From the attic of his home in Colorado to having nearly 20 employees in a North Carolinian shop, a company founded by John Patterson has grown to be a sturdy performer in the drilling industry that keeps on evolving. Nowadays the torch has been passed from John to his daughter Paige Durham, who is now the owner and CEO. John continues his work at the family business as a Project Consultant while his wife Lisa Patterson works as a Caring Coordinator.
WORD Rock Drills, shortly WORD, has been around in the rock drilling industry since 2006. The name WORD comes from World of Rock Drills, and it also describes the company values which include serving God, customers and people within the WORD community. WORD sells a variety of equipment and parts for drilling such as rock drills, rock drilling attachments and stand-alone wagon drills.
Our journey with WORD started back in 2020. We had the pleasure to chat with Taylor Shaw, who is one of the people responsible of sales. Shaw started his career at WORD about three years ago in the shop building drills, then moved to managing the crew and is now selling the drills. We sat down to discuss the relationship between WORD and Dynaset, the drilling industry and sights on the future.
The Birth of a Dynamic Collaboration
For the very first time our companies’ paths were crossed three years ago in Las Vegas, where the North America’s largest construction trade show CONEXPO-CON/AGG was held. Both companies attended the event and were brought together by Doofor, a company familiar with WORD.
– They introduced Dynaset to us and told you guys have a great product that works, Shaw reminisces.
With good reviews from Doofor, the final decision to begin the collaboration was easy to make. WORD was already familiar with hydraulic products beforehand, and Dynaset felt like the right addition to their product line.
– We felt there was a strong need for this product, a safer piece of equipment for the end user. We knew with Doofor’s word it’s a good product and it’s been a great addition to WORD Rock Drills product line for sure.
Janne Hietamäki, our Area Sales Manager for North America, has since been tightly in touch with WORD.
– Janne has been a pivotal key to the relationship between Dynaset and WORD. He deals very closely with our Director of Product Development Ron Sockwell. I know he could call Janne right now and say, “Hey, when am I getting more pumps?” and Janne will tell him right there. At the end of the day that’s what we want: good customer service from our vendors just like we give out. You call us, we answer the phone, we get you what you need and if we can’t, we’ll find you somebody who can.
“Drillin’ ain’t easy”
Drilling is a demanding job. Workdays can last up to 12 hours in which the workers are drilling close to a hundred holes. While workers wear masks to protect themselves from dust, it is important to take additional precautions to minimize risks in the event of a safety gear malfunction. Breathing in the dust particles can be damaging to health. DYNASET’s HPW-DUST High Pressure Dust Suppression System reduces dust significantly by suppressing it and therefore decreasing the dust from whirling.
Previously WORD had DYNASET HPW200 in their product line, but nowadays they provide our HPW250 model to their customers, which is as Shaw described it, a “beefier” version of the HPW200.
– HPW250 serves our customers by providing a safer drill. Whether it’s in a mine, near houses or even in a wide-open field, you’re reducing the amount of dust that’s coming out. That’s essential to safety, Shaw says.
HPW200 is no longer available in Dynaset’s product line. It’s been replaced by HPW250, which has similar but improved qualities compared to its precursor.
– We really pride ourselves on safety. Drillin’ ain’t easy, if it was then everybody would do it. We want to make it a little easier and safer, Shaw explains.
Embracing the Growth and Maintaining the Partnership
The future for WORD Rock Drills is bright and full of exciting changes. They’re in a point of growth and constantly selling more and more drills. Due to the rapidly increasing growth, WORD will build a completely new warehouse at the end of next year.
– We have accomplished this growth with the same staff, which shows our character and how hard we work. Now it’s time to continue the development, which means that we will be expanding the company infrastructure- and staff-wise in the near future, says Shaw with a seemingly excited tone in his voice.
When asked if they and their customers are pleased with the HPW250, Shaw tells that they rarely hear complaints about it.
– If there’s ever anything, then it’s an old model that somebody has whacked up against the side of a building and damaged it. It truly is a great product. All you need is the machine to give it hydraulic flow and you’re good. It’s a wonderful product, we wouldn’t look anywhere else for any other.
With that being said, the co-operation with Dynaset will continue moving forward. Not only has WORD been pleased with our Hydraulic High Pressure Water Pump, the collaboration between people on both ends has worked seamlessly. Janne has visited WORD’s facilities from our side in the past and Shaw is hoping to visit Dynaset later this year when he comes to Finland for his business trip.
