It’s all in the family for two brothers, Cary and Lonnie Armknecht, who have worked at Bald Mountain since 1985. As proud Nevadans, the brothers grew up around mining and live in Eureka, about a one-hour drive from Bald Mountain. They are the two longest employed brothers at the site.
Cary, a Project Supervisor, and Lonnie Armknecht, Mine Operations Supervisor, tell us what it’s like to be part of Bald Mountain’s evolution over the years, and its most recent transition into a Kinross operation.
“We grew up around mining and have lived in Nevada our whole lives so it was no surprise when we both went into the field. It was 30 years ago now when we first started working at Bald Mountain. We’ve been a part of the site since its early days and, now, it’s the large modern mine that we know today.
We have worked in different capacities throughout our time from operations and capital projects, to equipment maintenance. We have also seen the site transition from a small team to the nearly 500 employees today. The people that we’ve worked with have been a big part of why we have stayed at Bald Mountain all this time.
There have been many great memories working here, but it was a defining moment to become a Kinross employee. When we heard the news that the site was being acquired, we were quite excited as it represented a new chapter for Bald Mountain. Like with any change, we had to get use to new things, but it also represented new opportunities for the site. We both want to see Bald Mountain continue to grow and know that it has a lot to offer.
When we first met the Kinross team that welcomed us to the new Company and saw the first Kinross exploration drill rig at site, we knew for certain that there will be exciting opportunities ahead.”
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Lonnie and Cary Armknecht standing in front of one of the first Kinross Bald Mountain signs at the site