There was once a company of international prominence headquartered right here in Bossier City, Louisiana. Tri-State Oil Tool Industries Inc., or Tri-State Oil Tool Company, was once the one of the largest employers here in Bossier Parish, and whose wide-reaching influence would see a dozen international locations and nearly three dozen local. What got them there, and where did they go?
Tri-State Oil Tool got its start right here in Bossier City just under sixty years ago, in December of 1945, and was founded by Gary H. Burnham Tri-State Oil Tool. Mister Burnham was then quickly joined by a co-owner by the name of Earl P. Sawyer. The company was founded with a small staff, just seven, with their company mascot Junior the fox terrier. Tri State Oil Tool Company, as the name suggests, was in the business of supplying the oil fields of the Ark-La-Tex and beyond with, according to a June 18th, 1951, Shreveport Times article, “a complete line of squeeze, acidizing and fishing tools, well testing tools, both formation and casting; all sizes of wash over pipes, and several types of drill pipe equipment with tool joints.” Six years after their founding, in 1951, Tri-State Oil Tool would move their headquarters to a larger newly built location on East Texas Street, not far from where the BPL Central Complex sits now. Indeed, there were several local locations, such as Lafayette or Magnolia, AR. Already, at the time of their office move, the company had begun reaching an international clientele, with service as far north as Canada, though this would not be the end of their international ambitions.
The 1970s were a busy time for the company, with a series of large international location openings in quick succession, as well as a major shakeup on the corporate side. In 1974, Tri-State Oil Tool would open in Aberdeen Scotland to serve the North Sea oil fields off the coast of the United Kingdom. In 1978, they would expand into Egypt, as many of their costumers did large amounts of work in the Suez oil fields. The following year, 1979, would see a location open in Singapore, to serve the oil fields there. Wherever their customers were, the Tri-State Oil Tool Company would expand to meet their needs. To better coordinate this worldwide, a new office complex was built at 2701 Village Lane in 1980, where the company would remain until its end. The new locations, however, were not made in a vacuum. In 1973, according to The Los Angeles Times, Baker Oil Tools Incorporated, an L.A. based company, acquired Tri-State Oil Tool Industries for an undisclosed number of shares in the Baker Oil Tools company, entwining the two forever. It would be in 1992 that Tri-State Oil Tool was folded entirely into Baker Oil, after moving their headquarters to the Houston area.
The legacy of Tri-State Oil Tool Industries is as a former industry leader, whose equipment was sought around the world. With their sixtieth anniversary just around the corner, think back to this former Bossier Parish titan.
If you have any photos or other information relating to the history of Bossier City or Bossier Parish, the History Center may be interested in adding the materials to its research collection by donation or by scanning them and returning the originals. Call or visit us to learn more. We are open M-Th 9-8, Fri 9-6, and Sat 9-5. Our phone number is (318) 746-7717 and our email is history-center@bossierlibrary.org. We can also be found online at https://www.facebook.com/BPLHistoryCenter/ and http://bpl-hc.blogspot.com/
- TSOT Home Office, Plant & Pipe Yard (History Center Collection - 2000.036.011)
- Early TSOT Store (History Center Collection - 2023.002.322)
- TSOT International Office Print (History Center Collection - 2023.002.278)
- TSOT Aberdeen, Scotland Staff (History Center Collection - 2023.002.274)
- Early TSOT Vehicle Fleet (History Center Collection - 2023.002.272)
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