Dry Ice Blasting - From St. Petersburg, Russia to Decatur, Illinois

Andrey Kelin, Dry Ice Blasting Machine Technician in Decatur, applies his life-long fascination with machinery to the maintenance and operation of Continental Carbonic's 50 rental machines. Andrey frequently assists with contract blasting and assists customers and the sales force with technical support.

“I've liked machinery since I was 12. When I was young, I used to get into trouble because I would always be taking things apart. Whether it was a wall clock or a telephone, I'd take it apart to see how it worked," Andrey says. Andrey was born in St. Petersburg, Russia, in 1980. During his clock deconstruction years, he always had an obsession with machinery. "I got my first motorcycle when I was 15," he said. "It was a Czechoslovakian Java 250 cc. I took it apart from the tires to the transmission, repaired it and put it all back together."

Drake Durnell, Continental Carbonic Zone Manager from Chicago, confirms Andrey's machinery fascination. "I was in South Carolina and needed someone to do a demonstration for me, as we had limited opportunity to do it," Durnell said. "I asked Andrey to do the demo. He agreed and went as far as asking me if I wanted him to take the machine apart and show them how it works. Andrey really wanted to show the customer how it was put together."

Andrey further developed his expertise at the St. Petersburg College of Refrigeration in St. Petersburg, Russia. In the 3- 1/2 year program, Andrey learned about industrial refrigeration systems, including dry ice blasting equipment. Andrey became curious about opportunities in the United States. "In Russia, you can work at just about any job, but your earning potential is limited. The economy is very bad. Unless you were to get into a shady business, you really couldn't get ahead financially," he said. Andrey moved to the United States in 2000, settling in Champaign, Illinois. Language was challenging; Andrey only spoke Russian when he arrived. "It took nearly a year for me to feel comfortable talking with someone in English," he said. Andrey studied English at the University of Illinois.

Andrey Kelin found a job working for a company that sells and services restaurant equipment. Andrey met and slowly developed a rapport with a customer, Dragan Cuk, a Continental Carbonic Branch Operations Manager. After a period of time, Dragan asked Andrey if he'd like to work for Continental Carbonic. Andrey began work with Continental Carbonic in late 2005, working on machines and helping out in the branch. He immediately showed his value, according to Shelly Brown, Inside Sales Manager, Blasting. "Andrey is my right hand," Shelly said. "He decreases downtime on the fleet with repairs; he helps with technical support and gives me a greater confidence when sending out machinery." Drake Durnell echoes Shelly's thoughts. "Andrey's careful attention to these machines means I can send them out to customers confident that our blasting customers can depend on them. Be it replacing hose wraps, cleaning the machines or cutting slots for cables on the sleeving, I know it's right." Andrey has other responsibilities besides blasting machines. He helps serve customers at the Decatur branch, designs and builds ice tongs and bagging tables, takes an active role in contract blast jobs and recently has been working on repairing and rebuilding band saws. Andrey is especially fascinated with dry ice blasting machines, though. "The thing I especially enjoy is the challenge of the dry ice blasting machines. The principals of the machines are the same as others, but it is such a unique piece of equipment," he said. "It's fun to take it all apart, just like my motorcycle when I was younger." Andrey Kelin is another of the dedicated Continental Carbonic Products people competently serving your dry ice needs.