16 minute read
An unexpected turn for the best
Lessons and insights from a governmental beginning turned 25-year mining career
By Ashley Maden
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Lithium Nevada Corp. Vice President of Government and Community Relations Tim Crowley started his professional career with sights set on politics and government affairs, never did he imagine he would find himself with a mining career spanning a quarter of a decade and counting.
Crowley admits that he didn’t understand mining much prior to his unanticipated entry into the industry as a professional, which led to being President of the Nevada Mining Association and now to working for one of the nation’s most closely watched lithium projects in northern Nevada.
Crowley’s father, the late Dr. Joeseph N. Crowley spent much of his career as a professor at the University of Nevada Reno, serving as president of the university for a record-setting 23 years from 1978 to 2001, the longest-serving president at a single institution among the nation’s principal universities at the time of his departure from the position. The Joe Crowley Student Union is named after professor Crowley and his many contributions to the university and the local community. (Tim) Crowley said he didn’t desire a career in academia like his father but instead wanted to be involved in politics because he enjoyed learning about people and solving problems on a big-picture level.
Crowley obtained an undergraduate degree from the University of Nevada Reno with focused studies in geography and political science.
After completion of his undergraduate studies, Crowley took an opportunity to work for then Nevada Senator Harry Reid in Washington D.C. as part of an internship program.
With this opportunity, Crowley said he found value in managing a diverse and heavy workload of issues that traveled through the office, often physically taking boxes of work home to complete as email and the internet had not yet been adopted as the primary form of communication.
“I couldn’t have asked for a better start to my career,” said Crowley. “Every day it was something different and I was constantly learning.”
The position led to an opportunity to work for Governor Bob Miller in the department of conservation, which led
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Tim Crowley, Lithium Nevada Corp Vice President of Government and Community Relations started his professional career in politics that developed into a passion and career solving problems across the mining industry.
to his introduction to the mining industry.
A friendship and business relationship between him and a couple of members of the mining industry led to a job offer to work for the Nevada Mining Association in government affairs when Governor Miller’s term neared end, along with Crowley’s job.
During his time with the Nevada Mining Association, Crowley had the opportunity to work in Las Vegas for four years, a
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which helped him better understand the differences and similarities between various communities around the state.
Crowley has now worked in the mining industry for 25 years in numerous capacities and said it’s the best career path he never imagined taking.
“People don’t realize that mining is a STEM (science, technology, engineering and math) industry where you find some of the smartest and hardest working people,” said Crowley.
Crowley’s big-picture thinking, problem-solving abilities and background have helped him be able to work alongside people such as engineers, geologists, and chemists to help solve problems and close gaps in communication and development.
“I’m a connect-the-dots person that figures out how to put the right people in the room to address problems and find solutions,” said Crowley. “I enjoy helping the hard science people solve problems and work with others.”
Crowley served as the Nevada Mining Association President for six years following the financial crisis of 2008, prior to consulting with various mining companies throughout the state to solve problems and help the industry work through common issues at various levels.
“During that time (mining association) we worked really really hard to help the state address its fiscal needs, but also understand and help policymakers understand that the mining industry does pay a significant amount of revenue,” said Crowley. “We pay for all the costs of the services we need and more, and we are an exporter of revenue to urban Nevada.”
Urban areas of Nevada largely consist of Clark and Washoe counties.
Crowley said he observed that the state can be classified into different community categories with varying basic understanding and needs.
Rural mining communities are recognizable by large mining companies that contribute to significant capital infrastructure projects, which improve the quality of life for its residents and employees, outside of tax obligations.
Nearly half a million dollars was contributed by Barrick and Newmont (prior to the formation of Nevada Gold Mines) to the current Health Sciences and Technology building construction at the Winnemucca Great Basin College campus, with the nearly $10 million dollar project largely funded by various community organization donations and a matching grant from the William N. Pennington Foundation.
Across the state, Crowley said it’s critical for people to understand the mining industry and how it contributes to the entire state, as well as to the local communities which house its workforce.
He said that many people don’t realize that almost a
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every industry in modern society depends on the mining industry for its raw materials, such as computers, cars, phones, buildings, etc.
While consulting, Crowley found a passion for working with the proposed lithium project located north of Winnemucca near the community of Orovada, he joined the project fulltime in July 2018 and currently serves as the Vice President of Government Affairs and Community Relations.
Crowley said the proposed lithium project aims to provide great jobs and economic benefits to the rural communities in northern Humboldt County where concerns have been raised regarding funding available for school and road infrastructure development and safety.
Crowley said that his time in the mining industry has helped him recognize the value mining organizations can provide throughout projects with consistent community engagement efforts involving counties, residents, federal level policy-makers and regulators to keep up with the moving parts and be proactive about solving problems together.
Throughout his roles with the Nevada Mining Association, consultant projects and now working for Lithium Nevada Corp., one valuable industry opportunity Crowley observed is consistent and successful communication of complex information and issues in a way that stakeholders can understand and proactively contribute to problem-solving.
Crowley’s time with the Nevada Mining Association and consulting gave him a big-picture perspective of the industry across the state. With the lithium project, he has gained insight into more intricate details of the governmental and environmental processes at the beginning of a proposed mining development while working with nearby rural community residents to understand and work together to resolve project-related issues and concerns.
Crowley said one of the things that made him want to be a more integrated part of the lithium project is the organization’s priority to being as carbon neutral as possible while safely mining a mineral that has the potential to help lower the global carbon footprint.
The proposed project located in Humboldt County, Nevada has the potential to provide a quarter of the world’s demand for lithium for a current estimated life of 46 years.
Crowley said he anticipates trends in the mining industry to include growth in stable jobs while providing local and statewide economic benefits and continuous improvement of safety practices, environmental responsibility and sustainability.
Crowley said that another big opportunity in the mining industry is diversification of the workforce, helping women and under-served minorities statewide understand the professional opportunities available to them in mining.
Crowley currently resides with his wife Stacey in Reno where the rest of his family is from, he said he comes from a family where his parents were great leaders in the things they have done as a family and within the local community, a legacy he aims to continue to create in his own life, career and community involvement. F
Nevada local recognized by Cyanco
In March, Winnemucca local Tawnya Plascencia was recognized as one of “Cyanco’s Stars.”
According to their press release, Cyanco’s most important asset is its people and Cyanco regularly recognizes their hard work. Check out two of Cyanco’s ‘Stars,’ who are making tremendous contributions to Cyanco – and customers – every day.
Tawnya Plascencia, Accounting was recognized for her contributions to the company. The following was printed in their press release.
Professional History: “I have lived in Nevada for most of my life and have a long history in mining. My parents were both miners. My husband works at a local mine (one of Cyanco’s customers), and I worked in a mineral testing lab for seven years before coming to Cyanco in 2014. My first role at Cyanco was working on customer invoicing and customer relations. I moved into an accounting assistant role in Accounts Receivable and grew from there by taking on many different challenges. It keeps me busy!”
Teamwork as a Value: “Teamwork is what it takes to run a business, and Cyanco people are great team players. From my perspective, it all starts with a positive attitude. Some days are more stressful than others, but you always have to be approachable and patient. If you act as a team player, others will do the same for you. The Accounting Team is a perfect example of this. Everyone has respect for one another and is open in their communications. Because of this team dynamic, we’ve accomplished so much this year – despite everyone working remotely. It’s really been amazing to see.”
Favorite Thing About Working at Cyanco: “Cyanco is a very family-oriented company, and that’s important to me. If you need to take care of something personal, like an appointment with the pediatrician or running an errand for a family member, it’s never an issue. I have nothing bad to say. It’s a good company, with good people, and I see myself making a long career here.
Recognized with Plascencia was Commercial Manager Jillian Carmichael.
Day-to-Day Responsibilities: “I work on company-wide demand planning. That means I spend a lot of time with Supply Chain and Logistics doing short- and longterm forecasting.”
Trust as a Value: “From a customer perspective, Cyanco has very long-standing relationships, largely built on trust. With sodium cyanide being such a critical commodity to the mining process, they don’t want to worry about supply. Cyanco’s ability to manage tank levels and automatically schedule deliveries as needed, enhances customer trust. Customers believe in Cyanco as the industry’s most reliable supplier.
From an internal standpoint, establishing trust across all business functions (like Supply Chain, Finance, Customer Service, Business Intelligence and Applied Technology) is core to the success of the Commercial Team. These groups provide us with early customer engagement, credit risk reviews, agility to meet customer demand changes, technical assistance at the mine site… you name it…basically everything that supports our customer relationships.
The Commercial Team itself is a very close-knit group. We trust each other to be responsive and share reliable data. Because of the internal level of confidence in everyone’s ability to execute, we didn’t miss a single customer shipment in 2020 – despite COVID – and actually improved customer relationships.” F
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NVMA celebrates Women in Engineering Day
By Drew McGregor
Nevada Mining Association
June 23rd marks International Women in Engineering Day, celebrating the accomplishments and strides women have made in engineering fields, while also recognizing the work that still needs to be done to ensure young women pursue their interests and dreams.
For over 150 years, engineers have played a vital role in Nevada mining, the state’s original STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Math) industry. From the Comstock Lode to the Carlin Trend, engineers in mining have been responsible for a number of technological advancements. Unfortunately, throughout the 19th and 20th centuries, employing women was frowned upon in the industry, some states even making it illegal for them to work on a mine site.
These old and tired stereotypes have largely been eliminated, but there is still more to be done. Across the globe, fewer than 30% of all college students and researchers in STEM subjects are women. In the United States, only 11% of engineers are female. Considering that the majority of career paths available to today’s children will require a background in STEM, it is more important than ever to make sure young women aren’t discouraged from gaining the skills they’ll need on the job market.
Programs across Nevada are helping address the issue. The University of Nevada, Reno hosts an annual Young Women in Engineering Camp, that introduces middle school-aged girls to engineering subjects and allows participants to speak directly with women professionals working in those fields, including mining. Soroptimist International of Elko holds the Dream It, Be It Career Support Day for Girls every spring, where Elko Country high school girls meet with successful women on how to pursue their goals with confidence.
While there is still progress to be made, programs like these will help encourage the next generation of STEM professionals. For more information on International Women in Engineering Day, visit www.inwed.org/uk. To learn about the different careers available in Nevada mining, visit Nevada Mining Association’s Careers in Mining page. F
PHOTO COURTESY NVMA
Nevada Gold Mines Establishes Employee Giving Program, the Heritage Fund
Initial $500,000 investment supports local communities
ELKO, Nevada – Nevada Gold Mines (NGM) recently launched the company’s new employee giving campaign, the Heritage Fund, on December 1st, 2020. The charitable workplace giving program includes an employee-driven campaign to support nonprofit organizations today and an Endowment Fund to support community needs into the future.
Through the Heritage Fund, NGM employees have the option to support non-profit organizations of their choice to reflect personal values, passions and pursuits. NGM provided all 7,000 employees with $25 to start their giving account and will match 120 percent of each employee contribution to qualified organizations or to the Endowment Fund.
NGM also invested an initial $500,000 to kick off the Endowment Fund portion of the program, which will be professionally managed and invested. The Endowment Fund was established as the financial legacy NGM will leave for long-term sustainability in the communities where the company operates. “We understand and appreciate how important the services are that non-profit organizations provide for our communities,” said Greg Walker, NGM Executive Managing Director. “NGM strives to be a valued member of our local communities, and it is my hope that the Heritage Fund will be a source of strength in our local communities for many years to come.” The Heritage Fund is a 501c(3), managed by Executive Director Shane Moss and governed by a nine-person Board of Directors. “Non-profit organizations play a vital role in our communities and will benefit greatly from our collective support. These causes often assist critical health and human services, important educational and environmental initiatives, community development, and even wildlife and habitat improvement. This is our opportunity to contribute to the organizations that are most meaningful to each of us at NGM and make a positive impact in the communities where we live,” said Heritage Fund Executive Director, Shane Moss. F
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PHOTO COURTESY OF SSR MARIGOLD
Expanding for the future
Active mines are constantly seeking ways to expand. Every expansion adds “mine life” to a site ensuring local jobs, continued revenue for local communities and a future for the mine. Pictured top: A picture of the landscape at SSR Marigold. Marigold is in the process of digging deeper rather than extending
outward. Pictured botom: Open pits at Coeur Rochester. Rochester is currently undergoing an expansion under Plan of Operations Amendment 11, which is expected to be largely completed by late 2022. The expan-
PHOTO COURTESY OF COEUR ROCHESTER
sion project includes the construction of a new leach pad, a crushing facility equipped with two high-pressure grinding roll units, a Merrill-Crowe process plant, and related infrastructure to support the extension of
Rochester’s mine life. F
