Robert P. Casey Jr.United States Senator for Pennsylvania

Around the world, millions of people watched the effort to rescue 33 Chilean miners who were trapped almost half a mile below the surface of the earth for 69 days. One by one, the miners were evacuated through a 2,000 foot hole approximately two feet in diameter. In less than 23 hours, all 33 miners were brought to safety and reunited with their families.

Two Pennsylvania companies played crucial roles in the successful rescue of the Chilean miners. Center Rock Inc., located in the town of Berlin in Somerset County, designed drill bits that were used to reach the miners. The company’s owner, Brandon Fisher, his wife Julie, who manages sales for the company, and Richard Soppe, the director of construction and mining tools, travelled to Chile and worked there nonstop for over 37 days to drill the 2,000 feet to reach the miners.

The drill rig used by Center Rock Inc. was manufactured by Schramm Inc., located in West Chester in Chester County.  The leaders from Center Rock were joined by Claudio Soto and Jeff Roten of Schramm. The task was treacherous —the rock so hard that it caused strain on the equipment and required intense precision from the drilling team. During the drilling, the team was in communication with the miners who told them how much further they had to go to reach them.   Due in part to Center Rock’s and Schramm’s tremendous perseverance, the drilling team was able to break through the rock and reach the miners.  I commend both companies for their hard work and expertise. Their efforts were essential to reuniting the miners with their families.