Maria has over 23 years of experience at Round Mountain where her knowledge and experience working across a variety of departments makes her a highly-valued contributor to the operation. 

In her role as Contract Drilling Technician, Maria’s proactive mindset and consistent ability to identify inefficiencies and implement practical solutions has resulted in measurable cost savings. Her impact was most notably demonstrated when she identified inefficiencies associated with underground drilling operations. When diamond drillers performed casing installations, they were required to wait approximately 12 hours for grout to cure which resulted in significant standby time that was incurred by Kinross. Maria went beyond her day-to-day tasks to find a new grout solution that could cure faster and reduce standby time from 12 hours to four hours. As a result of this solution, we reduced the cost paid to diamond drillers by approximately $2,000 per hole and reduced standby time by eight hours. 

Maria’s commitment to financial discipline was also highlighted when she identified a discrepancy in a supplier’s invoice that was quoting a project at an additional US$17,000. She carefully reviewed the invoice, identified incorrect wording on a line item that was causing the discrepancy and worked with the supplier to update the invoice to correct the total cost of the project. 

These examples reflect tangible cost-savings that Maria has actioned, however, they are only two examples among numerous contributions that she has made during her time at Round Mountain. She is frequently recognized at weekly tailgate meetings for creating new efficiencies and for her proactive, reliable and positive attitude, all of which have generated significant benefits to both the operation and the team dynamic at Round Mountain. 

“Maria anticipates the needs of the business and takes action even before the larger team is aware of any pending tasks. She is clever, hard-working and a go-to resource when searching for solutions. Regardless of the time of day, she is always available to provide support. We are lucky to have her on our team,” said a colleague.

Maria Penson, Contract Drilling Technician, Round Mountain