To spread the word that Becker Exploration was in the market for drilling jobs, he printed 400 brochures and distributed more than half of them to oil companies within Alberta the rest he sent to prospects in Saskatchewan, Manitoba and British Columbia. While getting ready for business, Becker also had to allot time to lining up clients. This was money well spent, Becker figured, since government safety inspectors would be checking the rig regularly once he got it up and running. As well, he contracted a consultant to develop a safety procedures program for his company and monitor his staff for compliance with the regulations of the Workers Compensation Board and the Occupational Health and Safety Council. Before he could fire up his rig, he also hired a firm to make certain that his equipment met the standards of the American Petroleum Industry, a regulatory process that Becker will have to repeat annually. Becker joined the Canadian Association of Oilwell Drilling Contractors (CAODC), an industry regulator that develops procedures for hiring, training and safety. Nothing destroys the reputation of an independent driller faster than a death or injury on the job. In many respects, however, this work was secondary to ensuring he had the right safety standards in place. Once the rig had been shipped to a yard in his hometown of Airdrie, about 30 kilometres north of Calgary, Becker and six employees he'd hired back from Becker Drilling began giving it a major overhaul, including a new hydraulic system. Becker also began sourcing other gear, such as pickup trucks, mud tanks and generators. Going with used equipment would save him about $500,000. After seeing an ad in an industry publication for a used model in New Mexico, he decided to purchase it, even though the cost to rebuild it to his specifications would be close to $1 million. Job number two was to find a drilling rig that would perform in the shallow oil sands of Northern Alberta, preferably a small rig (known as a single rig) that was light and fast. He hung on to the Becker brand, counting on his reputation to help him drum up business in Fort McMurray. His first step was to purchase a numbered company and give it a name. So he bided his time until 2007, when Becker Exploration was launched. He couldn't jump back in, however, until his non-compete agreement with Western Lakota had expired. The 44-year-old Saskatchewan native knew there was a lot of life left both in his career and in the oil sands. He wasn't looking to quit the business, but 'they gave me an offer I couldn't turn down,' he says of the multimillion-dollar deal. Becker struck out on his own in 2000 with Becker Drilling, selling it to Western Lakota (now Savanna Energy Services) five years later. His uncles were in the business for as long as he can remember, and he worked for drilling companies, in one capacity or another, from the time he finished school at 16. Graham Becker has deep roots in drilling.

Becker software expired