Glimpse into Gilmore: New VP has sights set on growth strategies

Last December, Gilmore announced the appointment of Ryan Bludau as the division’s new VP, Technology and Business Ventures. Ryan brings more than 25 years’ experience in the energy sector and broad insight into the core skills needed to develop and roll out a successful global product range.

Ryan has worked in senior roles for some of the industry’s largest oilfield service providers. At one stage in his career, he took the lead on the research and development (R&D) of a new range of subsea choke valves, heading up a large team of engineers, designers and technicians.

Creating quality products is something that motivates Ryan, and this was also a critical factor in his decision to join Gilmore’s team late in 2019, “Gilmore’s name is synonymous with quality and reliability, and for me, it is an honor to be a part of this. Being associated with high performing products and organizations is something that has always attracted me.”

Ryan is acutely aware of the reputation that Gilmore has built up over several decades within the oil and gas sector, and he immediately pinpoints the key reason why – its technology:

“The shear seal technology behind our products is our real strength. It is very robust and is perfectly tailored for use in various applications.”

Ryan believes Gilmore’s cutting-edge capabilities offer a way forwards for driving future expansion. “Our goal is to see how we can leverage this unique technology to enable us to grow our business. So, that could mean the development of additional products in our established market, as well as the development of entirely new products for new markets, which we feel can easily and smoothly be transitioned into and supported.”

Ryan’s role is multi-faceted and, while the organic growth of Gilmore via utilizing its technological expertise is front and center to his new responsibilities, he also has a crucial role in devising and driving the team’s inorganic growth strategy.

“I am very excited about the growth potential here, and there is a real desire to push forwards with this quite aggressively. A key marker for our success in this will be making sure we maintain the current culture and ‘feel’ at Gilmore even if, over time, we become a larger organization. We want those two things to go hand-in-hand.” Ryan stresses that over the next 12 months, Gilmore will be pro-active in seeking out suitable opportunities.

Presently, the team also needs to serve its core clientele in the oil and gas sector, and Ryan recognizes the current market landscape, as oil prices remain modest and operators and drilling contractors stay mindful of the last downturn.

“The market has changed over the past few years, and folks are now very price sensitive. So, for us, on the one hand, we make sure we never compromise on our reliability and quality, as they give us that leading edge, but, on the other, we pioneer new manufacturing techniques and approaches to continually drive down production costs. Hence, our customers always feel they are getting good value.”

Ryan observes that while Gilmore constantly looks to find ways of reducing CAPEX for its customers, the durability and reliability of its portfolio of products means future OPEX outlays also remain low.

But with an impressive background in R&D and product development, Ryan knows that the best way to stay ahead of the competition is to supplement an impressive product line with a desire to “push the envelope” and roll out new technologies.

“At Gilmore, we’re trying to create solutions for critical and severe service applications. We’re not merely targeting mundane needs. We want to leverage our technologies to develop unique, bespoke applications. We’re in those niche markets where we can have a direct and positive impact on our customers.

“I want them to know that when they are experiencing critical flow issues, we are the guys they should call to solve their problems.

“When customers face critical flow challenges, we want them to think Gilmore.”