Boots and Coots

Boots & Coots is one of the world's premier well control companies. It was founded in 1978 by Asger "Boots" Hansen and Ed "Coots" Matthews, veterans of Red Adair Service and Marine Company. The two companies put out about one third of the more than 700 oil well fires set in Kuwait by retreating Iraqi soldiers in the Gulf War. This work was featured in the 1992 film Lessons of Darkness.

In 1997, the company was purchased by International Well Control, the successor of the Red Adair Company. The company worked with Halliburton in Iraq in the aftermath of the Iraq War; however, there were only nine fires to deal with, far less than the number from the previous war. In spite of signing a two-year contract including renewal options with Halliburton in 2004 to continue operating in southern Iraq, the company faced an uncertain future.

By the end of 2007, the company had driven their revenues up to $105.3 million by diversifying from emergency response services to well intervention services, which now comprise the majority of the revenue they generate.

On April 9, 2010, it was announced that Halliburton would acquire Boots and Coots for $3 per share, valuing the deal at approximately $240 million. On April 12, 2010, Robbins Umeda LLC reported it has launched an investigation into "possible breaches of fiduciary duty and other violations of state law by the Board of Directors of Boots & Coots, Inc." with regard to the deal. The Halliburton acquisition was completed on September 17, 2010.