South Bound Drilling LLC. was started by John Shelton who is a second-generation well driller. John is a veteran who served in Iraq in 2007, John has been working in the farming and well drilling industry since he was a young child. Gene Shelton who is John’s father is also a veteran, serving in Vietnam at the age of 18 Gene went to serve his country in 1971. Gene came home and started working a 1943 Bucyrus series cable tool drill rig, a decade later Gene had some drill rig helpers known to be John and Robert Shelton. 

As years go by John dedicated his time after Iraq to find the career for him so he could provide for his family. John started working in metal machining in Tempe, Arizona… Over time John was looking for more opportunities and ventures, his father still had the old 1943 cable tool working. John started working for Gene once again in Gila Bend, Arizona. As the work for Gene was complete John found his passion for drilling once more, with desire in his eyes and his families wellness on the line John took a leap of faith. John purchased the cable tool from his father.

Proceeding on with his ventures, John started his own LLC. that we all know today as South Bound Drilling, a fitting name for the well drilling industry and John ran with it. Long nights and hard times John fought to make sure he was completing the wells no matter the outcome. As the jobs were getting done and the customers were happy, the work was getting harder to find. John knew he had to find another way to get more jobs and get them done faster…

 In 2018 John bought is first domestic rig. A top head rotary rig, foreign to John he was determined to make it work. Hydraulics was a learning curve and a heart ache for John after coming from cables and clutches. Long nights and lost wages he didn’t quit, John was destined to figure out the domestic wells.