A lot has changed for the TechTAC® team since the company was founded in 2004. Back then…
- George W. Bush, the former governor of Texas, was elected to a second term in the White House
- Tim McGraw had the top country song of the year with Live Like You Were Dying
- The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King won a record-tying eleven Academy Awards, including Best Picture
- Kurt Busch was the NASCAR Cup Series champion
- USC won the College Football National Championship (though the BCS later vacated that title after a recruiting scandal)
- The U.S. approved a plan to open parts of Alaska’s North Slope to oil exploration and drilling
- Facebook launched, giving the world a bold new platform to share wild conspiracy theories
- Martha Stewart started her prison sentence for insider trading
- NASA’s Spirit rover landed on Mars
- The Boston Red Sox won their first World Series championship in 86 years
- And of course, Janet Jackson experienced a “wardrobe malfunction” at Super Bowl XXXVIII
While all of that was happening around the country, something interesting was taking shape in the small town of Vernal (population at the time, about 8,000) in the northeast corner of Utah. It was there in 2004 that the father-son duo of Dale and Mike Johnson first opened the doors of TechTAC®. The name came from the combination of two terms: technical and tubing anchor catcher, or TAC. The idea was to bring technical innovation to a product category that had been serving the oil and gas industry for decades.
The company looked a lot different in those early years. Its products were primarily being sold direct to production companies that operated natural gas wells. When entrepreneur and oil patch veteran Jim Baker joined the team in 2014, he guided a two-pronged shift in TechTAC’s strategic focus: First, the company’s unique products would be just as beneficial in oil wells. And second, TechTAC® would no longer sell its anchors directly to operators. Instead, it would work through a network of service companies and pump shops. That’s when things really started to move.
Happy Birthday TechTAC®
2024 marks the 20th anniversary of the founding of TechTAC®. Today that network of service companies and pump shops has grown to more than 130 Authorized Dealers, who are TechTAC’s most trusted partners and the biggest key to the company’s success.
“The importance of our dealers can’t be overstated,” said TechTAC® President Brad Crist. “They make our job straightforward and simple: get them a high-quality product, when and where they need it, so they can service the needs of production companies that form the backbone of America’s energy infrastructure.
“Although 20 years marks a significant milestone for TechTAC, this anniversary is really an opportunity to celebrate and say thank you to our partners,” Crist added. “The service companies, pump shops, rig crews and field operators that deliver and run our anchors are the real heroes of the TechTAC story.”
Where Were They Then
Many members of the TechTAC® team have had a long tenure with the company – but none of them stretch all the way back to 2004. Because of that, we thought it might be fun to look back at what today’s company leaders were doing in 2004.
In 2004, Midland Regional Sales Manager Weston Henricks was still pursuing his dreams of playing in the major leagues. Luckily for us, he eventually chose a different career path. Still, his time on the baseball diamond wasn’t without benefits. In particular, his endorsement deal with Hank’s Foods helped him purchase his first car.
OKC and North Dakota Regional Business Development Manager Jake Ashbaugh was a young father in 2004, whose greatest joy was making his daughter smile. Unfortunately, based on this photo, he wasn’t all that successful. The picture also highlights the fact that Jake CAN smile. He just chooses not to.
Before Luke Reary, TechTAC’s Director of Product Management, was a member of the TechTAC® team, he was serving as a missionary for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in the Philippines. In addition to making a meaningful impact in the lives of many families, Luke was very popular with the local children for his ability to rap all the words to “Lose Yourself” in Tagalog.
In 2004, TechTAC® President Brad Crist was a bachelor pursuing his MBA at the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania. The program took him on numerous adventures, including this trip to India, where Brad’s group met with the country’s president, and where he developed his life-long love affair with Bollywood dance music.
Shawn Dickerson, TechTAC’s Marketing Director, was busy with a career in high tech and a growing family that would eventually include 5 children. Unfortunately for his wife and his colleagues at TechTAC®, 20 years later he still doesn’t dress any better.
No, it’s not the long lost sixth member of the Backstreet Boys. That’s TechTAC’s Accounting Manager, Daniel Averett, sporting an absolutely bangin’ mid-2000s look. These days Daniel spends a lot more time in his office at TechTAC’s Vernal location than he does in the woods, keeping the company’s inventory, invoicing and shipments in check.
Here’s to the Next 20
As the TechTAC® team looks ahead to the next 20 years servicing our partners in the oil patch, we all feel a deep sense of gratitude for the people, the industry and the country that makes it all possible. As always, our team is here to help you. If you have a question, need a quote, or just want to reminisce about the last two decades, hit us up by phone, email or on our Contact Us page.
