From High School Job to Family Well Drilling Business

What began as a high school job for Kevin Letchworth in the early ’90s has grown into a multi-generational, family-owned well drilling business serving a wide range of industries.

“In 1996, my father contracted with N. W. Poole to do some work, and discussions turned into buying the company from him,” Letchworth, current owner, said. “N. W. Poole owner-financed the sale of the business to my father and his brother in July 1997.”

In 2016, the next generation — including Letchworth — purchased N.W. Poole Well & Pump Company. Now in its third generation, the well drilling business takes on just about anything that requires drilling a hole in the ground: water wells, geothermal systems, pipeline grounding, and foundation holes.

“We even drilled fence post holes for the federal prison in Butner, North Carolina,” Letchworth said.

Well Drilling Business with Purpose

When Kevin Letchworth and his family bought N.W. Poole from their parents, he felt called to give back.

“That got me prayerfully considering going outside the country to drill wells,” Letchworth said. “We did our first well in Kenya, and when we got back, everyone around us wanted to know how they could help.”

That interest led to the creation of the World Wide Wells Foundation, which has since received support from people around the world.

“We’ve done 16 wells — in Uganda, Peru, Kenya — and we’re prepping to go to Tanzania,” Letchworth said. “It’s very exciting to see what God does when you let him.”

Changing Course

To keep production on track, the family regularly purchased a new rig every 3–4 years until their preferred rig manufacturer, Schramm, closed its doors.

“When Schramm went out of business, we decided to refurbish our fleet instead,” Letchworth said.

While exploring refurbishment options for their T450 rig, a timely visit from Jamie Meade, Geoprobe^® water well sales representative, changed the course of their search by suggesting the Geoprobe^® East Coast Service Center (ECSC).

"He said the guys in Pennsylvania could refurbish our rig. He really got the ball rolling,” Letchworth said. “I also knew Trevin [Bolick, North Carolina Service Center lead] had gone to work at Geoprobe^®. So when David Sim [ECSC manager] called and said a refurb opening had come available, we jumped on the opportunity.”

Exceeding Expectations

From start to finish, the refurbishment process went smoothly and the results surpassed expectations.

“David Sim and Dave Harrison [ECSC service lead] are very responsive. We were very pleased with the communication and the whole project,” Letchworth said. “They did what they said they would do in the time frame they said they would.”

When the rig was ready, Sim, Harrison, and Meade were all there for the start up.

“We’ve been very happy with it — there’s nothing I would change,” Letchworth said. “It has exceeded our expectations.”

Advice for Other Drillers

Anyone thinking about refurbishing, Letchworth has a clear message:

“Give the Geoprobe^® guys a call. David and Dave came from Schramm, and they have Schramm parts around,” Letchworth said. “It’s very refreshing for something in this industry to go as planned. Not much does, but we’re thankful and pleased this one did.”