DONKEY JAW SERVICES

I wasn’t raised in a shop, but I was raised with the patience of a woodsman. Growing up in the city, the outdoors was something I had to work for. I’ve been a fisherman since I could walk and a hunter since I was 14—finding my own way to the field even when the barriers were high. Raised by a single mother, who was raised by a single mother with strong ties to the church, I learned early that if you want the results, you put in the time.

I wanted to feel the demands and experience the heavy-lifting of the oilfield; that drive led me to the high-pressure environment of Water Transfers. When the world shifted during the COVID exit, I pivoted and took those industrial skills to the Sand Mine as a general laborer because that’s where the work was. I wasn't just there for a paycheck; I was there to learn how the systems ran—and why they so often failed the people using them.

The name Donkey Jaw Services comes from the old story of Samson, who used a discarded tool to win a fight no one thought he could. Most people overlook the "donkey"—an animal known for quiet endurance and carrying the heavy load. I build the tools that share that same DNA. I’m not here to reinvent the wheel; I’m here to give the trades a practical advantage that makes the "old way" of doing things obsolete.

I eventually found myself outside the walls of the "status quo" because I wouldn't stop pointing out the inefficiencies. Now, I use that same persistence to build digital infrastructure that works as hard as the crew on the ground.

TRISTEN PATTON
FOUNDER & OPERATOR