Each month, Axis shines a spotlight on an employee who represents our motto of “One Team, One Goal.” This month, we’re highlighting Joshua Pennywell, a Field Supervisor who has been with the company since September 2018, working out of our East Texas operations. Continue reading to learn more about Josh and his career with Axis.

Tell us about your job and what you do at Axis.

I’m a Pump and Mixing Plant Supervisor. I run pumps, anything from the body load, all the way up to frac pumps. I do acid jobs, help out with cement jobs, as well as a lot of drill outs. Right now, we’re doing a clean out and fishing job with a 1000HP pump. We’re going out with an Axis rig on an older well and cleaning it out. I’m running the pump and chemicals and circulating everything out. We’re working out of Coushatta, LA right now, and I also go to West Texas a lot to do drill outs. When I first got hired, I went straight to North Dakota because they had started that yard up there when I came on.

Would you say your career at Axis has grown since you started?

Yes, I’ve learned more in the two years here at Axis than all my previous years in the oil field put together. A big part of that is the Moseses—Stevo, T-Bone, and Fred Moses. Those guys are the smartest, most experienced, and just genuinely good people that I’ve ever worked for. They are always willing to share their knowledge and wisdom. Any time I get to work with them, I just listen, watch and learn, and soak it all in. I’ve definitely grown a whole lot in the past two years at Axis, and it’s really because of those guys.

What did you do before Axis?

I went to college and kind of spun my wheels for a while. I didn’t get into the oil field until I was 28 years old, where I started fracking with Schlumberger. Then I started more specialized pump work for a little while with S3 Energy. I then worked for Oil States, then Integrity Energy Services, and that was all pumps and drill outs. I went from there to Axis about two years ago. At Axis, I actually started learning why I was doing what I did. Before, I just operated the equipment, doing pump downs and some drill outs; but when I came to Axis, I started doing a lot more—clean outs, repair work, casing jobs, cement and acid jobs.

Do you work with Axis CORE® in your job?

Yes, more on the chemical side than the pumping side. But yes, I do work a lot with CORE on drill outs. Every time I change chemical, or start chemical, or send something different, I’ll get onto CORE and record that.

How does it help you in your job?

Everything gets recorded and you can always go back and see everything that’s progressed. It’s really helpful because we hook up transducers and everything’s tied in on location to CORE. I can view the swivel torque, the weight, the pump pressure, the backside pressure—all these things that help tell me what’s going on downhole, so I know if my chemical’s working or if I need to check something. CORE’s great for giving me a good snapshot of everything so I can draw conclusions on what I need to do next.

How would you describe your best day at work?

That would probably be going out on a job with the Moseses. We have a good time. When you’re working with the Moseses, for example, there’s so much experience there. I mean, stuff happens so fast, and the rig up is done before you know it. No one needs to really talk about what we’re going to do because everybody already knows, because they’re so good at what they do. That’s the best time I’ve ever had at work—going out on a job w/ Stevo and Fred and T-bone.

What are you most proud of in your job?

I’m most proud of the fact that I’ve learned so many different pieces of equipment, and that Stevo feels that he can send me on a number of different jobs and know that I can get it done and do it right. We have so many different pumps—small, medium, large—as well as chemicals. We also have different types of jobs as far as repair work or sending acid downhole. That’s what I’m most proud of, that I’ve learned so much in the past two years and that they can feel confident sending me out on a variety of jobs running a variety of equipment.

What’s something that’s happened on the job that would only happen at Axis?

Honestly, the camaraderie is much stronger at Axis than anywhere else I’ve worked.

In your spare time, what do you like to do outside of work?

Anything my wife wants me to do! She had a petting zoo for several years, but we just had a baby, so she no longer does that—but we still have all the animals. We just bought 14 acres and a new house, so in my spare time out of work, I’m building fence, clearing property, building barns, and that pretty much consumes my off time, which I enjoy doing. And we do it together, so it’s a good time!

What is something someone would be surprised to learn about you?

Usually people are most surprised to learn that I used to be a flight instructor before I got in the oil field. I flew planes at the school after I graduated and taught people how to fly. That’s one of the more interesting things. That, and I can play the piano pretty well, too. Most people don’t know that.

What can we expect is usually playing in your car on your way to work?

Lately, it’s been the country music that I grew up with—90s country to early 2000s. I also like 80s rock.

What’s most important to you?

My family, for sure. That’s the only reason I’m doing all of this. I have really high expectations for myself as far as how I want to support my family. I’m trying to give them the best that I possibly can, because they’re the most important thing to me.