WASHINGTON, DC— U.S. Senator Bob Casey (D-PA) today applauded the selection of three Pennsylvanians to sit with First Lady Michelle Obama at tonight’s State of the Union address. Brandon and Julie Fisher, small business owners from Berlin who manufactured drill bits used to find and rescue the 33 trapped Chilean miners will join the first lady along with Brandon Ford, a junior at West Philadelphia High School who helped design a fuel efficient hybrid car for an international competition. 
“I am pleased First Lady Michelle Obama has invited Pennsylvanians who represent the innovating spirit of our Commonwealth to attend the State of the Union address,” said Senator Casey. “The whole world was inspired when drill bits manufactured by Brandon and Julie Fisher furiously dug the hole through which 33 miners in Chile were saved. Brandon Ford, a junior at a high school serving one of the most disadvantaged neighborhoods in Philadelphia, successfully competed against well funded companies and universities to design a fuel efficient car and is a model of perseverance and leadership.”
 
Brandon Fisher is the owner of a small business, Center Rock, in Berlin, Pennsylvania that specializes in a new kind of drilling technology.  Last summer, Center Rock manufactured the drill bits and other equipment used to find and rescue the 33 trapped Chilean miners.  The technology enabled a considerable shortening of the rescue timeline.  Brandon and his wife, sales director Julie, spent 37 days in Chile working to drill the rescue shaft. Brandon, along with some of the Americans involved in the Chilean mine rescue efforts, met the President in October 2010.
 
Brandon Ford, a junior at West Philadelphia High School, is a leader of the West Philly Hybrid X Team which includes students from an after school program at the West Philadelphia High School Academy of Automotive and Mechanical Engineering. West Philadelphia is a public high school serving one of the most disadvantaged neighborhoods in Philadelphia. Brandon and the Hybrid X team recently entered two cars in the Progressive Automotive X PRIZE competition, a global challenge that sought to deliver production-ready highly fuel efficient vehicles. As high school students, they successfully went head to head with corporations, universities and other well-funded organizations from around the world, even advancing to an elimination round with their Ford Focus that got an official 65.1 MPGe.  Brandon is also one of a group of students who entered the Conrad Foundation’s Spirit of Innovation Awards with their proposal for an Electric Very Light Car. He and 4 other students spent many hours writing the proposal and graphic for the contest.  Brandon also plays varsity football for West Philadelphia High School. Brandon and the West Philly Hybrid X team attended the President’s September 2010 “Change the Equation” event.