The Sudbury branch of the Canadian Institute of Mining, Metallurgy and Petroleum (CIM) kicked off its 2019-2020 season at Dynamic Earth with an inspiring presentation by a local underground mining and construction contractor.
The CIM is a not-for-profit technical society of professionals in mining and related industries. Each year, the organization donates thousands of dollars to support education for students. Through their programming, the CIM seeks to share cutting-edge industry insights and to foster strong connections in their community.
This year, the Sudbury CIM branch will hold six general membership meetings, lectures from distinguished keynote speakers, social events, and more. They have also partnered with MECA (Mining Engagement Conference for Advancement) to host this year's symposium in Sudbury from Oct. 9 to 11.
On Sept. 25, the branch welcomed president and CEO Mario Grossi and COO Tyler Nicholls of Technica Mining to give a presentation titled Mining People: Exploring Entrepreneurship.
Technica Mining was hired by Harte Gold in 2015 to extract a bulk sample and begin construction on surface infrastructure at the Sugar Zone gold deposit near White River.
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In the lecture, Grossi and Nicholls discussed Technica Mining's journey from a small startup company with 18 employees founded in 1999 to the largest Canadian mining contractor in the country.
Grossi likened his journey in entrepreneurship to a dance where you have to be nimble, but firm. He credits Technica's ability to adapt to change and its relentless commitment to people for its long-term success.
Last year, CIM's Sudbury branch conducted a poll at one of its social events to determine industry professionals' perceptions about the biggest risk facing the mining industry in the next five to ten years.
They discovered that a vast majority of industry players are concerned about access to key talent.
Both Grossi and Nicholls addressed similar issues in their presentation. Between 2005 and 2010, when Technica Mining grew from 18 to 200 employees, they discovered how difficult it was to find experienced, qualified people.
To solve the issue, Technica looked for young, inexperienced workers with good core values. They then paired these employees with more experienced workers so they could learn, grow, and align themselves with the company's goals.
Today, Technica Mining has over 500 employees. They have since branched out from an underground mining and construction contractor to venture into software development. They survived some tough years, especially when CEO Mario Grossi was seriously injured in 2016.
Most importantly, they discovered that when you have the right team, anything is possible.
CIM Sudbury hosts monthly events and lectures throughout the year. Membership information can be found on their website at branches.cim.org/sudbury.
