What Ortman Drilling & Water Services does

Ortman Drilling & Water Services is a fourth-generation, family-owned specialty water-well drilling and water services contractor founded in 1922 in Kokomo, Indiana, and operating across Indiana, Ohio, Illinois, Michigan, and Kentucky. The company provides a full-stack portfolio of water-related services organized around four divisions: Residential Services (well drilling, water systems, constant pressure systems, water treatment, and maintenance inspections); Commercial and Industrial Services (large-diameter drilling, commercial pumping, well rehabilitation using BARTs testing, fire well systems, and down-hole video inspections); Geothermal Systems (residential and commercial ground-source heat pump installations); and Hydrogeology (aquifer testing, geophysical surveying, fracture trace analysis, and wellhead protection delineation). Operations are supported by a fleet of 8 custom drilling rigs (including 4 dedicated geothermal rigs), 9 telephone-dispatched service crews, and staff credentials spanning Indiana Department of Natural Resources licensing, National Ground Water Association certification, Indiana Licensed Professional Geologists, and OSHA/HAZWOPER/MSHA training.

The underlying technical capability spans direct rotary, cable tool, bucket, and reverse-circulation drilling methods, with capacity to drill wells up to 60 inches in diameter and pump systems delivering more than 6,000 gallons per minute. Demonstrated technical scale includes the Ball State University geothermal project — described as the nation's largest ground-source geothermal heating and cooling system with 600 boreholes exceeding 600 feet deep — alongside numerous K-12 schools, correctional facilities, and medical institutions across the Midwest.

The business model is project-based professional services with quote-based pricing, free estimates for new well and geothermal installations, and 24/7 emergency response. Revenue is diversified across residential long-tail work and discrete commercial, municipal, industrial, agricultural, and institutional projects. Marketing is primarily direct — phone intake, website forms (via Thryv), email, and the Alignable business directory — with minimal-cost promotions such as a 5% materials discount for seniors, active military, and veterans. The company is private and family-controlled with no external funding, parent company, or public listing.

Name

Ortman Drilling & Water Services

Legal name

Ortman Drilling Inc

Website

https://ortmandrilling.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1922

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Ortman Drilling & Water Services is a fourth-generation, family-owned water-well drilling and water services contractor serving residential, municipal, commercial, industrial, and agricultural customers across Indiana, Ohio, Illinois, Michigan, and Kentucky since 1922.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Water Well Drilling and Water Services

NAICS

Water Supply and Irrigation Systems (221310), Environmental Consulting Services (54162)

SIC

Water Supply (4941), Pumps & Pumping Equipment (3561)

akta.pro primary industry

Drilling Rigs & Drill Systems (IMAHAMAA)

akta.pro secondary industries

Hydro & Geothermal Reservoir/Wellfield Operations (Waterways, Dams, Wells, Brine Handling) (EUAMAGAI), Exploration & Production Drilling Services (RC, Core, Directional, Sonic, Auger) (IMAKAKAB)

Keywords

• Water well drilling
• Geothermal installation
• Pump repair services
• Water treatment systems
• Hydrogeological consulting

Headquarters

HQ city

Kokomo

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Infrastructure, Operations, Supply Chain, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. Water Well Drilling Services: Drilling and construction of water wells up to 60 inches in diameter. Includes municipal, industrial, residential, and geothermal drilling. Well drilling sizes range up to 60 inches in diameter with pump capacities exceeding 6,000 gallons per minute.
2. Pump Installation and Repair: Pump work including turbines, submersibles, high service pumps (vertical and horizontal turbines, split case and end suction), circulating, cooling, chemical treatment, dewatering, high-pressure and booster pumps.
3. Water Treatment Systems: Installation and maintenance of water treatment systems including softeners, filters (pressure and gravity), piping, valving, and metering. Testing for hardness, iron, hydrogen sulfide, manganese and pH.
4. Geothermal System Installation: Installation of vertical open and closed looped geothermal systems for residences and commercial projects. Includes vertical, horizontal and pond-loop heat-exchanger systems.
5. Maintenance and Inspection Services: Annual maintenance inspections, well cleaning and rehabilitation services, down-hole video inspections, and filter media core sampling.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Ortman Drilling & Water Services is a fourth-generation family-owned full-service water supply contractor that drills, services, and rehabilitates water wells (up to 60 inches in diameter) and installs pumps, water treatment systems, and geothermal heating/cooling systems for residential, municipal, industrial, and agricultural customers across Indiana, Ohio, Illinois, Michigan, and Kentucky. The company also provides professional hydrogeological consulting, including aquifer testing, geophysical surveying, fracture trace analysis, and wellhead protection delineation, supported by Indiana Licensed Professional Geologists and NGWA/IDNR-certified drillers.

Product overview

Ortman Drilling & Water Services is a fourth-generation family business offering a comprehensive portfolio of water-related services since 1922. The company operates as a unified full-service water supply contractor organized around four core service divisions: Residential Services (well drilling, water systems, constant pressure, water treatment, and maintenance), Commercial/Industrial Services (commercial drilling, water treatment, pumping equipment, fire well systems, and well rehabilitation), Geothermal Systems (residential and commercial heating/cooling installations), and Hydrogeology (professional consulting including aquifer testing, geophysical surveying, fracture trace analysis, and wellhead protection delineation). All services are supported by Indiana Licensed Professional Geologists and staff trained in OSHA, HAZWOPER, and MSHA standards, with operations across Indiana, Ohio, Illinois, and Michigan.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Residential Well Drilling

Quantifiable outcome

• 12,000+ wells drilled with total depth exceeding 2 million feet
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers8 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves4 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Broad incumbents

• Xylem Inc. Global water technology company spanning pumps, treatment, and metering for municipal and industrial water applications. Overlaps with Ortman's commercial pumping equipment and water treatment divisions; competes for larger municipal water infrastructure projects.
• Tetra Tech: Large environmental and water resources consulting firm offering hydrogeology, groundwater modeling, and wellhead protection services. Comparable to Ortman's hydrogeology division and competes for institutional and government groundwater consulting work.
• Layne, a Granite Company: Largest national water well drilling, pump installation, and water supply infrastructure contractor in the U.S. Most direct broad comparable to Ortman's municipal/industrial drilling, pump installation, and well rehabilitation services; competes on larger municipal and industrial bids where Ortman also participates.

Others

• Mueller Water Products: Manufacturer of water infrastructure products including valves, hydrants, and metering systems for municipal water utilities. Equipment-adjacent peer serving the same municipal customer base as Ortman's commercial pumping and water system divisions.
• Franklin Electric: Leading manufacturer of submersible pumps, motors, and controls for water systems worldwide. Primary equipment supplier category peer to Ortman, which installs Franklin Electric pumps as part of its water system and pump-installation services.

Direct peers

• Hydro Resources Inc. Water well drilling contractor and hydrogeology services firm offering municipal, industrial, and residential well construction alongside aquifer testing and groundwater consulting. Closely aligned with Ortman's combined drilling-plus-hydrogeology service model.
• Geothermal Resource Group: Geothermal drilling and well field installation contractor delivering vertical and horizontal ground-source loops for residential, commercial, and institutional customers. Directly comparable in Ortman's commercial geothermal division, including loop field design, borehole drilling, and HDPE installation at utility scale.

Regional players

• Welenken Well Drilling: Indiana-based residential and commercial well drilling contractor serving a similar Midwest geography. Closely comparable service mix at the residential and small-commercial tier where Ortman also generates meaningful volume.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/ortman-drilling-and-water-services

Compliance12 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Ortman Drilling & Water Services