- In 2009, our team founded Calvista Gold, a Canadian public gold exploration company with assets in the California Valley of Santander, Colombia. The Project was based on a Corporate Social Responsible (“CSR”) Model and was successfully sold to Colombia Gold Mine Group, currently Minesa (owned by Mubadala), in December 2012.
- The CSR Model included organizing over 200 artisanal miners into an Association and buying their mining concessions in exchange for cash, employment opportunities, royalty payments, shares and Board representation in the public company.
- The Colombian Miners Association had a board represented by influential artisanal miners from the California Valley, and the board was instrumental in maintaining social stability and sound government relations.
- Calvista’s board and advisory included a former Canadian Federal Cabinet Minister, former Chairman of a Canadian Bank, former Colombian senator and Mayor of the Colombian City of Bucaramanga, two Canadian mining technical executives and two members of the Colombian Miners Association.
- The model assured that i) the goals of the communities in Soto Norte in Santander, Colombia were aligned with the goals of Calvista, and ii) helped significantly to obtain the necessary regulatory and environmental approvals to advance with the project.
- Gold Colombia has strong community and government relations in Colombia and its Executive Chairman is aiming to re-enter the gold market with his former team to establish a socially responsible, short term cash generating project.