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| International | |
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| National | |
| Company type | Defunct |
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| Industry | Oilfield services |
| Founded | 1939 |
| Founder | Eddie Chiles |
| Defunct | 1995 |
| Headquarters | Houston, Texas , United States |
| Services | Acidizing, fracturing, cementing, offshore drilling |
| Revenue | Over $500 million annually at peak |
Number of employees | Over 5,000 at peak |
| Parent | BJ Services |
Western Company of North America was a Texas-based oilfield services company that operated from 1939 to 1995. It was a pioneer in the development of the acidizing process, a method used to improve the flow from natural gas and oil wells.
In 1939, Eddie Chiles founded the Western Company of North America in Fort Worth, Texas, after working as a sales engineer with Reed Roller Bit Company in Houston. He started the company with two trucks and three employees, providing technical services required in the discovery and production of oil and gas. The company grew to become a major oil services firm, primarily in acidizing, fracturing, and cementing. At its peak, the Western Company had over 5,000 employees and annual worldwide revenues exceeding $500 million.
During the 1970s, the company also operated an offshore drilling division, managed by Chiles' brother, Clay Chiles. This division was sold to Noble Drilling in 1991.
In 1990, the company moved its headquarters from Fort Worth to Houston. The Western Company Museum, created in 1979 by Chiles to illustrate petroleum geology and technology, was located on the first floor of their office building in Fort Worth and was later moved to Beaumont, Texas.
In 1995, the Western Company of North America was acquired by BJ Services. The acquisition raised antitrust concerns in the oilfield pressure pumping services market, particularly in the Rocky Mountain region. To address these concerns, BJ Services agreed to divest certain assets, including pressure pumping equipment located at its Brighton, Colorado facility, to Nowsco Well Service Ltd. The acquisition was approved by the U.S. Department of Justice in March 1995.
Eddie Chiles was known for his outspoken conservative views and his "I'm mad as hell" radio commentaries, which gained popularity in the 1970s. His trade-mark sign-on "I'm Eddie Chiles, and I'm mad as hell," created an incredible demand for bumper stickers that read "I'm mad too, Eddie!" Western also featured television commercials telling viewers "If you don't have an oil well, get one—you'll love doing business with Western!" Through these conservative radio commentaries, Chiles became a folk hero in the southwest section of the nation.
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