Brian, Mill Operator Lead Hand
When Brian interviewed for a job at the Pogo Mine nearly twenty years ago, he said he wasn’t just looking for a job; he wanted a career. “It turned out to be a pretty good one,” he says.
In the early 2000s, Brian was living in Fairbanks, working for an explosives company contracted to help build a 49-mile road connecting a new mine project to the Richardson Highway. As the project took shape, so did a new idea. The name “Pogo Mine” stuck with him. Wanting a new challenge, Brian left the explosives job and followed up with the contacts he had made on the project, determined to see where the opportunity might lead.
At the time, the benefits and financial security that a mining career could offer were determining factors. Once he got his foot in the door, he knew he could make real progress toward his goals and build a lasting career. “Unlike some previous jobs, this was a career where I would not be living paycheck to paycheck,” he says.
Brian was hired to work in the Pogo mill in 2006 and steadily advanced over the years to his current role as Mill Operator, Lead Hand for Northern Star. Looking back, he’s proud of his journey and growth at Pogo. “When I started, I was one of the youngest guys on the crew,” he says with a laugh. “Now, 20 years later, I’m one of the oldest.”
An Evolving Career in the Mill
Brian describes every day in the mill as different and has seen significant changes in his 20 years.
“When I started here, I had never been to a mine,” he recalls. “Back then, I would have described it as very rough and rugged…definitely not for the weak.” Since those early days, advances in equipment and technology have transformed the workplace. Mining can be a physically demanding job in an extreme environment, but upgrades to equipment and systems mean that it is not as hard as it used to be. “It also helps that there’s a lot of teamwork,” Brian adds.
That teamwork is one of the things Brian values most about working in the Pogo mill. Working side-by-side with the same team for weeks at a time, and with some for two decades, has forged strong bonds. The team has formed a tight-knit group that depends on one another not only to get the job done, but to do it safely. “When you work alongside each other for 12 hours a day, you get close,” he says.
A typical day in the mill involves collecting and analyzing samples, a critical part of the gold extraction process. Chemical solutions are combined with ore to separate gold through a process known as gold leaching. Mill operators constantly test samples to monitor and ensure correct chemical levels for gold extraction efficiency and environmental safety.
“Part of what has kept me here for two decades has been the financial security and stability, but also that I’m able to learn different things,” Brian says. “Our processes in the mill change often, for example we look at different chemical compounds and how we can use them to make things more efficient. We're always trying to do things a little differently to make things better.”
Culture of Safety
As the mine has advanced, so has the mill, and Brian says the transformation has been remarkable. Modern improvements and equipment upgrades now allow the mill to process twice the tonnage of ore it once did. Yet, throughout all the operational gains and efficiency milestones, Brian says that safety has always been the most important goal.
“Safety is the top priority. That’s one of the things I like about Northern Star. If we see something that isn’t safe, any one of us can shut a job down. Everyone here has that responsibility and that right.”
This culture of accountability extends beyond the mill to the entire Pogo Mine, encompassing the safety of employees, the surrounding wildlife and environment–an emphasis Brian wishes more people understood.
“Our environmental record is something that makes me proud to work at Pogo,” he says. “When you’re on site, you see wetland signs everywhere and reminders to be respectful of wildlife. We have an agreement with the State that the Pogo road won’t be used for personal use, cutting down on traffic to not disturb the natural habitat. We pull water from the river but the water we put back is cleaner than when it started.”
Epic Mining Moments
Brian still marvels at the wildlife that coexists with miners around Pogo. Employees regularly spot moose, foxes, beavers, porcupines, wolves, and bears, all backdropped by a ruggedly beautiful landscape. “It’s amazing to me the wildlife we have here and how something so huge like a moose can just step into the tree line and disappear,” he says.
Surrounded by the epic Alaskan wilderness and working alongside a close-knit team, Brian says that his career has been tough but worth it. His work in the mill has provided a good home for him locally in North Pole, Alaska.