Mike Kotraba General Manager - DynoConsult
With a master’s degree in Economic Geology from the University of Nevada-Reno and over 30 years of progressive management experience in technical and operational roles, Mike brings a long list of accomplishments to the table. Past positions and accomplishments include:
- General Manager/Mill Manager, Operations Manager, and Mine Manager at Grupo Mexico’s
Asarco Ray Mine (surface copper operation).
- Operations Manager, U.S. Gold Operation
- Quarry Manager, U.S. Limestone Operation
- General Manager, U.S. Silica Mining Operation
- Operations Superintendent/Mill Manager, U.S. Phosphate Mining Operation
- Production Superintendent, U.S. Gold/Silver Mining Operation
As Project Manager for Dyno’s Drill to Mill efforts, Mike brings a high level of competence and understanding across the entire Drill to Mill value chain and will be responsible for coordinating Dyno Nobel efforts as well as collaborating with the numerous stakeholders involved in any Drill to Mill project.
Nicole Beeman Business Analyst – Corp. Accounts & Technical Services
Nicole earned a degree in Audio Engineering from the Conservatory of Recording Arts and Sciences. She has been working in the mining industry for 7 years and joined Dyno Nobel in 2013 as a recruiter for North America. In 2015, she joined DynoConsult as an Analyst. Since then, she’s helped maintain tracking for all DynoConsult projects, provided analysis for the group, as well as supported various corporate functions for the team. She manages DynoConsult data and corporate analytics.
Bethany Witter Field Consultant
Bethany earned a BS in Mining Engineering with a minor in Green Engineering from Virginia Tech in 2019. She has been a Field Consultant with DynoConsult since graduation. Bethany has worked on vibration prediction and analysis, drone videography, underground stope analysis and fragmentation analysis. She has also administered software and equipment training sessions. Daily tasks include 3D face profiling, boretraking for hole deviation, drone services, blast designs and additional tech support.
Bryant Jackson Field Consultant
Bryant earned a BS in Mechanical Engineering Technology with from Indiana State University in 2020. He has been a Field Consultant with Dyno Nobel since December of 2020. Current tasks include 3D face profiling, cast analysis, blast design, and additional technical support. Bryant has experience in Carlson AutoCAD, Dyno42, and WinprofX.
Joe Nawrocki Manager, Northeast United States
Joe has worked in the explosives industry for 46 years. In addition to his expertise in blast design and execution, Joe’s expertise include site management, drill and blast team management, product deployment, training, auditing, risk assessment, flyrock and misfire investigation and procedure implementation.
Matthew Cottrell-Cumber Field Consultant
Matthew earned his BS in mining engineering with a minor in Green Engineering from Virginia Tech in 2018. He has been a field consultant with DynoConsult since graduation. He has worked on vibration control, blast optimization, blast planning, and fragmentation analysis. Daily tasks include 3D profiling, boretraking, shot layouts, drone services, and other technical support for blasters.
Miguel Valenzuela Senior Consultant
Miguel earned his BSc. Mining Engineering in 2013 from University of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT. He has 6.5 years mining experience: 4 years in Mine Engineering and Planning and 2.5 years in Drill and Blast. Miguel has worked in open-pit gold, copper and iron (magnetite) as well as surface coal mines. He has a focus on use of advanced tools & technology in mining systems to improve competitiveness of operation. Currently, he is working on projects involving the use of electronic detonators in blasts to increase loader productivity & reduce vibration for highwall stability. Miguel also is a certified UAS Pilot and uses drones for blast videography and 3D photogrammetry for blast optimization.
Nathan Rouse Principal Consultant
Nathan Rouse earned his BS in Mining Engineering (‘09), MS in Explosives Engineering (’10), and PhD in Mining and Explosives Engineering (’15) from the University of Missouri-Rolla/Missouri S&T. He is a licensed blaster and a Professional Engineer. Dr. Rouse has over 12 years of global experience in the mining and blasting industry with expertise in blast instrumentation and root cause analysis, optimization and auditing in surface and underground mines, vibration control, training, and expert witness work. Prior to joining Dyno Nobel, Dr. Rouse managed the explosives engineering team at Respec.
Nathaniel Schaefer Field Consultant
Nate earned his BSc (2016) and PhD (2020) in Mining Engineering from the University of Kentucky. He has been a Field Consultant with Dyno Nobel since October of 2020. Current tasks include 3D face profiling, boretraking, drone analysis, timing analysis, cast analysis, and blast design. Experience in Carlson AutoCAD, Dyno42, Quarry 6, Strayos, ViewShot3D, and Alpha-Blast.
Paul Kuznik DynoConsult Manager – Eastern Canada
Paul studied in Construction Engineering at ETS University in Montreal, Quebec, Canada (2003). He then worked in an engineering firm related to quality control of materials such as soils, concrete and asphalt. After a year in project management, Paul managed a department specializing in preventive structure inspection, movement control as well as vibration and noise monitoring. Paul’s has also worked on projects involving excavation, blasting, pile driving, dynamic soil compaction demolition and other operations of construction as well as being called as expert witness for court cases. In 2014, he joined DynoConsult as a Field Engineer. Currently, he supports operations teams in product application and best practices, prepares numerous trainings, site measurements, safety audits, optimization of blasting in various sites spanning from construction work, through quarries to mines. He prepares blast designs in complex areas yielding safe and profitable results.
Scott Giltner Principal Consultant
Scott has earned his PhD in Mining Engineering from the University of the Witwatersrand in South Africa. He also received a Master of Science degree and Bachelor of Science degree in Mining Engineering from the University of Missouri - Rolla. Scott also became certified as a Project Management Professional from the Project Management Institute. He has over 35 years of experience in mining and blasting. Scott has worked in several countries including South Africa, Zimbabwe, Russia, Peru, Australia, Dominican Republic, and Canada. His specialty area is blast optimization and instrumentation used for blast monitoring and quantifying blasting results. Scott’s current responsibilities include developing, managing and implementing projects focused on delivering value-creating process solutions to the quarrying, mining and construction industries.
Tristan Worsey Principal Consultant
He has over 10 years of experience in performing explosives and mining engineering work. He holds a B.S. in Mining Engineering and a M.S. in Explosives Engineering from the University of Missouri Rolla. Tristan is currently a licensed blaster in the state of Kentucky and Missouri as well as a licensed professional engineer in the state of Kentucky. His expertise includes drill and blast optimization for surface and underground mines, blasting next to failures, fragmentation optimization, equipment rescue, collapse blasting, vibration and airblast monitoring, explosives safety audits, explosive storage design, proximity blasting, blaster training, and post-blast investigations.
Willard Pierce Director of Blasting Excellence
Willard holds a Bachelor of Science and Reclamation from The University of Wisconsin, Platteville. Over 40 years in the mining industry. Regulated blasting and explosives in multiple states. Expert witness in legal proceedings. Developed and implemented blaster training and certification programs and conducted blasting research at the US Bureau of Mines. Sales and Operational experience in the United States and Canada, including customer service, delivery, blasting services, and explosives manufacturing sites. Realignment of the competency-based Operator Training System to the safety standards of Dyno Nobel. Blasting Excellence through the assessment, mentoring, and coaching of blasters and site managers to Dyno Nobel's world-class blasting standards. Management of explosives and blasting Application Technology engineers across the America's. Provide transitional leadership to enhance a culture of process driven by safety, productivity, and teamwork.
Xavier Beneteau Field Consultant, Eastern Canada
Xavier earned his BEng in Mining Engineering with a specialization in Co-op during the 2021 school year. He gained hands on mining experience, in 2018, with Alamos Gold – Island Gold as an underground student, for 4 months. Here he gained knowledge of the physical practice of underground mining, but mainly focused on longhole blasting as well as cable bolting. After returning to his studies for 2 semesters, he then worked at Impala Canada – Lac des Iles mine as an Engineering Co-op Student, for 16 months. Working within the Technical Services department, Xavier acquired a vast toolbox of skills related to the engineering aspect of mining. Being an eager individual, he gained experience in underground surveying, ventilation, development, and more. In addition to this, making his passion of blasting known, Xavier often created drill/blast plans whenever tasked or just to fill time.
Thomas Bamford Field Consultant - Eastern Canada
Thomas earned his BASc (2015) and PhD (2021) in Mineral Engineering from the University of Toronto. He has been a Field Consultant with DynoConsult since 2021. Thomas has over 5 years of mining research experience in blast monitoring, AI, and robotics. His areas of expertise include fragmentation analysis, aerial surveying for blast monitoring and analysis, and teaching.
