He studied submarine electronics and was responsible for analyzing threat signals when a submarine was out at sea. The success Pinnacle Construction experienced with the airport job can be attributed in part to proper planning Carlson had been preparing for a project like this one for several years.Ĭarlson’s journey started when he joined the United States Navy after high school. And, we hit it - dead center! I couldn’t have been prouder of my team and everyone else we recruited to help us with the job.” Starting from the beginning “We had the airport’s director of operations, IT supervisor, IT manager and several other dignitaries waiting near the exit hole, just to see if we could do it. “I didn’t realize I could hold my breath for that long,” joked Carlson. For Erik Carlson, owner of Pinnacle Construction & Directional Boring, Inc., in Charleston, South Carolina, that story happened on the day his team completed a 285-foot (86.9 m) bore under the entrance roadways at the Charleston International Airport - hitting a 20-inch (50.8 cm) diameter exit hole in a wall directly below the airport’s baggage carousels.
Many horizontal directional drilling contractors have that one success story that brings a smile to their face just thinking about it.
