Woolley Fishing Tool Inc. was started in 1933 when the late B.J. Woolley moved form Houston to chase his fortune in the new East Texas oil field. Woolley arrived in the booming town of Kilgore, Texas with a 1927 Chevrolet truck, a truckload of tools and $100. He promised a young lady from back home that if he cleared $xxx the first month he would return to Houston to marry her. Woolley made the money and kept his promise. He soon added a house next to his machine shop where he continued building the family business.

Times got tough through World War II and Woolley began to switch his business over to defense contracting. He and his brother Kenneth joined together to form Woolley Brothers Manufacturing. They won a million dollar bid for a 90-day government production job.

The brothers exhausted every financial and production resource available to establish the company. Things were not looking good near the end of the 90 day contract they had won and Woolley Brothers Manufacturing and at 25 cents each, they still had 7 million parts to make, another 7 million parts for 10 cents each and 4 million parts at 7 cents each.

The brothers worked 24 hours a day and were exhausted when B.J. had an idea for a new production machine. He used scrap metal and other “junk” to complete his new machine. When the machine was up and running, the order was filled in a matter of weeks. According to B.J. the machine made 160 parts a minute, “and never made a bad part.” The brothers were saved and the government was completed. B.J. went on to complete several other defense contracts through out his career. However, B.J.’s first love was petroleum down hole engineering and tool building.

The oil industry began to pick back up and Woolley began to expand its business. Years went on, and B.J. began grooming his son, Dan, to take over the family business. Dan began work at a young age and his father began teaching him what it took to run a successful business.

This is evident in Woolley Fishing Tools main office where father and son were seen working together on the family business. The Woolley’s later began developing many popular oilfield tools, procedures and products. A few examples are the “Original Woolley casing back-off method” manufacturing of tongs, slips, elevators, and Woolley FJ-60 Flush-Joint casing liners.

Upon B.J.’s death in 2001, Dan became president of the company and his son, J., stepped up as vice-president. With the petroleum industry experiencing another “boom” the Woolley’s feel optimistic about a bright future.

As of 2006, Woolley Fishing Tools, Inc. and its employees have been working hard to keep up with the U.S. economies demand for oil and gas by expanding its facilities, personal, and resources. Woolley has always taken pride in its “family approach” to doing business. This has allowed Woolley Fishing Tools, Inc to survive the ups and downs common to the Petroleum industry.