The Bayou Boys

This is an American story of capitalism at its best!

Tulsa, Oklahoma, was once called the Oil Capital of the World, but today it is Houston. For a time in the 1970s, however, those who lived in Lafayette, Louisiana, or Midland, Texas, thought the oil industry revolved around them. And maybe it did. In each of those boomtowns, the Petroleum Club was at the center of the action. In South Louisiana, during those years it was all laissez les bons temps rouler-let the good times roll. Then suddenly in 1985, the music stopped.

This is the story of two young men who built a company that over the years became a major player in the worldwide oil business. It grew from two small crew boats that provided transportation for oil workers in the shallow waters of coastal Louisiana to become the world’s largest helicopter company, with over 500 aircraft and 3,000 employees in 25 countries.

Ken Jones was one of those two young men. The recent death of his partner prompted him to write this amusing and informed book, to share some of the stories of the company as it grew, and the many hard lessons learned along the way. It is amazing what you can accomplish if you don’t worry about who gets the credit…or the blame!