WHY OPTIMIZED TRENCHLESS FORMED
Optimized Trenchless brings an unmatched wealth of diverse experience, with a combined 100+ years in decision making positions in both trenchless construction and oil and gas drilling. This places us ahead of any competition, having hands-on experience on thousands of bores. Throughout our careers, we have seen that owners face costly delays from poor representation. This has led to poorly guided decisions, significant cost and schedule overruns, serious contractual issues and ultimately, owners being left to cover the damages. Optimized Trenchless is ending that industry norm, reducing risk and increasing success.
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Our team members have had success as individuals in addressing these issues and came together as Optimized Trenchless to work on a larger scale. Our primary goal is to prioritize our clients' best interests while collaborating with quality trenchless contractors in a fully transparent manner. We optimize projects, equipment, and processes, ensuring risk reduction and cost efficiency. This is completed using our construction management system including a proprietary bullet-proof construction specification, customized reporting system and on location supervisors that have the experience and integrity to outperform anything clients have seen to date. Our involvement has saved owners 10's of millions on project recoveries, held in service dates and budgets on new construction and reduced bore construction costs by over 30%.
MEET THE TEAM
JESS BRISCOE
Jess Briscoe adds over four decades of expertise in the horizontal directional drilling and oil and gas drilling industry, also including co-founding The Crossing Company (1996-2004). As the Vice-President and Construction Manager at Optimized Trenchless, Jess provides top-tier consulting services, overseeing project planning, execution, and technical solutions for clients worldwide. For decades, Jess has guided complex projects with a focus on construction management, functional documentation, and innovative HDD methodologies.
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A pioneer in the field, Jess co-founded The Crossing Company (1996-2004), growing it into a leader with nine cold-weather HDD Maxi rigs and over 150 personnel. He has designed and fabricated cutting-edge HDD equipment, including winterized 1.2 million-pound rigs and Terra Max PDC hole openers (12"-63"). Jess introduced transformative technologies to the industry, such as Electronic Drilling Recorders, annular pressure tools, and positive displacement mud motors for rock drilling.
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With a career spanning roles like VP, Project Manager, and General Manager at Sharewell Canada, Jess has worked internationally, offering expertise in HDD rig fabrication, feasibility assessments, and litigation support. His hands-on experience from Roughneck to Construction Manager grounds his innovative approach to trenchless solutions.
LON BRISCOE
RYAN WALLACE
Ryan Wallace brings over 22 years of experience in Oil and Gas drilling, horizontal directional drilling and direct pipe to the team in his role of Field Superintendent and Assistant Construction Manager at Optimized Trenchless. A seasoned professional in the drilling industry, Ryan has progressed from Roughneck to leadership roles across oil and gas drilling and HDD sectors and has been deeply involved in the execution of high-stakes bores with large-diameter pipelines.
As a Construction Manager, he achieved a 33% cost reduction on a critical pipeline replacement project using HDD and Direct Pipe methods. Using his innovative, partially automated reporting system he has redefined progress analysis for construction teams. His solutions, backed by real-world experience, and proven leadership in challenging conditions set him apart from competitors in trenchless construction, proven by his success in rescuing projects for major oil companies and pipeline owners.​
With the widest range of experience in the industry, from Oil and Gas drilling supervisor to HDD and direct pipe rig manager to drilling fluid technician and environmental inspector, Ryan applies his technical expertise and problem-solving skills seamlessly in the field to execute complex bores and in the office to optimize planning and reporting.
Lon Briscoe is a seasoned expert with 45 trailblazing years in horizontal directional drilling (HDD) and oil and gas drilling, including co-founding The Crossing Company (1996-2004), operating nine custom-built extreme-weather HDD Maxi rigs, and later serving as President of Direct Horizontal Drilling (2010-2022), growing its fleet to 10 state-of-the-art rigs and boosting revenues from $20M to $90M. Currently serving as President at Optimized Trenchless since 2023, he advises clients on construction management, documentation, and execution, leveraging his extensive leadership in major drilling operations worldwide.
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He led the $60M Muskrat Falls Project, completing six 2km granite crossings under budget and ahead of schedule, and secured 75% of the challenging NPS 36 bores on the Trans Mountain Expansion. Lon also shaped industry leaders HDD Contracts and Specifications, now standard across North America.
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With a zero non-compliance record for safety and environmental standards, Lon excels in HDD cost control, project estimating, and technical innovation. He introduced the PASON Electronic Drilling Recorder to Canadian HDD and has mastered complex hard rock operations, large-diameter reaming, and advanced guidance systems, introducing wireless steering tools to the Canadian HDD industry. From Rig Manager to President, Lon’s career reflects a commitment to safety, efficiency, and excellence in the toughest geological conditions.