Chapter 15 Going Global: Yes or No?

Center Rock Inc.

Source: Reprinted with permission from Center Rock, Inc.

Brandon Fisher, the founder of Center Rock Inc., is shown on the left side in the picture. The man to his right is Richard Soppe, the senior drilling application engineer. The number 33 is the number of Chilean miners who were rescued in 2010. Brandon and his company, now at seventy-five employees, are true American heroes.

Center Rock manufactures and distributes a complete line of air drilling tools and products. At its state-of-the-art manufacturing facility in Pennsylvania, they build stock and made-to-order products that are used by leading drilling, oil and gas, foundation, construction, roadway, and mining contractors across North America, Europe, Asia, Russia, and Australia. Fisher entered the global market four years ago as a way to expand the business. He was able to finance the expansion internally, so financing was not an issue.

Center Rock Inc., founded in 1998 by then twenty-six-year-old Brandon Fisher, began as a drilling company. He designed and built his own horizontal drilling rig and, shortly thereafter, began focusing on making Center Rock an air and rock drilling supplier and manufacturer. He recognized the need for a manufacturing company that was reactive to customer needs, with innovative products and 24/7 customer service and support. Working with his high-tech engineering and design team, Fisher created a company different from its competitors with its unique products and service capabilities.

“I love what I do,” says Fisher. “There is always a challenge in this industry to find new ways to drill into the earth, and the challenge feeds the excitement.”“About Us,” Center Rock Inc., accessed February 7, 2012, www.centerrock.com/content/about-us; e-mail correspondence with Brandon Fisher, July 28, 2011.