Sheri Samson
Gold Resource Corporation board members and staff broke ground on the Isabella Pearl mining site in Mineral County last week.

As honored guests followed an array of directional signage leading into the hills of Luning, at the foot of the Gabbs Valley Range, the Gold Resource Corporation (GRC) was prepared to present a groundbreaking ceremony for the Isabella Pearl mining site, which had been many years in the making.

Guests included the GRC Chairman of the Board Bill Conrad and those from their board of directors. Attendees also included GRC Staff Members; Mineral County Commissioners Jerrie Tipton and Chris Hegg; local Mineral County Economic Development Association Board members; representatives from Ledcor Construction; local business owners and other various entities associated directly with the project.

With safety as a paramount issue within the structure of GRC, guests donned hardhats, along with visibility vests to proceed to a gathering spot which overlooked the surrounding valley surface. Gold Resource Corporation’s CEO, Jason Reid, began the ceremony with an overview of the company, then mentioned the many years of positive strides which had taken place within their company. With successes from their Oaxaca Mining Unit properties, located in the southern portion of Oaxaca, Mexico, Reid spoke proudly of a company that had experienced seven consecutive years of profitability.

Speaking about the unique opportunity within the landmark moment of finally breaking ground in Nevada, Reid admitted, “It’s not every day you open a mine.”

As special thanks were acknowledged to many specific people standing within the group, the GRC team thanked those that had been involved with securing the operation and shared how important the local support had been to the overall project. Expressing their commitment to be part of the local community once their operations are up and running, Reid referred to the eventual positive impacts which will influence the local tax revenue and future development.

With an emphasis on their Nevada Mining Unit, four other sites were mentioned as properties for future development: County Line, Mina Gold, Gold Mesa and East Camp Douglas. Benchmarks of yield would continue to be explored by the GRC’s primary emphasis on gold, silver and precious metal production.

Commissioner Tipton publicly thanked GRC for staying true toward the task of moving forward and for the dedicated partnership created with the county and the economic development aspects. “I have been with this since 2007 and I can tell you that natural ground resource money circulates many times over in a community. We are so glad they are here.”

On behalf of the MCEDA, Jim Utterback shared, “It is extremely important that long-lasting, good jobs begin to come into this county. This is the first of a long list of good things we are seeing toward advancement and to prosper. We welcome you and appreciate that you are here.”

As golden shovels were dipped into the earth for various photo-ops, many shook hands over the accomplishment of a new endeavor which Reid had early tagged as being “Nevada Mining Friendly”.