Take a look back with us as we share a collection of photos from Kodiak’s early days, highlighting just how far we’ve come over the past 30 years!
Watch Randy as he reacts to some of these throwback moments in our video here. Then, take a moment to browse the gallery yourself and discover the stories behind these memorable snapshots.
Our first major challenge took us to a remote drilling site accessible only by float plane. To get the job done, we relied on split spoon soil sampling and augering…no easy feat in such an isolated location! These early obstacles ultimately led us to Texas and to investing in the Big Beaver.
This might be the smallest space we’ve ever drilled in, way back in our early years. The project required us to work inside a tank vault, with access limited to a tiny 1-foot by 1-foot hatch. Every piece of equipment and every team member had to squeeze through that opening. Now that’s what we call limited access!
In 1999, the Kodiak crew celebrated five years in business. What began with just three of us had grown to a team of five by that milestone year. Fast forward to today and we’re proud to say our team is now 16 strong!
This photo from 1994 features two of Kodiak’s original team members, Randy and Graham, working with our very first Pionjar drill. The site they were on is now covered by Highway 407. While we’ve retired the old Pionjar, we still use the same drilling method today, only now with a much cleaner and more efficient electric machine.
Two of the Kodiak originals using the Big Beaver in it’s early days! This machine is still a popular choice among clients.
This was our very first office where all Kodiak operations were run. Attached to it was a small warehouse, just big enough to fit our trailer and equipment at the time.
Here, Randy and Graham are jacking out a split spoon sampler driven in with our one and only drill at the time, the trusty Pionjar, which traveled in the small trailer you see in the background. While we developed efficient systems around this method, it came with its fair share of limitations. Fast forward 30 years, and we’ve completely redefined what it means to use small drills in the field.
