Americans. This may be a simplistic thought, but each and every boat load of oil that comes to the USA from a foreign country, unloads its cargo in the U.S., then takes off with a boat load of U.S. jobs and hauls them back to a foreign country. America’s dependence on foreign oil has never been a good thing. It must change.

As I look back at my term as the 2009-2010 National President, it was a privilege to be a part of the AESC team that chartered two new AESC chapters. One of them is the Western Pennsylvania chapter and the other new chapter is in San Angelo, Texas. The team also helped get the Rocky Mountain chapter restarted with the first meeting being held in May in Grand Junction, Colorado.

My term as AESC National President has ended. I want to offer my opinion as to the value of AESC and where the Association fits into the big picture of fueling America and working with other energy-affiliated organizations. I belong to IOPA, CIPA, AADE, API and IPAA. While these are well-known associations, there are many more not so well-known trade organizations that also do an excellent job representing oil producers across the U.S. While the oil producer has good representation from several associations, these same associations do not necessarily represent oilfield service companies. The AESC, however, does an excellent job of representing service companies in all areas, from insurance issues to government regulations to safety, and the list goes on and on. The people with boots on the ground getting the oil out of the earth are all helped in some way or another by the AESC. The AESC’s main focus remains true to the service companies and the oilfield worker.

In closing, I would like to thank my wife Barbara, my family, the people I work with at Key Energy and Holmes Western, and my many friends who have helped and encouraged me. They have all taken care of things in my absence, which has allowed me to serve as President of AESC. I also want to thank Kenny, Patty, Nikki and Roni at the AESC office. These are the folks that supply the energy that makes AESC go day after day. I thank each of you for the great job you do and for the friendship and support you have given me as president! Vote for me. “See you next boom!”