From Goat Shed to Billion-Dollar Business: The Unlikely Rise of the Wilks Brothers

The Wilks brothers, Dan and Farris, grew up in a goat shed in Cisco, Texas. The family lived there for six years until their father, Voy, turned his skills to masonry to build a better life.

Voy learned how to mix mortar, 'butter' the bricks, and smooth the joints. He used these skills to turn the goat shed into a livable home. Dan and Farris followed in their father's footsteps, working in the masonry business for decades.

The brothers established Wilks Masonry in 1995, which expanded from traditional masonry to large-scale projects. They built stadiums for Texas Christian University and Oklahoma State University. In 2002, they recognized an opportunity in hydraulic fracturing, or 'fracking,' taking off in Texas.

Fracking uses sand and fluids to blast through rock formations and release oil and gas trapped inside them. Advances in seismic imaging made it easier to identify shale deposits, while horizontal drilling techniques and fluid formulas made fracking more efficient than ever before. The Wilks brothers used their masonry earnings to start Frac Tech Services, building a fleet of heavy-duty trucks with engines and pumps designed for fracking.