Meet Chris Hall

Elizabeth A. Thomson Correspondent

Christopher Hall thrives on solving problems, even if they’re seemingly unrelated to his official job description at Quaise Energy. For example, the senior mechanical designer was hired for his 30 years of experience in computer-aided design, but recently found himself rolling out Product Data Management (PDM) software to track the progress of his team’s work.  

“I’d never been a systems administrator for a software system, but I am now,” he says. “And that’s the kind of thing that happens at Quaise. There’s no such thing as, ‘that’s not my job.’ A few of us realized the need for PDM. We were the squeaky wheel. But rather than the squeaky wheel getting greased, we became the grease.”

And that’s “one of the most attractive things about my job today,” he says. “I’m not pigeonholed.” At Quaise, he continues, “when it’s time to get something done, it doesn’t really matter what hat you’ve been given to wear; we just get it done.”

Working at Quaise requires a certain mind set, Hall says. “Thinking outside of the box is super valuable here, because we’re doing really weird stuff that nobody’s ever done before.” He also emphasizes the importance of teamwork. “It’s a truly collaborative effort. Nobody here is doing this on their own. That would be impossible.”

Hall is excited about the company’s progress to date. “At Quaise we’re not only developing new technology, we’re implementing it—we’re putting it out in the field—and it’s succeeding.”  Just last year Quaise used its technology to drill down 118 meters through granite, a record for millimeter waves. And the company is on track to drill ten times that deep later this year. 

The company is also working toward the world’s first commercial superhot geothermal power plant. Project Obsidian, located in Oregon, is well underway. For example, the Quaise team is in the process of drilling its first confirmation (test) well.

Hall thinks of himself as a guy who makes things happen. “And the funny thing is, I think everybody here could say the same thing.”