AJ Lucas
“ Rather than saying ‘ This is our portion of the work ’ and being happy with that in isolation to everything else , we actually work with our clients to provide an end-to-end solution .”
Ultimately , for Lucas , finishing a project is more than just ticking a box — it ’ s about finding a workable solution to an initial situation presented by a client . “ We find more and more we ’ re not competing with other companies ,” Sweeting observed . “ We ’ re to finding solutions that fit within our clients very strict budget constraints .”
A Culture of Values While working to find solutions , Lucas employs a strong set of values that permeate all aspects of the business ’ culture , which was born from a consolidation of several different examples .
On the drilling side , Lucas began as Lucas Coal Technologies in 2000 . During the next few years , Lucas purchased three other drilling companies . This led to four different companies with four distinct cultures all working together . “ Over a period of about 2 years , we combined it all together to create one culture ,” Sweeting explained . Where Lucas saw the biggest improvement was in the implementation of safety measures .
“ We ’ re quite proud of our safety record ,” Sweeting said . “ Currently , we have a TRIFR score of about 7 , which is industry best practice for our field .”
Aside from reduction of costs , greater efficiency , and other benefits operating as a safe company affords , Sweeting believes it means more than that .
“ There ’ s a moral obligation ,” he said . “ We have people who work for us and it ’ s our obligation they have a safe working environment and go home as fit and healthy as the day
156 October 2014