How would you feel if the person you cared about most was trapped a half-mile underground somewhere? That's what Greg Hall's company, Drillers Supply International, faced and what drove his high-pressure innovation to help rescue the 33 Chilean miners more than 2,000 feet below the surface.

"We didn't know exactly where they were or if they were alive," Hall told Bloomberg's Margaret Brennan at the 2011 World Innovation Forum, where ExecuNet exclusively reported for attendees. Drilling rigs were only able to reach 400 meters, but the challenge was to get deeper, and time was critical, as the miners had three days of food and were likely in a refuge area underground that might be in danger of further collapse. "Five days, 10 days passed. At 15 days, we thought we had a recovery not a rescue operation," said Hall, adding that to give families closure they kept drilling to at least send a camera down and learn what happened.

On day 17, the rescuers heard pounding on the drill pipe, so they knew at least one of the 33 men was alive. When the drill surfaced, there was a note attached that said all were alive; they were in the refuge and were running out of water.

Hall was determined to bring them all out alive, but three things made the effort seem impossible:

• The strength of the rock and sediment
  
  
• The depth of the cave
  
  
• Making a hole big enough to lift out 33 humans
  
  

Where others might have thought it better to not get involved because of the risk, Hall felt he had to get involved. "Technically, it was impossible, but how would I react if it were my son or daughter? What materials were available on-site or I could get quickly? We had to put together the best equipment and best people and then do the job the best way we knew how."

Adding to the challenge of drilling a 24-inch hole 2,000 meters, the heavy machinery and activity might spur another earthquake, worsening an already dire and precarious situation.

Brandon Fisher, owner of a small Pennsylvania machinery company, reached out to Hall to let him know he had the right equipment to drill the hole, and, because of the long, trusted relationship Hall had with the Chilean government, Fisher's team was brought in.

The collaboration with Fisher was well-suited for the operation, as Hall felt a big corporation might not have taken the high risk or absorb the cost. But with Hall spending every day with the miners' families he found the situation "different when drilling for people, not profit."

Hall learned he had to emotionally detach himself from the families, who were camped out in tents around the mine entrance, and focus on the technical aspects of the job so as not to make potentially catastrophic mistakes.

Hall, an ordained deacon in the Catholic Church, often relied on his faith during the ordeal. "In drilling, you can go up or down. We had to drill around three big curves. We got stuck on the third curve. I began to pray and suddenly the bit began to move and drill down.

"I was told that it was impossible to drill that hole. I agree. God drilled that hole, but I had a good seat."

Finally, after 69 days, meter by meter, every one of the 33 miners was rescued. “It was a blessing and an honor, but I would never want it to happen again," said Hall. "We would do it, but I don't want to make a career of it.

President Obama, during his 2011 State of the Union address, singled out Fisher as an example of the American dream, neglecting to cite his collaboration with Greg Hall. "It's not about credit; it's about rescuing people," Hall said.


Photo Credit: Gobierno de Chile

Robyn Greenspan
Robyn Greenspan is the Editor-in-Chief at ExecuNet, where she is responsible for setting and driving the editorial content engagement strategy across the private business network's publications and expert-led programming. She is also a Huffington Post blogger. You can follow her on Twitter @RobynGreenspan

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