Oilfield Experts

DTC Energy Group, Inc.
Written by Claire Suttles

The DTC Energy team boasts extensive, long term experience in on-site supervision and project and operations management – and these industry insiders are improving operations and safety in every major basin in the United States.
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The Denver based oilfield consulting company got its start in 2011, when two oil industry experts joined forces. Robert Sylar and Luke Clausen formed DTC Energy Group, Inc. and developed a business model that would offer a better solution than the industry standard. “We have spent a lot of time developing what we think is the ideal consulting framework,” Mr. Sylar explains. The founders carefully “addressed some of the weaknesses of the [competitor] consulting companies,” to create an employee-based business. These employees are what the company is all about; armed with knowledge, leadership skills, and decades of training and experience, they have what it takes to successfully and safely manage virtually any operation.

The company’s winning approach catapulted it to success, and DTC Energy Group is now one of the largest and most respected oilfield consulting firms in the United States.

As an oilfield consulting group, DTC Energy provides an immediate solution for operators searching for talent, particularly on a project-by-project basis. These operators can tap into the company’s large pool of industry experts, any one of whom is ready to lend their expertise for the duration of the project.

The experts at DTC provide onsite supervisory, operations, and project management services to oil and gas companies operating in basins throughout the US. DTC Energy has a primary focus on drilling and completions, but the team’s abilities do not stop there. “We have assisted operators with everything from permitting to the pipeline; we are very well rounded,” says Mr. Sylar. “We are able to fill in the gap wherever we operate.” As a result, supervisors are able to work alongside client companies across all of the key areas of operations, from drilling, completions, stimulation, workover, and production to safety, site preparation, construction and remediation.

The team also draws on their industry expertise and in-depth field experience to provide technical and financial advisory services that relate to the petroleum interests of non-operating businesses. This advisory service is ideal for a range of companies, from large international groups to smaller firms based in both the U.S. and Canada. Typical clients include capital funds groups, investment banking firms, private equity groups and restructuring specialists.

DTC Energy started out focused on the Rocky Mountain region, with operations predominantly based in Colorado, Wyoming, and North Dakota. But, with the team’s services in high demand, the company quickly extended its geographic footprint. “Since forming the company we have been able to expand our services into other parts of the country,” says Mr. Sylar. “We are well represented in most of the major US shale plays.”

The company’s number one strategy for growth and success is to hire only the best and the brightest – and then match them with the right clients. “We try to find the right people and treat them like family.” Mr. Sylar explains. “We spend the majority of our time and effort recruiting. We aggressively seek out talented personnel.” These personnel are experienced in the full gamut of oil industry operations – from traditional vertical drilling to the challenges of managing 28,000-foot horizontal wells – making the team well equipped to take on the toughest oilfield jobs. These employees are also well-rounded geographically.

The emphasis on experience starts at the top; Mr. Sylar was an early trailblazer in hydraulic fracturing and the founder of DrillTech, Inc. “We were leaders, myself and several other of the people in the company,” he remembers. “We were pioneers in horizontal drilling and hydraulic fracturing. I designed and supervised one of the first (if not the first) horizontal Niobrara wells on the Front Range of Colorado in the late 80s. We drilled and completed some of the first horizontal wells in the Niobrara near Cheyenne, Wyoming years ago, including the offset to the discovery well. We were actively involved in horizontal exploration in North Dakota and Montana when the Bakken horizontal drilling kicked off. So we have been in the horizontal arena since it started.”

Luke Clausen, DTC Energy’s Co-founder and Chief Operating Officer, has more than 25 years of oil and gas drilling experience. He founded and operated Dakota Territory Consulting, which operated in the northern Rockies and Williston Basin. He and members of his drilling team were pioneers in the Bakken horizontal exploration from the beginning. They were very successful working with an aggressive operator early on developing many of the techniques commonly used today.

DTC Energy is able to put this wealth of expertise to work on the jobsite remarkably fast. Even on short notice, the company can provide top notch personnel, ensuring that a client’s operations continue without a glitch. Another important DTC Energy strategy is to proactively service its customer needs. “We have been very good at recruiting the proper personnel for each client and procuring the proper services as required.” DTC Energy’s management is very thankful and in fact proud of an impeccable safety record and their ongoing programs combined with their supervisory and the service personnel that are key to maintaining that record.

The technology that has made unconventional drilling possible is constantly evolving. Keeping up with these advances is not easy, and DTC Energy works hard to stay on top of the latest trends and innovations. “We can procure whatever equipment and technology we need even though it is continually changing,” Mr. Sylar says. With oil and gas operators now drilling to outrageous depths of 27,000 feet or more – a remarkable increase from just a few years ago – the industry is constantly pushing the envelope, making it absolutely essential to master the latest technology, and to bring on consultants who have experience with these operations.

DTC Energy is also focused on keeping costs down. “We are responding to the temporary drop in the price of oil,” Mr. Sylar reports. “We are trying to keep our cost low and the exploration cost down for our client. It is always a challenge, but it has been very rewarding.”

In fact, DTC Energy as a company has done so well overcoming challenges that DTC management is taking this talent to the international market. The venture is still in the early stages, but a new international venture will be launched soon. “It is coming together, and we’ve already been quite successful in raising interest in the overseas markets,” Mr. Sylar reports. The new company, DTC Energy International, Inc., will have a wider scope and completely different business model than DTC Energy, offering equipment as well as personnel and emphasizing project management with technology. “I am working diligently toward that.”

Judging by how quickly DTC Energy earned a respected place in the industry, it is safe to say that the outlook is good for the international venture. Whether in the United States or abroad, Mr. Sylar’s team has the expertise and experience to get the job done right.

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