VANCOUVER, BC–(Marketwired – July 21, 2016) – Excelsior Mining Corp. (TSX VENTURE: MIN) (FRANKFURT: 3XS) (OTCQX: EXMGF) (“Excelsior” or the “Company”) is pleased to announce the immediate appointment of Robert Washnock to the position of Project Manager for the Gunnison Copper Project in Arizona. Mr. Washnock will work with Excelsior’s management team to help plan and organize all aspects of the Gunnison Copper Project, including mine design, procurement, construction, start-up and commissioning; he will also assist management with the care and maintenance operations at the Johnson Camp Mine (JCM). He has direct experience with in-situ copper recovery mining, and his hiring comes as Excelsior prepares for the anticipated commencement of commercial production in 2018.
Mr. Washnock brings a wealth of copper mining experience specific to all aspects of mine production management. He has extensive expertise in the areas of solvent extraction electrowinning (SX-EW) plant operations, electrorefining, electro-metallurgy/chemistry, copper leach kinetics and environmental regulatory compliance. The vast majority of his 40-year career has centered on SX-EW copper recovery projects in Arizona.
Mr. Washnock has held managerial positions with Freeport McMoRan Mining Company since 2008. Most recently, he was the Manager of Leach Optimization at the Safford Technology Center, with primary emphasis on the Safford Mine and Morenci Mine leach operations. From 2009 to 2012, he was the Manager of the Hydrometallurgical Division at Freeport McMoRan’s Bagdad SX-EW facilities, where he was responsible for the production of high-grade copper cathode. From 2008-2009 he was responsible for high-grade cathode production at Freeport McMoRan’s Tyrone Operations. As General Manager for the Lisbon Valley Mining Company, from 2004-2008, he successfully developed, designed, constructed and started-up a greenfields SX-EW copper operation. From 1996 to 2004 he was the SX-EW Operations Manager for the Silver Bell Solvent Extraction Electrowinning Project.
From 1991 to 1994 he was the Manager of Leaching & SX-EW Operations for Magma Copper Company’s Pinto Valley Mining Division. In this role he was responsible for the production of high-grade cathode, including copper recovery from in-situ leaching operations.
Commenting on this news, Stephen Twyerould, President and CEO, said, “We are very pleased to add a mining executive of Robert Washnock’s calibre to our team. Our project is certain to benefit from his extensive skillset including his previous experience with in-situ copper mining. His appointment demonstrates the ability of the Gunnison Copper Project to attract industry leaders to what we believe will be the next copper mine built in the United States.”
About Excelsior Mining
Excelsior Mining “The Copper Solution Company” is a mineral exploration and development company that is advancing the Gunnison Copper Project in Cochise County, Arizona. The project is an advanced staged, low cost, environmentally friendly in-situ recovery copper extraction project that is scheduled for commercial production in 2018.
Further information about the Gunnison Copper Project can be found in the technical report filed on SEDAR at www.sedar.com entitled: “Gunnison Copper Project, NI 43-101 Technical Report, Prefeasibility Study Update” dated effective January 28, 2016. Excelsior’s technical work on the Gunnison Copper Project is supervised by Stephen Twyerould, Fellow of AUSIMM, President & CEO of Excelsior and a Qualified Person as defined by National Instrument 43-101. Mr. Twyerould has reviewed and approved the technical information contained in this news release.
For more information on Excelsior, please visit our website at www.excelsiormining.com.
ON BEHALF OF THE EXCELSIOR BOARD
“Stephen Twyerould”
President & CEO
Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-Looking Information
This news release contains “forward-looking information” concerning anticipated developments and events that may occur in the future. Forward looking information contained in this news release includes, but is not limited to, statements with respect to: (i) the commencement of commercial production from the Gunnison Project; (ii) the low-cost and environmentally nature of the Gunnison Project and and (iii) the ability to mine the Gunnison Project using in-situ recovery mining techniques.
In certain cases, forward-looking information can be identified by the use of words such as “plans”, “expects” or “does not expect”, “is expected”, “budget”, “scheduled”, “estimates”, “forecasts”, “intends”, “anticipates” or “does not anticipate”, or “believes”, or variations of such words and phrases or state that certain actions, events or results “may”, “could”, “would”, “might” or “will be taken”, “occur” or “be achieved” suggesting future outcomes, or other expectations, beliefs, plans, objectives, assumptions, intentions or statements about future events or performance. Forward-looking information contained in this news release is based on certain factors and assumptions regarding, among other things, the estimation of mineral resources and mineral reserves, the realization of resource and reserve estimates, copper and other metal prices, the timing and amount of future exploration and development expenditures, the estimation of initial and sustaining capital requirements, the estimation of labour and operating costs, the availability of necessary financing and materials to continue to explore and develop the Gunnison Project in the short and long-term, the progress of exploration and development activities, the receipt of necessary regulatory approvals, the completion of the permitting process, the estimation of insurance coverage, and assumptions with respect to currency fluctuations, environmental risks, title disputes or claims, and other similar matters. While the Company considers these assumptions to be reasonable based on information currently available to it, they may prove to be incorrect.
Forward looking information involves known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors which may cause the actual results, performance or achievements of the Company to be materially different from any future results, performance or achievements expressed or implied by the forward-looking information. Such factors include risks inherent in the exploration and development of mineral deposits, including risks relating to changes in project parameters as plans continue to be redefined including the possibility that mining operations may not commence at the Gunnison Project, risks relating to variations in mineral resources and reserves, grade or recovery rates resulting from current exploration and development activities, risks relating to the ability to access infrastructure, risks relating to changes in copper and other commodity prices and the worldwide demand for and supply of copper and related products, risks related to increased competition in the market for copper and related products and in the mining industry generally, risks related to current global financial conditions, uncertainties inherent in the estimation of mineral resources, access and supply risks, reliance on key personnel, operational risks inherent in the conduct of mining activities, including the risk of accidents, labour disputes, increases in capital and operating costs and the risk of delays or increased costs that might be encountered during the development process, regulatory risks, including risks relating to the acquisition of the necessary licenses and permits, financing, capitalization and liquidity risks, including the risk that the financing necessary to fund the exploration and development activities at the Gunnison Project may not be available on satisfactory terms, or at all, risks related to disputes concerning property titles and interest, environmental risks and the additional risks identified in the “Risk Factors” section of the Company’s reports and filings with applicable Canadian securities regulators.
Although the Company has attempted to identify important factors that could cause actual actions, events or results to differ materially from those described in forward-looking information, there may be other factors that cause actions, events or results not to be as anticipated, estimated or intended. Accordingly, readers should not place undue reliance on forward-looking information. The forward-looking information is made as of the date of this news release. Except as required by applicable securities laws, the Company does not undertake any obligation to publicly update or revise any forward-looking information.
Neither the TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release, and no securities regulatory authority has either approved or disapproved of the contents of this release.