Rob Ruck to Join WDC Exploration & Wells as CEO

WOODLAND, Calif. (February 5, 2009) – WDC Exploration & Wells announced today that Robert L. Ruck will join the management team as chief executive officer. Ruck, who has served as CEO of several public and private companies, brings 25 years of leadership experience in manufacturing and service companies, including serving as a business leader for a nearly $2 billion business at AlliedSignal/Honeywell.

“Rob is a great addition to our management team,” said Joe Spedale, president of WDC. “His background and experience as a business leader will serve our customers well.”

With broad experience including mergers and acquisitions, operational integration, team building and marketing, Ruck has delivered substantial performance improvements in challenging markets and has a track record of consistent excellence earned in Fortune 1000 companies, as well as smaller companies and private equity-backed investments. He has demonstrated success in increasing revenue and profitability while simultaneously improving customer and employee satisfaction.

“I am thrilled to join WDC’s excellent management team to continue to build the business as a market leader,” Ruck said. “I look forward to capitalizing on our strengths and working on identifying a variety of compelling growth opportunities nationwide.”

Ruck began his career in 1980 after graduating from the U.S. Military Academy at West Point. After six years as an Army helicopter pilot, he left military service to join AlliedSignal in 1986. He was promoted to his first general management assignment in 1995 and two years later was promoted to run an $800 million Customer Support business. In 1999, after the acquisition of Honeywell by AlliedSignal, Ruck was promoted to vice president and general manager of the company’s $1.7 billion, business and general aviation segment.

In 2000, Ruck was recruited to join Pentacon, a publicly held distribution company of fasteners and small components, and was quickly promoted to chief executive officer of the $250 million business. More recently, he was the CEO of Pacific Consolidated Industries, a manufacturer of liquid and gaseous oxygen and nitrogen generating systems for the defense, oil and gas, and medical markets.

A graduate of a program management course at Defense Systems Management College, Ruck earned a Bachelor of Science in civil engineering at the U.S. Military Academy and is also a graduate of the AlliedSignal Executive Development Program.

Headquartered in Woodland, CA, WDC (www.wdcexploration.com) is the largest privately owned drilling company in the United States. WDC provides a comprehensive array of drilling solutions for its customers’ most highly technical projects. With one of the most modern rig fleets in the industry and an experienced group of operators, the company is able to reach required well depths and diameters through the most challenging of drilling conditions. Formed in 1949 to service the needs of the expanding agricultural and municipal markets in Northern California, WDC has expanded its operations in the United States throughout the West, Midwest, Southwest and Southeast.

For more information, contact:

David Bardsley
WDC Exploration & Wells
500 Main Street
Woodland, CA 95695
(530) 668-7540
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