WorldWide Drilling Resource

41 WorldWide Drilling Resource ® SEPTEMBER 2014 Kevin Christensen Kevin Christensen graduated from high school in 1978, and earned a weld- ing degree from Williston State College the same year in Williston, North Dakota. Attracted by the promise of a good- paying job, he entered the drilling indus- try at age 17. In 1977, Kevin was hired as a part- time welder at Palmer Bit Company in Williston. He was the only employee at that time. In 1995, Kevin and his wife pur- chased a 24-hour truck stop restaurant. In addition to Kevin’s duties at Palmer Bit, he and his wife operated the truck stop until 2005. Kevin had become a leader at Palmer Bit managing quality control, production, orders, and design of all new bits. With all this knowledge under his belt, Kevin went on to purchase 50% of Palmer Bit Company in 2005. It was an exciting time for the com- pany and Kevin. In 2008, he teamed up with Dick Palmer to design the Diamond Devil PDC to help drill the way for the Ball State Project, which brought inter- national attention to Palmer Bit. In 2012, Kevin purchased the other 50% of the business. He and his wife still carry on the legacy of Palmer Bit Company - a business that started out supplying bits to local seismic drilling professionals in 1957, and now sells bits to 14 countries. They have a goal to make the company’s name and bit quality known worldwide. Kevin’s love of traveling ensures Palmer Bit’s continued international success. He travels to many conven- tions throughout the U.S. and plans to visit Ireland, Russia, and Italy to pro- mote the Diamond Devil PDC in the future. Customer calls are an enjoyable WWDR caught up with Kevin at the Minnesota Water Well Assoc. Trade Show and Convention in 2014. part of a day’s work for Kevin. He likes being able to listen to a problem and come up with a solution. of course, leading a company also has its downside. Kevin said the hard- est part of the job is collecting money. He understands drilling contractors sometimes have a hard time getting their money too. “So to call and say, ‘Your bill is overdue’ is difficult,” said Kevin. What are Kevin’s interests outside work? “Hunting, fishing, and being on our Harley with my wife.” He also has two sons, two daughters, and f ive grandkids to keep him busy. Kevin is a local leader in his home- town as well. He is happy to be on the Wi l l iston Township Board and the Williston Planning and Zoning Board. When i t comes to the future of drilling, he would like to see the gov- ernment promote geothermal energy, and offer more incentives. He believes bring- ing awareness to the benefits of geother- mal would not only help drilling contrac- tors, but also the country as a whole. Kevin remains committed to the drilling industry. He said although it was the lure of a good-paying job which ini- tially attracted him, the people, and the challenge to make a better drill bit have kept him in business.