Buckeye Chapter News

June 28, 2017

I would like to thank everyone that attended and all who helped make our 2nd annual Buckeye Expo a huge success! The Expo was held on May 18th and was attended by over 160 individuals throughout the day. We had 20+ vendors set up table top displays, and we were happy to see new vendors attend this year such as the Underground Detective, Sidley Sand, Ohio Utility Protection Services and more. The classes were well attended and were geared specifically to the drilling industry. We had topics such as…

  • Rick Hutchings from CME on Drill Rig Safety
  • Sarah Gheezi from the Ohio Bureau of Workers Compensation discussed Fleet Safety
  • Aaron Lockhart from PUCO (the guys we NEVER want to talk to) covered DOT rules and regulations, and the upcoming Electronic Log Mandate (ELD’s)
  • Plus the ever popular Greg Safran from SafT Integration was back to mix in his special brand of humor while instructing everyone about safety on the job.

We had two outdoor demonstrations during the day and the weather was kind enough to cooperate with us for the duration of the event.

  • First we had Lee Shaw, Tom Wardell and crew show us the capabilities of their Geoprobe 7822 and 3230 models.
  • Then later in the day we had Mike Lawhead, Wayne Burinda and crew demonstrate their new LS250 Mini-Sonic drill.

I spoke with all of the vendors and they all enjoyed the show and appreciated the face time they got to spend with everyone to discuss their latest innovations and upgrades. We also had Bill Knorr and Bret Myers from Mobile Drill bring their track mounted B37 to set up as an outdoor static display. The Buckeye Chapter attempted to schedule hammer calibrations with GRL Engineers, however, ONLY Eric Hajek with Terra Testing took advantage of this opportunity. We will continue to try and find an economical solution for this service as we want to offer the best benefit to our membership that we can. The Buckeye Chapter also needs to thank Eric Hajek and Terra Testing for their generous donation to our chapter! It was no way expected, but it was greatly appreciated. We promised Eric that we would put his donation to good use, and we will.

Last but not least, the host company Buckeye BOP goes above and beyond to prepare their facility and their support is appreciated by everyone. We have to mention the awesome BBQ and all the fixins that go with it! Not everyone knows that John and Jason start the pit at 11:00 PM and cook all night in order to provide the awesome pork butts. Every year I gain about 10 pounds from eating the cupcakes! During the lunch session, Buckeye Chapter President Troy Barnes presented John and Dianna Hatfield with a plaque, thank you card signed by the Buckeye board members, and gift card for opening up their facility and for their continued support of the NDA. The Hatfield Family has again decided to absorb the costs associated with the venue so all proceeds directly benefit the NDA Buckeye Chapter! Once again I would like to thank everyone and hope to see you all again next year!

Todd Bromley, Vice President
NDA Buckeye Chapter


 

January 31, 2017 Update

Good morning everyone. Hard to believe tomorrow is already February 2017! Just dropping a note to keep you informed of upcoming events and announcements.

NDA Buckeye Chapter Meeting

    • When: February 13th, 2017
    • Where: Smokehouse Brewing Company 1130 Dublin Road Columbus, Ohio
    • Starts at 5:00 PM with a meet and greet in the bar area
    • Guest Speaker: Shelia Lucas with the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Division
    • Register at www.www.nda4u.com
    • Hope to see you there!

Kentucky Groundwater Trade Show

    • When: March 2nd & 3rd, 2017
    • Where: 1325 South Hurstbourne Parkway, Louisville, KY
    • Register at: www.kygroundwater.com

Bureau of Workers Comp Safety Congress

    • When: March 8 – 10, 2017
    • Where: Greater Columbus Convention Center 400 High Street, Columbus, Ohio
    • Register at: https://bwc.expoplanner.com

We are working hard to create an awesome program for the 2nd Annual Buckeye Expo in Newcomerstown, Ohio on May 17th & 18th. We already have a few speakers / classes lined up as well as live product demonstrations. We will again be certifying automatic safety hammers on your drills so if your hammer needs certified contact me ASAP! I hope to see a lot of individuals at our chapter meeting so we can get your input on what you want to see at our show. This is your organization so make it work for you! Until then stay busy and stay safe!

Todd Bromley, President, Buckeye Chapter


 

2016 Year End Report

2016 was a banner year for the Buckeye Chapter. I was elected to the position of President in December of 2015 along with my board Troy Barnes, Brian Walker, Rick Mielcarek, and Steve Wright. They have been instrumental in the growth of the chapter and each have contributed to our success. We held our first meeting in Columbus, Ohio on January 25th and had the Ohio State Highway Patrol as our guest speaker. It was well attended and we nailed down a couple of subjects we have been discussing for years such as…

  • Formally registered the chapter with the State of Ohio
  • Created a bank account
  • Created our own Chapter logo
  • Formed a dues structure for the chapter
  • Started work on chapter bylaws / rules

Our next meeting was our spring conference held in Newcomerstown, Ohio on April 28th at the Buckeye BOP facility. We offered auto hammer calibrations, different workshops, guest speakers, and had well over 100 people in attendance. This was a huge success and we are planning on the next event in 2017.

We had a company produce hats and shirts with our logo on them to sell at events such as our spring event and national convention. People really seem to like the logo and the apparel.

We set up a meeting date with the Tri-State Chapter to hold a joint meeting. The first date was cancelled because our guest speaker had to re-schedule. We have scheduled the event for December 14th and are hoping for a good turnout. We will discuss plans for our spring event and also decide on a 2017 meeting schedule.

I was hesitant to accept the office of Chapter President again, but I am glad I did. I have met some new contractors / manufacturers and made some good friendships as well. I am beginning to see the association expand and contractors actually bond and network. I know many contractors have hired other contractors and loaned out tools, etc. to help each other out. I hope this trend continues as it will be a huge benefit for both the association and its members.

 

Todd Bromley, Chapter President


 

September 2016

Just letting everyone know that we are working hard to bring our members value to their membership. We are currently planning our next meeting as a joint venture with the Tri-State Chapter slated for November. We are in the process of solidifying a location and date for the event. We will have a guest speaker join us to discuss working in the Marcellus / Utica industry, what the future looks like for the industry, different opportunities for contractors, etc. and we are expecting a great turnout. I expect a formal announcement for this meeting by October 10th so keep your schedules open as this will be a very good opportunity for everyone. On another note the days are getting shorter and colder so get in the habit of draining your hoses, pumps and tanks as freezing temperatures and that dreaded white stuff is just around the corner! For those of you that attended the National Convention in Pittsburgh this month thank you for attending! For those that didn’t attend you missed an awesome show and some very valuable and educational opportunities. The show continues to grow each year and the networking opportunities are invaluable. It is awesome to see neighboring and even competing drilling contractors working with each other and helping each other out! That is what this association is all about, and I hope this trend continues! We are also planning our next spring meeting and hope to expand on the success of our last expo. We are planning to do another session with auto hammer calibrations and more so if your drill is due in 2017 for hammer calibrations the NDA Buckeye Chapter can save you quite a bit of money! I would also like to see some clients at these events so they can see what we are doing to offer them safer and more efficient services. If you have any questions feel free to contact me at your convenience and I hope to see everyone in November.

Todd Bromley, Chapter President


 

July 2016

All Buckeye Chapter Members please send me your logos, job photos, or any pictures pertaining to our industry or events we have held. The Chapter will have a digital photo frame at the annual convention and it will run all of our logos and photos throughout the show.  Our show this spring at Buckeye BOP in Newcomerstown was a huge success and we hope to make it an annual show. We will have our next meeting in October and a formal date time and place will be announced soon. If anyone has a topic they would like introduced at this meeting please send me your ideas. Our board has been busy the last couple of weeks and I am pleased to announce that the Chapter is financially sound and we now have a new logo which I have attached. I will be meeting with a clothing supplier and hope to have some shirts and hats that you as members can order. Let us know what you think of our logo and by all means shoot me your ideas and suggestions for meetings / events. See you all in Pittsburgh!!

Todd Bromley, Chapter President


 

April 2016 Chapter Expo

I want to thank everyone that attended our Buckeye Chapter Expo. We exceeded our expectations and it was a huge success with over 100 participants! We hope that we can make this an annual event and continue to grow our chapter and opportunities at the show. A special thanks to DIEDRICH DRILL and CENTRAL MINE EQUIPMENT for their generous sponsorship of the event and to BUCKEYE BOP for allowing us to use their wonderful facility. Thanks again to all of our other vendors for their participation and wonderful door prizes.

  • BUCKEYE BOP
  • BARIOD IDP
  • N & N DRILLING SUPPLY
  • HOLE PRODUCTS
  • PREFERRED PUMP AND EQUIPMENT
  • CENTRAL MINE EQUIPMENT
  • US EXPLORATION
  • BOART LONGYEAR
  • MOBILE DRILL
  • TEXCEL
  • NRP JONES
  • WORLD WIDE DRILLING RESOURCE
  • NATIONAL DRILLING ASSOCIATION
  • TIOGA AIR HEATERS
  • 5 STAR RIGGING SUPPLY
  • AMICK AND ASSOCIATES
  • SAFT INTEGRATION
  • OHIO UTILITY PROTECTION SERVICE
  • HOFFMAN DIAMOND PRODUCTS
  • GLOBAL DRILLING SUPPLIES
  • GRL ENGINEEERS

I spent the majority of my day roaming around and trying to talk to everyone to get their input on the show, speakers, topics, etc. and I didn’t receive a single complaint! Everyone seemed to enjoy the food as well - I know I did! We also had a special visitor to our event - State Representative Al Landis from House District 98. Mr. Landis seemed very impressed with the event and we are hoping to create a relationship between Mr. Landis and the Buckeye Chapter to address issues with our industry in Ohio. 

Todd Bromley, Buckeye Chapter President


 

March 2016 Update

All;

I am pleased to announce that things are coming together for our outdoor conference, but we will have to move the date from May 7th up to April 28th. When the final itinerary and fee schedule is completed I will send along a formal invitation to everyone, but here are a couple items we are currently planning….

  • Rig / auto hammer calibration
    • I have to take lot measurements but we think we accommodate up to 16 drill rigs
    • The more rigs we have the cheaper the testing for each drill.
    • Early estimates look like for every 6 drills we could offer you a hammer calibration for approximately $850 to $900 each.
    • If you are interested in getting a hammer certified please let me know so I have an idea of how many we are looking at.
  • Indoor display area for vendors to set up table top demos
    • Vendors if you are interested in setting up a display let me know. All we would ask for is a door prize to display.
  • Catered lunch for everyone
  • Additional training opportunities for CEU’s
    • Fall protection
    • Rigging and lifting
    • others
  • Numerous vendors for safety equipment, clothing, boots, etc.
  • Live rig demos for new tooling, grouting, etc.
  • Hotels within 1 mile of the site
  • We could even do a golf outing if people are interested either the day before or after.

Please send along any question, comments, or ideas for consideration. Vendors if you are interested in displays, product demos, instructional sessions, etc. please let me know. Thank you.

Todd Bromley, President


January 2016 Meeting

I want to thank everyone that attended our chapter meeting last night. We had 27 attendees and 12 different drilling contractor companies were represented. We gained 4 extra participants from the SSI course that was being held at the hotel, and we also had members from the ODNR and ODOT present. Lt. Weakley and Sergeant McCutcheon of the Ohio State Highway Patrol did a presentation on human trafficking which none of us were aware what a problem this is right here in Ohio. They also fielded questions about current and proposed DOT rules. I announced some dates of interest to the audience along with some ideas on where to attract or recruit potential employees which I will list below…

Employee Recruitment Sources:

Upcoming Events:

  • Ohio Bureau of Workers Compensation - Ohio Safety Congress & Expo
    March 9-11, 2016 in Columbus, Ohio
    Over 6000 attendees last year
  • 2016 Great Lakes Trenchless Assciation and NUCA of Ohio Joint Convention
    February 25-27
    Kalahari Resort in Sandusky, Ohio
    greatlakestrenchless.com

ODOT News:

The agency is currently creating a draft for sealing exploratory boreholes. Once the draft is completed, they will send me a copy and I will then send a copy out to all member contractors for your review. Andrew Jalbrzikowski of ODOT invites you all to comment on this draft proposal via email. They will allow a one month response time for this draft.

Spring Meeting:

  • We are looking for a location to hold an outdoor event
  • Offer live rig demos
  • Receive training and possible get CEU credits
  • Open enrollment for clients and state agency employees
  • Large enough for multiple drills to operate to conduct testing and training
  • Quantity discount for hammer certification
  • Sponsors

We will explore the possibility of aligning with a charitable organization to donate to.
Examples are:

  • Wounded Warriors
  • Toys for Tots
  • Boy Scouts
  • Families of Deployed Military

I have also attached a couple articles (click here) that discuss topics we touched on last night about the FMCSA (Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration) and OSHA working with the Department of Justice. As I expressed last night, I will research just about any topic related to the drilling industry and report my findings to you at our chapter meetings. If you have an idea or question, feel free to contact me via email or phone and we will work on it. Thanks again for your support and attendance and help to grow the chapter.

Todd Bromley, President, Buckeye Chapter

IMG_0534 IMG_0537 IMG_0538


 

December 2015

Greetings from your chapter President, I hope this finds everyone busy, happy and healthy. As another year draws to a close we are all thinking of our families and the upcoming Holiday season. Hopefully we can all slow down a little bit and allow our employees to enjoy time at home with their families as well, but I know this is generally one of the busiest times of the year for our industry.

I just returned from the NGWA Expo in Las Vegas. Since I am writing this newsletter it should be obvious that I will not be retiring on my blackjack winnings and buying my own island. My wife and I were treated to a trip by an NDA member manufacturer, and we had a wonderful time. It was nice to visit with so many old friends, and we met quite a few new ones along the way. It’s always cool to see all the drill rigs shined up and on display, unfortunately they don’t stay that way! I had to take pictures of all the rigs and send them to my two boys since this was the first show we didn’t attend as a family.

I spoke with quite a few people from across the country and they seemed optimistic looking ahead to 2016, especially in the construction industry. There were exceptions, but overall the feedback was positive. There was a lot of talk about green or renewable energy and how our industry can contribute to future energy needs such as geothermal energy. There were also quite a few seminars and workshops that discussed groundwater protection, etc. Moving forward this seems to be a growing concern for many across the country and the world. We are fortunate here to have such a plentiful supply of fresh water, but after you talk to a farmer / well driller from California it really opens your eyes. Our association and all chapters should champion this cause and do everything we can to preserve and protect our most valuable resource.   

Our next chapter meeting is scheduled in Columbus, Ohio on January 25th, 2016 at a place and time to be determined. In the meantime I am asking you to share any topics that you might wish to discuss. Our Chapter Board is meeting for lunch next week to work on an itinerary for the upcoming chapter meeting. I will gladly research any subject and present my findings to you as a group, all you have to do is provide the topic.

The NDA National Office has also scheduled a SSI Training Course during the same time frame. If you didn’t receive any information on this course and would like to know more please email Jackie and her team at info@www.nda4u.com and I am sure they will get right back to you. I also urge you to contact a friend or a competitor and bring them along to the January meeting. In closing I wish you all a Merry Christmas and Happy New Year! Hope to see you all in 2016!!

Todd Bromley, Buckeye Chapter President


 

January 2015 Meeting Wrap-upJan2015Meeting2

The Buckeye Chapter of the National Drilling Association held a meeting on January 12, 2015 at the Smokehouse Brewing Company in Columbus.  Many thanks to CME who sponsored all beverages and for Acker Drill for providing the food!  The speaker was George Gillespie, OUPS, Ohio Utilities Protection Services who talked about “Click, Call or Tap before you Dig! 

There were 15 in attendance and all enjoyed the food, education and camaraderie.  An announcement was made that there will be a SSI,Subsurface Investigation Qualification class will be held the week of March 30.  More information will be following, watch your email or check the www.nda4u.com website.

The next Buckeye chapter meeting will be Friday March 20 following the National Drilling Associations board meeting that they are holding in Columbus.  The NDA board members would like to attend our meeting to meet and greet our Buckeye Chapter members.  Plan to attend, location, topic, and time will be out soon. 

Our Buckeye chapter will be having an election for officers at the March meeting.  This is a two year term, if you are interested please let Steve Wright or Brian Walker know