Michael Gignac, VP Finance, G MINING SERVICES
“Our incentive model is focused on our clients’ successes, which means we emphasize delivering on time and within budget.”
Can you provide an overview of the past year for G Mining Services?
G Mining Services has seen significant growth in demand and personnel over the past year. We now have 180 employees and have expanded our geographic footprint with a new office in Quito, Ecuador. We have also brought on new clients, such as Allkem, who partnered with us for detailed engineering for their James Bay lithium project. G Mining Services is assisting another client on the construction of the Greenstone gold mine in Ontario, a joint venture between Equinox Gold and Orion Mine Finance. We have completed the detailed engineering work and are now focused on the construction phase. Equinox recently stated that construction is 35% complete and remains on budget and on schedule. One last highlight for 2022 is the ongoing detail engineering work we are doing with G Mining Ventures for their Tocantinzinho project. Outside of Canada and Brazil, we are involved in projects in Mexico, Ecuador, US and Botswana.
How important are its regional operations?
G Mining Services is very active in Québec, and the Allkem project is a good example of our work in the province. We are also active throughout Canada and have clients with interesting projects in Ontario and British Columbia. The majority of our operations are focused in Canada and Latin America.
What emphasis does G Mining Services place on delivering on projected timelines and budgets?
G Mining Services works hand in hand with its clients to ensure project success. The original EPCM/ Owner model does not help with aligning incentives, as that model is heavily focused on contract management where legal teams are often involved. Conversely, our incentive model is focused on our clients’ successes, which means we emphasize delivering on time and within budget. G Mining Services has delivered 100% of its projects on budget and 66% below budget. Additionally, all our projects have been delivered on schedule or earlier. The commitment to maintaining these impressive figures helps distinguish us from a lot of other players in the market, and I attribute much of the company’s growth to this difference in mindset.
How can G Mining Services help its clients deliver on ESG goals?
Even though we are not an environmental firm, we adhere to ESG principles and focus on making sure our interventions fall within or exceed industry standards and practices and that they contribute towards positive outcomes. From an environmental standpoint, we try to limit the footprint of the mines we design and build. Looking at social themes, we work on fostering positive and collaborative relationships with the people in the communities we operate in. Education is also a very important aspect of the work we do, and all our projects have a very intentional skill transfer component.
What has enabled G Mining Services to grow during a time in which it is increasingly difficult to attract and retain skilled labor?
G Mining Services has a great corporate culture, and this goes a long way in making us an attractive employer. We offer competitive salaries, growth opportunities, and more hands-on field work. It is a family-owned business, and that really shows in our culture and priorities. We also see the importance in hiring locally. For our Ecuador office, for example, we leveraged our experience to hire 100% local staff. We are very proud of this, and it helped us stand out in that market.
What will continue to drive growth for G Mining Services?
Detailed engineering and construction support work account for the bulk of our services. We cover geology, mining, engineering, construction, as well as studies, making us essentially a one stop shop for the industry. With that in mind, our reputation has played a key role in the growth we have experienced over the last few years. Our culture, our people, our leadership, and our methods of operating are the driving force behind our growth. Our ability to consistently deliver on time and on budget are unparalleled and will continue to serve our clients across the globe.