WorldWide Drilling Resource

Serving the Industry’s Need for Packers Adapted from Information by Aardvark Packers LLC In 1968, Aardvark Packers was started by Gerald Sweeney and the Sweeney Fami ly. Mike Craig, Shawn Fos t e r, Ol l i e Er dman , and Denny McBreen are just a few of the people who were instrumental in building the early Aardvark Corporation. The compa- ny had many patents when it began, and several of these products are still in use today, such as the F-480 flush joint thread design for PVC, Tigre Tierra packe r s , cas i ng d r i ve r s , and t he Aardvark namesake - the first horizontal drilling rig. Aardvark specializes in the supply and manufacturing of packers for the civil construction, environmental, and mining industries. They offer many options, including inflatable packers, customized environmental packers, wireline packers, as well as straddle, well, and borehole. Pressure grouting and zone isolation are a couple of the company’s most popular markets. Their goal is to provide the best manufactured products using proven quality control measures. The company aids the mining industry by manufacturing grouting and water control packers, pressure grouting packers, mechanical packers, and associated problem solvers for both surface and underground mining applications. For the environmental industry, Aardvark has smaller pack- ers designed to fit a submersible sampling pump, which can be used to replace nested wells to isolate the lower part of a monitoring well, allowing reduced water volumes to be purged prior to sampling. The packers designed for the construction industry can be built based on the specific needs of Aardvark’s clients. They can use larger ID (inside diameter) center tubes for maximum grout flow, and grout scraping wiper seals to help with smooth operation, along with a complete inventory of parts and accessories. Aardvark products are shipped worldwide with two distributors in the United States on the east and west coast. One major ongoing project the company serves is the water reservoir at the Calaveras Dam in California where Aardvark’s client has been pressure grouting the surrounding formation to suppor t the dam and footings by stabilizing the soil. The company has supplied grout pack- ers in abundance to the site since 2011. The company currently utilizes a 3400-square-foot shop in Grants Pass, Oregon, which has four CNC (computer numer ical cont rol ) mi l ls, two CNC lathes, several machine lathes, mills, and a host of other precision qual ity control testing tools. They also utilize the latest in CAD (computer -aided design) software to aid in the design stages of custom packers and other related tools. Aardvark provides honesty, integri- ty, and will not settle for just adequate customer service. They are committed to providing the service and products the industry needs to help make jobs go smoothly. Dave Baca has been with Aardvark Packers since 1986. 36 SEPTEMBER 2017 WorldWide Drilling Resource ® Congratulat ions to : Uldis Jansons Lakewood, CO Winner for August! Time for a Little Fun! August Puzzle Solution: Drilling Equipment Sales, Inc. Hardface Technologies Win a prize! Send your completed puzzle to: WWDR PO Box 660 Bonifay, FL 32425 or fax to: 850-547-0329 Can you identify which ads in this issue these two photos came from?