A seasoned Professional Engineer with over 17 years' experience in multiple facets of the Canadian and US mining industry.  Chris specializes in the development of optimizations for production and efficiency, economic analyses, budgeting and forecasting as well as safety training and program and development.

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Chris began his career in 1999 at the Ekati diamond mine in the Canadian Arctic with boots on the ground exposure working on the drill/blast crew, followed by heavy equipment operation.  His professional experience started with the assignment to Drill/Blast Engineer at Coal Mountain Operations (Elk Valley Coal Corporation) in southeast British Columbia in 2004, followed thereafter by Short Range Planning Engineer.  He returned again to the Arctic in 2007 at the Tahera diamond mine overseeing the contract mining services.

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Switching gears in 2008, upon returning to southeast British Columbia, Chris again advanced his experience and knowledge base with a role in operations analysis, optimizing productivity, efficiency and costs for six operating sites (Teck Coal).  Returning to Engineering in 2010, he took on a Long Range Planner role including design, scheduling and evaluation of the Quintette (Teck Coal Ltd.) mine re-start project in northeast British Columbia.  Later that year he embraced the challenge of building and leading the technical team for the Quintette project and spent the next several years progressing through the feasibility study and into the operational phase.

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Seeking exposure to other commodities, Chris seized an opportunity in early 2014 to return to remote Arctic work at the Red Dog mine (Teck Alaska Inc.) in northern Alaska (the world's richest zinc operation).  There obtaining invaluable exposure to complex climatic and logistical challenges, as well as being part of a unique and successful partnership with the Northern Alaska Native Association.  While in Alaska, he advanced to the position of Chief Engineer, overseeing the technical team as well as providing cross rotational coverage for the Operating Superintendent, including assuming responsibility for the operations group, airport and shallow water port facility.

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During Chris' time in the Elk Valley in southeast British Columbia, he revitalized the dormant Crowsnest Branch of the Canadian Institute of Mining, Metallurgy and Petroleum (CIM); re-forming and leading the executive committee from 2005 through 2010.  The Crowsnest Branch continues to thrive today.  He also had the distinct honor of serving on the CIM National Council as the District 6 Vice President from 2010 to 2011.

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SPECIALIZATIONS

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Production and Efficiency Optimization

Analyzing key operating metrics and optimizing performance drivers to de-bottleneck the business and maximize productivities.

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Economic Analysis

Building future cash flow models to conduct NPV and IRR analyses in order to determine the best path forward for the business.

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Budgeting and Forecasting

Building robust and comprehensive budget templates, incorporating the ability to execute meaningful forecasting throughout the budget year.

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Safety Training & Program Development

Facilitating safety program development training for team members, building workforce culture.  Providing incident investigation and high potential risk control tools and training to enhance team member capabilities.

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EDUCATION AND FORMAL TRAINING

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BSc in Mining Engineering - University of Alberta 2004

Financial and Managerial Accounting - Simon Fraser University 2013

Marketing - Simon Fraser University 2012

Human Relations Management and Organizational Behaviour - Simon Fraser University 2012

Community and Government Relations - Simon Fraser University 2011

Graduate of Leading for Excellence Program with Refinery Leadership

Efficient Blasting Techniques and Wall Control Training from John Floyd

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AFFILIATIONS AND PUBLICATIONS

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Registered Professional Engineer with Engineers Nova Scotia

CIM National Council - District 6 Vice President (2010 - 2011)

Resurrecting founder and Chairman of the Crowsnest Branch of the CIM (2005 - 2010)

Modeling the Optimal Haul Truck Retirement Age - Presented at the 18th International Symposium on Mine Planning and Equipment Selection (2009) and at the 2012 CIM Vancouver Conference