WorldWide Drilling Resource

Innovation Drives Success Adapted from Information by Geoprobe Systems ® The increasing need for faster and less expensive site investigation resulted in greater use of what is now called direct push technology. This buzzword for soil, gas, and groundwater sampling has been in practice for over 30 years. Unlike other sampling technologies, Geoprobe ® brand machines were one of the first designed specifically for the environmental industry. Geoprobe ® got its start when Mel Kejr and Tom Christy, the company founders, put their heads together to form Kejr Engineering, Inc. in 1987. Tom and his family had just returned from a two-year missionary stay in Africa’s Congo (formerly Zaire). “My background is farming and machinery,” said Mel who graduated from Dallas Bible College and Kansas State University with a mechanical engineering degree. Tom has a bachelor of science degree in civil engineering from the University of Missouri - Rolla, now known as Missouri S&T. “We began working on a machine that could extract soil gas, soil, and groundwater samples at various depths from underground,” Mel recalls. As a result, the first Geoprobe ® Series 8 machine was produced in early 1988, and sold to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. Since then, Geoprobe ® machines and tooling have found their way into nearly every state in the U.S., and over 30 countries. Two of the main objectives from the beginning have been to produce high-quality products and provide industry-best support. As the company’s base grew, Geoprobe ® began receiving requests for more types of drilling machines and tools for projects beyond environmental. Today, Geoprobe ® equips the environmental, geotechnical, and exploration industries with innovative equipment to collect the highest quality information with the most accurate results. Over the years, these durable machines have expanded capabilities beyond direct push. Today, there are combination machines able to transition from classic direct push techniques, to powerful rotary drilling methods (hollow stem augers, mud rotary, air rotary, coring) seamlessly. This gives the drilling team multiple sampling options based on subsurface lithology (unconsolidated, glacial till, and rock). In addition, the company engineers and builds large-platform rotary sonic rigs and tooling. Geoprobe ® is more than a rig man- ufacturer. They employ a “systems” approach to assist drilling professionals by designing, building, and supporting both machines and tooling. Continued tooling innovations in sampling tech- n i ques and d i rec t sens i ng (Di rec t Image ® ) allow drill operators to extract better quality information quicker, safer, and easier than ever before. Whether you are in the environmen- tal, exploration, or geotechnical field, Geoprobe ® offers your crew sophisticat- ed, powerful ways to work safer and more efficiently. First prototype manufactured. Mel Kejr and Tom Christy in 1987. EXB 22 SEPTEMBER 2018 WorldWide Drilling Resource ® In 1977, a 13-year-old child found a tooth growing out of his left foot.