Minemax is pleased to announce the appointment of Joe Kraft to the position of General Manger – Americas.

Joe joined Minemax as a Senior Mining Engineer in January 2014, not long after the Minemax Denver office opened its doors to service customers in North and South America.

“Minemax began its entry into the US market with its first license to Newmont in 2005. As the number of Minemax users grew and more mining companies came on board in the USA and Canada, we wanted to provide locally accessible support to best equip our growing customer base in North America,” explained Jim Butler, CEO of Minemax.

Butler added: “Joe quickly became an indispensable team member. With his previous experience in strategic and operational mine planning, he has added tremendous value to our customers in North and South America, helping them get the most value from our software.”

During his time at Minemax, Joe’s attention to process, people, communications, and quality have clearly demonstrated his management capabilities. In his new role, Joe will continue to deliver even more value to Minemax customers, managing all aspects of software sales and services for the North and South American markets.

We caught up with Joe to find out what he thinks about his new role.

Minemax: Congratulations, Joe, on your new role! Please tell us a little about why you decided to join Minemax in the first place.

Joe: Thanks for that! It is definitely an honor and I’m very excited for it. My first encounter with Minemax was when I had the opportunity to use Scheduler to plan iron ore operations while in Australia. I was immediately impressed with both the professionalism of the team and the capability of the product. When I learned about the Minemax mission to deliver this technology in order to donate their commercial gains to charities which support the poor, I knew immediately this was an organization I wanted to be a part of.

Minemax: What is one priority you would like to address in your new position?

Joe: We have worked hard to develop relationships with our existing clients since opening this office, though there are still many other mine planners out there who struggle to get the job done with their existing tools. As a mine planner myself, I’ve been there and I know they don’t have time for that. I think an important priority for us is to balance a focused outreach program for Minemax technology in the Americas while maintaining our commitment to service excellence for our existing clients.

Minemax: We know that you became a dad a year ago. How do you manage to balance your busy work and family life?

Joe: It is a balance that goes day-to-day, though being a meaningful part of little Colin’s everyday life is extremely important to me. I’ve had to curb my outdoor adventures a bit, devote less time to sleep, and really plan out my time. However, even given all that, I couldn’t do it without the help and support of my amazing wife Elaine and the great team here at Minemax.

Minemax: Thanks so much, Joe. We wish you all the best in your new role.

If you’d like to contact Joe, you can reach him here.