M&W Drilling was built by a geotechnical engineer and geologist who spent years on rigs before he ever ran a company. We understand subsurface conditions, we know what each method can and can’t do, and we staff our crews accordingly.
Headquartered in Knoxville, Tennessee and operating a fleet of 27 rigs nationwide, M&W Drilling is a full-service drilling contractor serving federal agencies, engineering firms, environmental consultants, and geotechnical partners across the country. Our teams work on DoD and DoE projects regularly, often under the strictest compliance and documentation requirements in the industry.
We’ve built our reputation in wireline rock coring through some of the toughest karst geology in the country, running programs from shallow soil borings to rock coring exceeding 2,000 feet. Our MSHA-certified crews are trained across every major drilling method: sonic, wireline rock coring, air and mud rotary, auger, and direct push technology.
M&W Drilling’s roots trace back to the early 1990s, when Firas Mishu, a Vanderbilt-educated geologist and Purdue-trained civil engineer, identified a growing need for high-quality, technically driven drilling services. Working within Geotek Engineering, the geotechnical firm founded by his father Louis Mishu in 1973, Firas launched a drilling division with a few aging rigs and a lean crew.
By 1998, the drilling operation had grown enough to stand on its own and was sold to new ownership, with Firas staying on to manage and expand the business. In 2004, he reacquired the company alongside trusted partner Joe Wilkinson. Together, they formed M&W Drilling, Mishu and Wilkinson, combining deep technical knowledge with hands-on field leadership.
When Joe retired in 2016, Firas became the sole owner. The M&W name was retained as a tribute to the partnership that built the company into what it is today. Now in its third decade, M&W Drilling continues to grow under Firas’s leadership, with a strategic succession plan bringing the next generation of the Mishu family into the business.
M&W Drilling serves environmental, geotechnical, mineral exploration, geo-construction, and cathodic protection projects nationwide, with rigs and crews matched to whatever the site demands, from tight urban access to remote terrain.
When you hire M&W Drilling, you’re getting more than a drilling contractor. You’re getting a partner that picks up the phone, puts together accurate quotes within 24 hours, and shows up ready to work. Reliability isn’t a selling point. It’s the baseline.
We’re not defined by a region or a single market. 50 states, one drilling partner, we go where our clients need us and bring the same crews, the same standards, and the same performance every time. That consistency is why clients stay with us and why referrals drive a significant portion of our work.
