News Releases

Novariant Builds Strong Team for Leadership of Mining Technology Group

Alex Cortez , Vice President and General Manager of Mining, is building an impressive leadership team that will position the Novariant mining technology group for the future in working with deep open-pit mines that require accurate, real-time 24/7 positioning of mission critical equipment that can save millions in mine operating costs.

“We have proven our technological capabilities and are making headway in mines located in the U.S., Chile and Australia,” says Cortez. “It is time to take our team and technology to the next level. My focus is on our ability to deliver integrated products and solutions to customers in the Mining Industry. To this end, we have put together a team of individuals who have the experience and skills to support this critical phase of our development.”

Alex brings 15 years of direct mine design, operations and mine management experience, and over 15 years of experience in sales, marketing-after-sales-support and manufacturing of mining equipment throughout the world.

Please welcome the following people to the Novariant Mining Technology Team:

Kurt Zimmerman, PhD, Mining Technical Manager. Previously Principle Engineer of Novariant Mining, Kurt is a founder of Novariant and has over 15 years of experience in GPS technologies and their applications.  He was responsible for the design and development of the Terralite TM XPS Positioning System, the first ground-based positioning system specifically built to meet the requirements of open-pit mining.

Delcina Betts, Director of Mining Marketing. Delcina brings over 30 years in networking technology, with extensive professional domestic and international experience in sales & marketing, business development, customer relations, business operations and defining technology initiatives.

Ana Wilson , Marketing and Sales Coordinator Mining. Ana brings eight years of experience in the mining industry, where she has managed and directed the sales administration and accounting departments supporting the US and Latin America. She has been involved in administrative support of the development and production of industrial minerals and open pit mines.

Andrzej Skoskiewicz, Director of Mining Engineering. Andrzej heads the Novariant Mining Engineering Group, and is responsible for developing the Terralite line of products used in open pit mines. He has over 15 years of consumer and industrial turnkey product development experience, ranging from wireless systems and robotics, to underground boring systems.

Masayoshi Matsuoka - Senior Software Engineer. A key member of the development team, Masa has been instrumental in developing a number of critical features of the Terralite System. He continues to do research and develop additional functionality of the system.

Ted Lai - Senior Hardware Engineer. Ted has been an integral part of the Terralite team from the product’s inception. He brings with him over 12 years of experience in digital and RF hardware development.

Justin Hedtke - Product Design Engineer . A key member of the Terralite team, Justin brings 5+ years of experience in technology integration, successfully merging core Terralite technology with site specific deployment, power and communication requirements.

Jason Bigler - Mining Field Development Engineer . Jason brings years of knowledge and expertise in the areas of mine applications, automated control systems and guidance solutions, along with customer support experience in technology product management.

Qing Lin – Senior Software Engineer. Qing has nearly 20 years of networking experience, vital to the real time monitoring and support of Terralite hardware deployed around the world.

Anthony Craig, Director of Mining Sales, US & Canada. Tony brings extensive sales experience and knowledge of open pit mining and international sales and marketing. In addition to his success in sales and marketing, he offers significant knowledge of mining markets in the U.S., South Africa, Papua New Guinea, Uzbekistan and Australia.

Chris Ryan, Technical Sales Manager, Australia. Chris brings with him years of surveying experience in both metalliferous and coal mining, from startup to fully operating mines. He has extensive knowledge of GPS and managing machine guidance systems. He also is experienced in laser scanning and traditional surveying techniques and has a background in system engineering and customer support.

Juan Walker , Director of Mining Sales, South America. Juan brings significant knowledge of all South American mines, plus experience in GPS mine applications and systems. Juan's expertise includes various emerging technologies used in mining including: RFID, telecom, collision avoidance, wireless sensing, and positioning systems (Terralite). Additionally, Juan brings several years of mining sales and business development experience as well as working with Novariant distributors for mining products.

Javier Cerda, Senior Mining Applications Engineer for South America. Javier brings experience in wireless networking technologies, GPS, and international project management. Combined with his engineering background, he focuses on introducing new technologies in mining as well as supporting site surveys and field installation.

Ken Watterson , Mining Applications Engineer. Ken brings extensive mining, GPS and wireless communications experience to the Novariant team, with over 24 years experience in GPS surveying and machine control in both mining and civil applications. He offers additional skills and knowledge in first machine control and guidance systems, and in field testing/development of GPS-controlled blast-hole drill systems.