Rain For Rent traces its origins back to 1934 as a three-man oilfield operations supplier. In 1948, the company was rebranded as Rain For Rent as the nation’s first irrigation equipment rental company and now operates 60 branch locations in all 50 states and Canada.
Coterra receives services from Rain For Rent’s Susquehanna County location in South Gibson, which opened in 2010. Working with oil and gas sales representatives Karen Hubbard and Tony Maury, who was recently promoted to branch manager, we’ve evolved together to face new challenges and enhancements in technologies.
“We started with Coterra locally providing manpower for water transfer,” Tony recalls. At one point, that involved as many as 250 employees. “Over the last few years, we became a rental only location where we provide the equipment needed for water transfer, storage, rig fluids, and drill fluids. As more aspects of the industry become automated, RFR’s local workforce has decreased to about 20, but a planned expansion in 2022 will require an infusion of new employees.
“It’s ever-evolving. We’re working to meet their needs based on the solutions that we have here at the branch,” Karen explained. “We are also working with all companies involved with Coterra as well. They are the umbrella, and there are a lot of companies underneath that we are integrated with as well.” One of those is TekSolv, which we profiled last month.
With winter upon us, the need to prevent water from freezing and keep it moving is crucial. RFR’s patented Freeze Protection Package keeps water pipes on well pads warm by wrapping them in hoses filled with glycol. Karen showed me two heaters at our Geiger K gas pad. Once powered by diesel and now retrofitted with propane burners for increased efficiency and lower emissions, the heaters push glycol through hoses. A similar method is being utilized at our Great Bend Water Withdrawal, where TekSolv is helping us to automate everything.
Plans are currently underway to enlarge Rain For Rent’s South Gibson facility to serve as one of the company’s primary east coast hubs. “That will provide us with more visibility and more opportunities. We will be able to tackle more unique projects,” said Tony, who attributes relationships he and Karen have built with Coterra and our industry partners to the success Rain For Rent has had in northeastern Pennsylvania. “They have always worked with us very well,” Tony remarked. “They keep us informed and include us as a partner. It has helped us develop our business model, and we’ve been able to grow because of that.”
Pun intended, Coterra’s relationship with Rain For Rent (RFR) has been very fluid, and we appreciate that flexibility. “I see their operations as still evolving and changing at the same time,” said Karen. “We will still be able to work side by side with them with any liquid moving. We’re also changing, modifying and adapting to current situations and the current market. We will continue to grow and adapt to what Coterra’s needs are.”
