BIOGRAPHIES   AND   EXPERTISE

John R. Hellert, CPG, CEO, Senior Geologist. One of the primary focuses of Mr. Hellert’s professional career has been the exploration and development of construction aggregate production. For almost four decades he has been instrumental in the search, evaluation and development of sand, gravel and stone deposits across the globe. As a senior expert in the industry Mr. Hellert is sought out by clients to assist with such things as mergers and acquisitions, the assessment and evaluations of current and future mining costs. Such projects involve the  sites geology, the cost of aggregate processing, it’s place in a market’s structure, the deposit’s relationships to transportation, environmental permitting costs. Along with the development of targeted deposits Mr. Hellert has conducted countless drilling campaigns to delineate and quantify reserves, he has developed material testing programs and beneficiation studies, planned mine layouts and sequencing and worked with the operator on equipment selection. Mr. Hellert was instrumental in the concept and development of the only underground aggregate mine in the Northeast. In addition to typical construction materials, Mr. Hellert has explored for cement rock, silica sand, gold, kaolin, black sands and feldspars.

Michael Place, CPG, President, Senior Hydrogeologist. Mr. Place has more than twenty-five years of experience with assessing groundwater flow systems and contamination migration, consulting to corporate managers, and assisting with property and company transactions. Mr. Place provides strong technical hydrogeologic expertise as well as solid project managerial experience. His knowledge of groundwater hydraulics, geochemistry, and environmental engineering prove valuable in scoping site investigations, determining the transport and fate of contaminants and subsequently performing site remediation. His hands-on project experiences have resulted in a seasoned manager and technical resource adept at staff and contractor management, budget estimating and tracking, subsurface interpretations and technical writing.

Brent J. Tardif, PG, Senior Vice President, Senior Geologist. Mr. Tardif has conducted many valuations on sites throughout the U.S. His expertise as a minerals appraiser covers a broad cross section of different types of mineral properties and mining businesses for a variety of purposes. Specific project experience includes several large aggregate material producers in New England, the Mid-Atlantic States and the Midwest. Mr. Tardif's responsibilities included the certification of reserves, market analyses, environmental assessments and net present value/discounted cash flow calculations. Mr. Tardif has conducted numerous core-drilling programs to quantify reserves for large international corporations as well as individuals. Mr. Tardif assisted in the preparation of the New England Governor’s Conference Study on “The Supply and Demand for Construction Aggregates throughout New England”. Mr. Tardif has expertise in blasting consultation and vibration control services for major highway construction and related projects.

Nathan O. Moore, Senior Geologist, Pennsylvania Regional Manager. Mr. Moore has provided a decade of mine planning services for both surface and underground operations at existing and greenfield properties for a wide variety of products from aggregates to specialty stone. These plans have allowed operators to remove material in the most cost effective and efficient manner while optimizing their reserves. Mr. Moore has developed numerous three dimensional computer models of mining operations and their underlying stratigraphy in order to calculate reserves, to develop mine plans, to determine further tests required and to sign long-term contracts to buy or sell stone.

Frank V. Santella, PG, Senior Project Manager. Mr. Santella has more than three decades of professional and environmental consulting experience with an emphasis on soil and groundwater contamination assessments and remediations. He has developed efficient and cost-effective programs for underground storage tank installations or closures, environmental compliance audits, and ASTM site assessments. Mr. Santella has coordinated and assisted in performing more than fifty CERCLA pre-remedial Site Inspections for the USEPA in Region V. His expertise includes conducting groundwater monitoring well networks, soil, sediment and surface water sampling, in accordance with the USEPA protocols for the purposes of site characteristics and determination of Hazard Ranking System scores.