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About Us
Groundhog Mining and Milling Co. is a family business, started by a father and son with a desire to expand on the family mine. Being part of a line of mining engineers, they have the experience, knowledge, background, and contacts to get the job done, whatever the job may be. Putting an "old-school" work ethic into action, they believe in doing a job right, and doing it well. They've brought in other people since the origin of the business; some have stayed and some have left, and no matter what, Groundhog keeps digging.
We may be few, but we few be MINERS.
Meet the Team
Owner - Projects Manager - Mining Engineer
NATHAN HUNT
Mr. Hunt's life-long interest and participation in everything associated with mining was inspired by his family's extensive and historical involvement in mining. Mr. Hunt obtained a B.S. in Mining Engineering from Montana Tech and, with his father, established Groundhog Mining & Milling Co., LLC in order to develop the family mineral properties, as well as provide an array of professional and physical contract services to the mining industry and civil construction industry. In addition to in-depth experience in the technical and engineering part of mining gained by working for various mining companies as an engineer, Mr. Hunt has also performed the physical tasks required to accomplish the processes of underground and surface mining. He has conducted and supervised mining and drilling operations and is familiar with the many types of equipment and techniques implemented to accomplish these operations.
Owner/Operator
DELBERT HUNT
Mr. Hunt has accumulated extensive experience and knowledge in mining and exploration, drilling and equipment, piloting a wide range of aircraft of various types and sizes, as well as the mechanical aspects of aviation. Currently, Mr. Hunt is qualified as an airline transport pilot and specializes in flying the MD-87 for special projects, including operating the plane as a tanker on fire-fighting jobs. He began working in his family's mines at the age of ten and his involvement in mining continued to thrive throughout his adult life, in addition to his other pursuits. Mr. Hunt and his son, Nathan, established Groundhog Mining & Milling Co., LLC to perform a wide array of professional and specialized contract services in the underground and surface mining industry, and the civil construction industry. He and Nathan own the family mineral properties and are continuing the exploration and development of an indicated copper porphyry deposit on these properties.
Operations Manager
BRIAN DALE
Mr. Dale began his engineering and mining career in 2006 as an engineering intern in charge of ore hauling permits with a BS in Mining Engineering from Montana Tech, and earned a position as project engineer by 2008. Working with a few different mining and engineering companies over the next decade or so, Mr. Dale gained technical and mechanical knowledge and experience in several areas from shaft fabrication, to underground development design, to blast design and scheduling, to installation and maintenance of fiber optic and Wi-Fi communication equipment. He became a licensed blaster in multiple states, as well as having been qualified for Mine Rescue in the past. Mr. Dale has officially worked with Groundhog Mining and Milling Co. since 2020, although he has worked alongside Mr. Hunt and Mr. Hunt on projects throughout his career. His son is also starting to learn the mining trade.
Office
Kaitlyn Bragg
Ms. Bragg has had a passion for rocks since she was strong enough to carry them home herself. This led to an interest of all things geological, and eventually led her to a BS in Environmental Science with an option in Geology, from The University of Montana Western. Gaining a wide range of experience from invasive and noxious plant maintenance, to building Zeedyk structures and Beaver Dam analogs, Ms. Bragg has a broad understanding of restoration and reclamation. With a few family members having worked in mining in the Butte area, she sought a new path in the geological world. Recently that has brought her to Groundhog Mining and Milling Co. where she has taken up the position of Administrative Business Assistant and is excited to learn, grow, and succeed.