Water Well Journal
Issue link: https://read.dmtmag.com/i/1330849
The business is busting at the seams with work with its nine field employees, following the acquisition of Mullet Drilling Co. Inc. in June 2020. Mullet Drilling, 15 minutes down the road in Millersburg, Ohio, has retired, so Yoder Drilling & Geothermal has taken over its accounts that it built up over 40 years. Since drilling and servicing water wells are new for Yoder Drilling & Geothermal, the business has leaned on its core employees to handle it. Mitch and his two younger brothers, Jared (28) and Collin (25), are like sponges taking it all in. All three have worked at the business between seven and 12 years. "We're learning more than we can ever repay," Mitch says, "honestly, and it's been a blessing the whole time." Mitch likes the company's future in the water well indus- try, in addition to the geothermal accounts it has already es- tablished which continues to grow. He respects the water well industry and is in it for the long haul. "Water is absolutely essential," Mitch says, "and it's nice to be able to get people what they need just to live. Multiple times we've run into places where we can make a person's year just by getting them a new well that has better water than they had before. It's nice to be able to help people out in that way." With attracting, onboarding/training, and retaining the next generation of employees, the water well industry is confront- ing the issue of workforce development like it has always done with other challenges—head on. NGWA Past President John Schmitt, CWD/PI, walked away from the 2020 Michigan Ground Water Association Annual Education Conference, his 67th time attending, with a renewed sense of faith in the industry. It was largely based on seeing the future of the industry at the event: grandchildren and maybe great grandchildren of contractors asking ques- tions and enjoying themselves. "I think we will continue to drill wells for the good of man- kind—for drinking, for bathing, for cooking, for irrigation, for whatever—as long as there are people on this earth," says Schmitt, the 1996 NGWA president who received the 2003 NGWA Life Member Award. "I think we face a bright future. We'll see many changes. We've seen many changes in my lifetime and we'll continue to see them." —Reporting contributions by Thad Plumley, WWJ editor, and Ben Frech, NGWA public affairs and regional public policy manager HOW TO RETAIN EMPLOYEES from page 31 Mike Price is senior editor of Water Well Journal. In addition to his WWJ responsibilities, Price also contributes to the Association's scientific publications. He can be reached at mprice@ngwa.org, or at (800) 551-7379, ext. 1541. WWJ 32 n February 2021 WWJ waterwelljournal.com NGWA understands that with the complexities in personal life and job demands you need a place where you can dictate the pace of your learning, so we created the new NGWA University. Whether you need continuing education for licensing and certification or just want to learn a new skill, NGWA University has 100+ hours of content including live and on demand events, ready for you. View on demand and virtual courses in our new online learning platform. Earn Your Continuing Education Online LEARN MORE: WWW.NGWA.ORG/UNIVERSITY Sponsored by: