'Gold Rush' and Miller Celebrate Successful Partnership

Pay dirt partners

Through the ups and downs of a demanding gold mining season, the Tony Beets and Parker Schnabel crews from “Gold Rush” rely on Miller® equipment to help keep their operations in the black. With millions of dollars on the line, the crews trust versatile Miller equipment to help them hit pay dirt.

The crews know Miller is an important member of their teams. To celebrate that partnership, Miller hosted the Beets and Schnabel crews in Appleton, Wisconsin, March 13–14. Beets crew members included Tony Beets, Minnie Beets, Kevin Beets and Monica Beets, while Chris Doumitt, Rick Ness, Chad Paullus and Brennan Ruault from the Schnabel crew also made the trip. Former “Gold Rush” foreman Gene Cheeseman also took part in the visit. Their mining challenges and triumphs are watched by millions of viewers each Friday night on the top-rated Discovery Channel show.

During the visit, the “Gold Rush” stars took in some local landmarks, including a tour at Lambeau Field in Green Bay, where recent renovations included the use of Miller equipment like XMT® multiprocess welders and Trailblazer® 325 and Big Blue® welder/generators. The visitors also got under the hood in the welding lab and toured Miller facilities to see how the equipment they use is made and tested — and to meet the dedicated employees who build it.

“It’s your machines that save us all season long,” Doumitt said. “You make us look good.”

The short mining season in the Yukon Territory requires nearly round-the-clock operation on the remote mine claims. To make the frequent maintenance and repairs to critical heavy machinery and mining equipment, the teams rely on Miller, including Big Blue 600 Air Pak™ and Big Blue 800 Duo Air Pak welder/generators, SuitCase® X-TREME™ wire feeders, Spectrum® X-TREME plasma cutters, Trailblazer 325 welder/generators and XMT 350 FieldPro™ multiprocess welders with ArcReach® technology.

“You get something that is reliable, that you know starts and runs every day — that is key to our operation,” mine boss Tony Beets said during a discussion with Miller employees.

“We have to do weld repair on pretty much everything,” Paullus added.

The crews put their equipment through the ringer in the harsh conditions on the mine claims. During the visit, they saw the rigorous product development and testing Miller uses to ensure that every machine is up to the task.

“It’s amazing the amount of testing you do, but it pays off,” Ness said.

Reliability is job one for the Miller power sources the crews use on the mine claims. Durable and versatile welding and cutting equipment helps them stay on top of maintenance and repairs, so they can reduce downtime and keep productivity high.

“You don’t want to work on your tools,” Cheeseman said. “When you need to fix something, you don’t want to work on your tools to fix it.”

The teams also enjoyed trying out new equipment in the Miller welding lab.

“We’re in the field but there’s a whole other world out there,” Tony Beets said. “You gotta get with the times, you gotta get into the new stuff.”

Miller celebrates the hard work of the “Gold Rush” crews and looks forward to their continued success.

“Miller knows the ‘Gold Rush’ crews can choose any brand of equipment to use on the mine claims, and we’re proud they rely on Miller equipment to keep them running in a high-stakes environment,” said Roger Hornberger, marketing and new product director, Industrial Equipment Division. “We welcomed the opportunity to talk welding with the crews and to give Miller employees the chance to meet people who rely every day on the products they design and build.”