The Spotlight: VanMars Drilling Ltd.
Region: Based in Abbotsford with work sites throughout the province
Company Website
“Good reliable service makes for good reliable clients”
Established in 2014, VanMars Drilling (VanMars) is a partnership between two experienced drillers and a geotechnical engineer who believed that a drilling services provider focused on safety and reliability would lead to a greater level of client satisfaction. A drilling company operated with the highest level of professionalism and guided by a culture of health and safety,
VanMars is committed to delivering excellence in all aspects of drilling and environmental services. As an innovative and evolving company, they strive to complete all jobs in a safe and timely manner by pairing the right people with the right equipment – thereby lowering the cost to their clients. The company has established itself as dependable partner for environmental and geotechnical investigations, and operates throughout British Columbia from their yard in Abbotsford. With a total of 12 staff, they provide a host of environmental and geotechnical services including:
- Monitoring Well Installation Soil Vapor Probe Installation
- Subslab Vapor Installation Chemical Injection
- Limited Access Drilling
- Direct Push
- Sonic Drilling
- Slope Inclinometers
- Field Vane
- Limited Access DCPT and SPT
- Shelby Tube Sampling
- Deep Settlement Gauges
- Anode installation
- Split spoon sampling
- HQ3 Diamond Drilling
- Target Sampling (Direct Push)
- Cement coring
- Thermistor/thermo-couple
- Micro-pile Drill/Install
Ross Holmes, P.Eng., the company president, has over ten years’ experience coordinating and implementing geotechnical and environmental drilling programs throughout British Columbia. Ross is a registered professional engineer (Geotechnical) in the province of British Columbia and has managed drilling projects for operating mines, mineral exploration, geotechnical investigations, run-of-river hydroelectric, wind farms, highway infrastructure, bridges, Stage 2 PSI and DSI’s, micro-pile installations, and various commercial and residential clients.
Christopher (Cody) Marskell, Field Operations Manager, has over twelve years’ experience in the environmental, geotechnical, and diamond drilling industry. Cody has worked as a full-time driller since he was 18 years old and has drilled throughout the America’s and Europe. Cody has significant experience and knowledge of numerous drilling methods including (auger, diamond drilling, odex, mud rotary, sonic, etcetera).
Mr. Lance Van Kessel, General Manager, has over twelve years’ experience in the environmental and geotechnical drilling industry. In the past several years Lance also worked as the environmental coordinator for a large hydro-vac operation. Lance has extensive knowledge of drilling, and drilling equipment, as well as has significant experience with numerous drilling methods including (auger, odex, mud rotary, sonic, etcetera).
VanMars’ membership with the BCEIA has provided opportunities to build our client base and network with environmental professionals at both a personal and professional level. Learn more about VanMars from their website at: https://vanmarsdrilling.com/.