Northern Nevada Business Weekly: Tell us about Newmont Mining.
John Mudge: Newmont has been around since 1921. It has grown and evolved into a multinational mining company that focuses on gold mining. It employs over 3,500 people in the Elko, Winnemucca and Battle Mountain areas and produces 2 million ounces of gold per year. It also has mining operations around the globe.
NNBW: What role do you play in the company?
Mudge: I have three major roles in the company. As part of the senior management team in the North American region, I help strategize and establish goals and objectives for the region. A second role is to lead the environmental and social responsibility effort in this region. Lastly, I help establish the company's overall direction and establish global standards for environmental protection and community relationships.
NNBW: What kind of boss are you?
Mudge: I like to interact with folks that report to me on a regular basis. I give them advice and guidance. I am fairly hands off and don't tell my folks how to get the job done. That said, I have high expectations for top performance.
NNBW: How did you get into mining?
Mudge: When I was in high school in Spokane, Wash., staff from the mining school at University of Idaho gave a recruitment presentation. At that time, I knew little about mining. I knew I liked math and science and knew that I wanted to go to college. They offered scholarships, and Moscow was a college town only two hours from Spokane. I got a scholarship, got my degree and have been in mining ever since.
NNBW: What do you enjoy about it?
Mudge: One of the most important things I do is to gain the official and un-official permissions so that we can mine. I enjoy developing and carrying out strategies to take mining plans, regulatory requirements and community interests and establishing paths forward that work for everyone.
NNBW: What do you find annoying about it?
Mudge: Permitting takes longer and longer as the years go on. I have been working on permitting one mine for over five years. The primary reason for that is the federal Environmental Protection Agency's insertion into the process. Where the Nevada Division of Environmental Protection and the Bureau of Land Management are great to work with, the EPA is very difficult.
NNBW: What are some of the challenges that face mining in the next few years?
Mudge: It has always been and always will be about finding the ore bodies. Exploration is a difficult business and ore bodies are finite. As mentioned, it is more difficult to get permits. We must be better at communication to overcome this.
NNBW: What effect has the changing economic environment had on your company?
Mudge: Prior to last fall's economic meltdown, our costs were escalating and we had large labor shortfalls. Since, costs have stabilized and labor has become plentiful. We are fortunate that gold has maintained its value so we have continued to be profitable. But we are a constant target for additional taxes; our industry pays over $200 million in state taxes. We expect to continue to be challenged to communicate that we pay our fair share of taxes.
NNBW: How do you spend your time away from the office?
Mudge: I love my family, golf and NCAA basketball. I exercise regularly and I spend time with my wife of 29 years and two kids. For 20 years I have taken a trip to one of the rounds of the NCAA basketball tournament. Last year we went to Phoenix, played golf seven days in a row, saw three NCAA games and one spring training baseball game. I am on the board and was president of Ronald McDonald House Charities. I am also on the board for Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation, the board for the Nevada Mining Association, an advisory board to the Mackay School of Mines and was appointed to the Commission on Mineral Resources.
NNBW: What's the best advice anyone ever gave you?
Mudge: Listen to your gut. I know that my instincts are guidance to call upon as every decision is made.
NNBW: Any final thoughts?
Mudge: I worry that as a society we don't look beyond the sound bites and the headlines to the details and the fundamentals. The mining industry serves the world in providing metals that are needed for everything that we do. We need to recognize that fact and embrace this industry.
