Interviewer(s): E. Bernier. Houma, LA

Affiliation: University of Arizona

I received Mr. Billy Coyle's name from Gip Talbot as well as Phillip Fanguy. While Gip knew the name, Phillip knew Mr. Coyle Jr personally and called his secretary to help set up an interview time with me. Billy's father, Billy Coyle, Sr. is legendary in many circles. He began several oilfield tool companies, but the most successful has been Bilco tools which Mr. Coyle Jr. is currently running. Mr. Coyle Jr. has a negative attitude about the oil field and what's it's done to both Houma as well as greater Louisiana. He knows the history of many of the businesses that grew up in Houma and has given several contacts of men who began businesses in and around the area. Mr. Coyle was extremely cooperative. I tried several times to suggest that his father needed to be interviewed, but he seemed adamant about leaving his father alone. It was valuable to hear a different perspective on the oil field's impact on the land and its people, especially from a small business owner. The interview took place in the boardroom of his office building. His office was a medium sized his office. He wanted to aid me in my quest to fly over South Louisiana by helicopter but unfortunately the weather played its card and I left the next day.

Billy was 10 years old when his father moved the family down from northern Louisiana to Houma, and he felt like he had entered a whole new world. At the time, seafood was going out and the oilfield was coming in. Service companies were locating next to Houma because of access to Grand Isle, Venice and Morgan City. In 1978, Billy's father was turning 62 and working at JEMOCO, and he wanted to look at early retirement. Billy, Jr. then came on board with his dad to try and help him sell the business. He and his father founded Bilco in 1978. Bud Williams let them use part of his business, and Billy and his father built the business up from scratch. His brother joined the company as well. In 1981, it felt like there was no end to the amount of business they could generate, but in 1982, things dropped quickly. Billy, Jr. bought his brother out and much of his father's share as well. Since that time, Bilco went from having one patent to having 18 and has some technology tht nobody else has.