Dan Smith
Chief Operating Officer
Dan has over 25 years experience in the resources industry (gold, silver, copper, nickel, titanium, industrial minerals and aggregates). Dan has a broad base of resource experiences including executive management, operations management, mine management, mine engineering, reclamation, project engineering and exploration geology. He has considerable experience in the mineral resource industry with Iluka Resources Inc., Hanson Aggregates and Western Mining Corporation.
Philip J. Garratt
PRESIDENT
Phil has over 25 years of experience at senior management levels in diverse enterprises. He was the President and Chief Executive Officer of the predecessor company to Resource Finance and Investment, until he resigned in 1993. During his tenure, he commenced the Oregon and Kentucky Zinc projects as well as the precious metal exploration subsidiary in Venezuela. Phil rejoined the Company in July 2004.
Steven M. Blacklock
IDM – Chief Financial Officer
ORC – Executive Vice President
Steve is a chartered accountant with 25 years of senior management experience for companies reporting in Canada and the United States. Steve has a broad base of experience including strategic planning, operations, internal and external financial reporting, equity and debt financing, regulatory compliance and risk management and tax compliance. He was the Chief Financial Officer of the predecessor company, Resource Finance and Investment, until he resigned in 1993. Steve rejoined the project in May of 2007.
Joseph Drew
Director of Geology
Joseph Drew holds a M.S. degree in Geology and Geophysics. He is a mine & exploration geologist with proven success on industrial mineral projects (DuPont & Iluka). He is experienced with many aspects of developing a resource for production. Joe is experienced in all aspects required for the determination of geologic zonation of deposits for metallurgical study.
Todd Lessard
Director of Production & Process Engineering
Todd Lessard holds a B.S. degree in Chemical Engineering. He has over 13 years operational experience including production management, supervision of maintenance, process/project engineering in mining/reclamation operations, physical separations, bulk & packaged storage and delivery. Todd is well-versed in Environmental (Solid Waste Minimization, Surface Water & Groundwater and Title V Air) and Quality System (ISO/QS9000) requirements and compliance. Previously with Iluka Resources and General Chemical.
George N. Gabriel
Chief Financial Officer
George Gabriel is a CPA with broad experience and demonstrated ability as a Financial Manager and Controller for various entities including manufacturing, distribution and natural resources. George has founded a successful building products distribution company and participated in the start up and financing of mineral exploration and natural resource development companies.
Peter Zagar
Director of Environmental Health & Safety
Pete is an Environmental, Safety and Health Manager with over 20 years of experience in the aggregate and cement Industries. He is experienced in the implementation and management of safety and environmental management systems in the mining industry and has demonstrated a strong operations background including quarry and maintenance management. Peter has obtained certification as a Mine Safety & Health Administration (MSHA) and 40 Hour Hazardous Material Trainer. He served as the Environmental Committee Chair Person for the Oregon Concrete & Aggregate Producers Association (1998-2002) and sat on the California Asphalt Pavement Associations Environmental Committee from 2003-2005.
Robert Snyder
DIRECTOR OF Mining Engineer
Bob holds a B.S. degree in Mining Engineering from New Mexico Institute of Mining and Technology. He has over 12 years of broad experience as a Mining Engineer where he developed mine plans and designs, managed budgets, compliance and permitting. He acted as Senior Mine Engineer at Imerys in a calcium carbonate operations.
Cecelia Brinke
Director of Human Resources
Cecelia has over 20 years of experience in Human Resource Management including strategic staffing, culture development and talent management. She also has considerable experience in organizational development and effectiveness strategies. She holds a BS in Business Management and was previously a Senior HR Manager with a major mining organization based in Phoenix, Arizona.
Jim Randall
Plant Controller
Jim has over 20 years of experience in the Accounting and Finance field. He has a track record of successful and progressive leadership and controller experience. He has extensive experience within the resources industry with Centex and Hanson Aggregates. Jim holds a BA in Finance from the University of Oregon.
Brianna Hanson
Marketing & Sales Manager
Brianna holds a BS Degree in Political Science and is currently completing her Master of Business Science in Technology Commercialization. She is the primary point of contact and a key strategic partner with our current customer base managing sales and contract negotiations. She has also held positions within the Logistics arena where she has played an integral role in departmental development and process implementation. She previously worked in commercial real estate, development and distribution center management with the world’s largest industrial real estate holder.