DAVID BELING, P.E.

 Strategic Advisor

​

Mr. Beling is a 1964 Mining Engineering graduate from the University of Arizona and has been employed and/or consulted for Phelps Dodge, Union Oil, Fluor, United Technologies, Westinghouse, and 25 Canadian and US junior mining companies. He served on the Boards of 14 Canadian and US mining companies beginning in 1981 and continues to serve as a Director of Bullfrog Gold Corp. and NioCorp Developments Ltd.

 

During the past 56 years, Mr. Beling examined, significantly reviewed, or was directly involved with 88 underground mines, 131 open pit mines and 164 process plants around the world. He also developed, enhanced, and obtained financing for several mining companies, mainly in the copper, gold, cobalt, nickel, and uranium sectors.

 

From July 2011 to October 2020, Mr. Beling was the President & CEO of Bullfrog Gold Corp. and the General Manager of its Bullfrog Gold Project, a proposed open pit and 8,000-tpd heap leach operation near Beatty, Nevada. In October 2020 he completed the purchase all of Barrick Gold’s lands in the Bullfrog Mining District and raised C$23 million from the Augusta Group.

 

From January 2004 through December 2010, he was the Executive VP & COO of Geovic Mining Corp where he directed the development of a US $700 million, world-class cobalt/nickel project in Cameroon, Africa. He hired and directed the personnel and contractors that performed the environmental, geotechnical, mining, metallurgical and final feasibility requirements and studies. In addition, he spearheaded a TSX listing in 2006 and delivered all the presentations that raised C$112 million by mid-2007 in Canada, UK, and the US. Mr. Beling also performed and later directed investor relations that grew Geovic’s market capitalization to US$460 million. Thereafter, he successfully completed a physical upgrading process that nearly tripled the mine grade. Concurrently, he discovered and developed a new reductive acid-leach process for this laterite deposit that lowered risks, costs, and environmental impacts.

 

From 1997 to 2004 on a contracting basis, he served as an interim CEO, acting VP operations, senior consultant, trouble-shooter and evaluator of numerous production operations, development projects, and acquisitions. Clients included Romarco Minerals, Dayton Mining, Manhattan Minerals, Eldorado Gold, Ivanhoe Mines, Rea Gold and NovaGold.

 

From 1992 to 1997, Mr. Beling was the President & COO of AZCO Mining where he hired and directed all the project personnel and firms that advanced to construction status of the Sanchez Copper Project near Safford, Arizona. This $90 million Project included an open pit mine and a 33,000-tpd plant using crushing, heap leaching and SX-EW processing.  Championed the first EIS approved for a mine in Arizona. Directed a similar development Project near Piedras Verdes, Sonora, Mexico and a gold exploration project in Mali, Africa. Initiated and closed the sale of all copper assets to Phelps Dodge in 1996.

 

From 1987 to 1992, Mr. Beling was the Sr. VP for Hycroft Resources where he completed construction and managed/directed operations of the 16,000 tpd Crofoot heap leach plant and two open pit gold mines. As a VP Operations for parent Granges Inc., he also served on the Technical Committee for Hudson Bay’s 2,700 tpd Trout Lake Mine near Flin Flon, Manitoba.

 

Prior 23 years of experience included Project Manager of the exceptionally high-grade Original Sixteen-To-One underground gold mine in California; Sr. Consultant for Pegasus Gold’s development projects in Montana and Arizona; Manager of Mining for Wold Nuclear Co.’s uranium projects in Wyoming and Texas; District Manager for Westinghouse’s uranium in situ leach development projects in Wyoming; General Manager for Essex International’s (United Technologies) 1,000-tpd process plant and  three open pit copper mines in Utah; Project Engineer for Fluor on coal and oil shale projects; Project Manager for Union Oil’s uranium projects in Wyoming; and Mining Engineer at Phelps Dodge’s open pit and underground copper mines in Bisbee, Arizona.