King of the Drill: Fastest screw driller in Canada is from Calgary (February 01, 2004)

Kevin Brunette, a 33-year-old tradesman from Calgary, was crowned Canadian King of the Drill in Toronto last fall.

With a time of just over 10 seconds, Brunette had to sink five drywall screws flush into a wooden board. Not only did he win the title and the opportunity to represent Canada in Phoenix at DeWalt’s Million Dollar Challenge cordless screwdriving contest in Nov. 2003, he also won a brand new Harley Davidson Motorcycle. He also won an all-terrain vehicle.

At the final challenge, Brunette competed head-to-head with 13 U.S. regional champions to see who would become North America’s fastest screw driver and be crowned 2003 King of the Drill.

That honour went to Mike Rennie, a 34-year-old drywall contractor from Kirkwood/Seattle, Wash.

The 14 contestants were seeded tournament-style. A process of elimination determined the final winner. Rennie sank five screws in 7.6 seconds in the fourth round to win the event, along with $25,000 and a new Chevy Silverado pickup truck.

He also had the chance to earn a $1,000,000 grand prize if he could sink five screws under 6.5 seconds during the grand finale. Rennie was on pace to beat the clock but got hung up on the fourth screw. He ended the million-dollar round with a time of 8.06 seconds.

A veteran from last year’s Million Dollar Challenge, Rennie says he built his own practice station and drove 450,000 screws over the past 10 months getting ready for the 2003 event.

Shannon Hunter, the special events marketing manager for DeWalt Industrial Power Tools, was responsible for all Canadian logistics surrounding DeWalt’s Million Dollar Challenge. The national competition brought together eight contestants from Calgary, Alta.; Barrie, Ont.; Halifax, N.S.; Montreal, Que; Windsor, Ont.; Thunder Bay, Ont.; Saskatoon, Sask.; and Kelowna, B.C.

From the beginning of June through August, 2003, the company staged more than 100 local qualifying contests across Canada. To complete the challenge, contestants had to start the timer, pick up the drill, drive the screws, and stop the timer as quickly as possible.

The fastest local winners earned prizes and moved to one of eight regional events. From there, the top eight contestants advanced to the Canadian finals. Last year was the second year for the DeWalt Million Dollar Challenge and the first year of DeWalt Canada’s participation.

DeWalt Canada

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