"Ruen Selected As Job Service Business Of The Month"

CLARK FORK - Imagine a construction project going on in some faraway corner of the globe, like Magadan, Russia,when a highly accurate geologic assessment of exactly what lies below the surface of the earth is discovered sometimes up to thousands of feet. Inquiries go out among international companies to find who on the planet has the expertise to do this work and to do it right. The result might be a phone call to Clark Fork, Idaho. That's the kind of reputation that has been earned by Ruen Drilling Incorporated and its dedicated employees.

Ruen Drilling, Inc. was formed in 1974 by Dorian Ruen to fulfill the needs of his clients in the mining industry. He provided road and drill site construction, and by offering drilling services along with the construction services, the company could allow their customers to deal with a single contractor. With a focus on quality, not growth, the company's services have expanded over the years to include specialized geotechnical drilling, mineral exploration drilling, environmental drilling, and drilling of dewatering wells.

Now run by Byron Ruen, the company's President, and his brother Arlan Ruen, Vice President, Ruen Drilling is still headquartered in Clark Fork, but also operates branch offices in Bozeman Mont., Modesto Calif., Lima (Peru), LaPaz (Bolivia), Sao Paulo (Brazil), Hong Kong, and as of last week, San Juan, Puerto Rico. The expansion into regional, nation-wide, and international operations was in response to the need to "go wherever the work is," but it had the additional benefit of greatly reducing the impact of seasonal fluctuations on the business. Ruen drilling now operates international crews out of the United States, Canada, and New Zealand. They have performed drilling services throughout North and South America, and Asia.

Whether building a freeway, a tunnel, or a bridge, it is essential to know what type of geology is to be found under, over, or around the project in order to engineer a design that will be safe, stable, and long lasting. To do this, holes are drilled under carefully controlled conditions. The core of this hole is removed and is thus available for study of its makeup. To be meaningful, this sample must accurately represent not only the makeup of any different layers of rock and soil types being drilled through, but also their depth and thickness. The drilling may need to be done vertically, horizontally, or at an angle.

It might be from under a body of water, or in a remote area, or in an environmentally fragile location. These can all require differing types of equipment and techniques, and it is in this regard that Ruen Drilling's crews have developed its international reputation as one of the very best in its business.

Ruen Drilling, Inc. employs approximately 20 persons in the United States and 15 in Peru and has been selected by the Sandpoint Job Service as the Business of the Month for June. Much more information about this fascinating company can be found at their website at www.ruendrilling.com, and a display including a portion of a core sample, diamond drill bit, and photos can be viewed at the Sandpoint Job Service office at 2101 West Pine Street.