Hilltop Energy Inc.
“Helping You Break New Ground”
“Helping You Break New Ground” is our operating philosophy. Throughout the last 70 years we have witnessed explosive manufacturers and their proprietorships come and go. This trend still continues today; and as an independently owned company this trend has allowed us to distribute and evaluate just about every product in the market.
In that time we have learned a lot about explosives. One thing is this – once in a while a substandard product is introduced into the market; it doesn’t last long. What is available to the customer is all pretty good product – “it all goes off”. Secondly, it all costs just about the same. The difference is service; we strive to provide the customer maximum benefit for their energy dollar-
- The right product for the application
- Delivered to your magazine or blast hole exactly when you need it
- Our slogan is “Helping You Break New Ground”. We Provide the Expertise to ensure you receive excellent results
Company Overview
Independently Owned
Independently Owned, Hilltop Energy Inc. celebrated its 70th year in business in 2018. Like many business’s stories Hilltop Energy grew in unique ways.
In the 1950s and 1960s the company was primarily engaged as a feed mill and fertilizer distributor. With the advent on ammonium nitrate/fuel oil mixtures for blasting in the late 1950s, we quickly noticed an increase in sales of ammonium nitrate to area coal mines. We discovered that the miners were adding diesel fuel to the ammonium nitrate, letting it soak and then pouring it down blast holes, replacing more explosive products.
One of the first services we provided was to pre-treat the ammonium nitrate prior to sale. We devised a hollow thin probe with holes along its length. We attached this to a hand operated fuel nozzle – one squeeze of the handle delivered the right amount of fuel throughout an eighty pound bag. This saved the miner time and effort as well as provided a higher quality product. In time this practice became common throughout the industry. However, no one showed us how to do this; we’re not so sure we weren’t the first to use this technique. At any rate we were in the blasting agent business.
By providing this service we soon received requests for detonators, detonating cord, dynamites and other products. Sort of one-stop shopping for the miner. We also received requests for blasting service. Consequently, in 1968 we became a full-line distributor for Hercules Powder – one of the “Big Threes” at that time. They helped us develop a magazine site outside Lisbon, Ohio. We began this new endeavor with two pneumatic anfo bulk trucks, two storage bins, an anfo mixing trailer and several magazines. We serviced a five or six county area in northeast Ohio.
In 1984 Hilltop Energy Inc. had grown substantially and focused on explosives sales and blasting services alone. We now distribute and service throughout the northeast from 5 (5) locations.