Energy & Mining International - Spring 2011 - (Page 132)

E M I BLACK HILLS BENTONITE LLC SPRING 2011 Hilltop of Success With a history that spans more than 60 years, Black Hills Bentonite has prospered from its modest size and a strong group of experienced employees. Black Hills Bentonite serves clients in locations as far away as Japan.. drilling fluids companies and high-grade Wyoming bentonite, which has applications in well drilling and cat litter. In addition, it has a variety of environmental applications and foundry applications. Thorson’s father, Harry Thorson, cofounded the company in 1947. Thorson had been a contract miner who recovered bentonite and brought it to processing plants. When the mines chose to not continue employing Thorson, he took his reserves and built his own bentonite plant. Today, Tom Thorson says, Black Hills Bentonite has five bentonite plants and one lignite plant. In addition, the company employs approximately 100 and serves clients as far away as Japan. “I like people to do everything they can through their own initiative.” // TOM THORSON, president Black Hills Bentonite has sold portions of ownership to its customers. “It’s [unique] that we [can] divest part of our interest, but retain control,” Thorson says. The company wrote a partnership agreement that permitted it to control multiple aspects, including capital purchases and employees. TAKING OWNERSHIP [ BY ALAN DORICH ] Some firms aim to be the largest in their industry, but Black Hills Bentonite LLC has found success with a modest size, President Tom Thorson says. “We’ve been able to make decisions PROFILE without having to go through a large company’s bureaucracy,” he says, adding that this allows it to efficiently “take advantage of situations.” Based in Mills, Wyo., the company manufactures lignite products for Black Hills Bentonite LLC. www.bhbentonite.com | 2009 sales: $40 million+ Headquarters: Mills, Wyo. | Specialty: Bentonite and lignite | Employees: Approx. 100 Thorson joined his father’s firm 50 years ago and enjoys leading its staff. “I have a lot of good people who work for me,” he says. “I like people to do everything they can through their own initiative.” He nurtures this trait among his staff. “They take ownership over what they’re doing [when] their ideas are given a lot of credence,” he says. “They don’t [need] as much supervision that way.” 132 emi-magazine.com http://www.emi-magazine.com

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Energy & Mining International - Spring 2011

Energy & Mining International - Spring 2011
Contents
Clean Fuel
Satellites Are Key
Good Vibrations
News
Latin America Focus
Minera Andres
Ventana Gold Corp.
Zincore Metals
AQM Copper Inc.
Canada Focus
Jacobs Engineering Group Inc.
Fladgate Exploration Consulting Corp.
Aurizon Mines
JV Driver
Alderon Resource Corp.
Detour Gold Corp.
Prairie Machine & Parts
Pumps & Pressure Inc.
Yukon-Nevada Gold Corp.
Explor Resources Inc.
Trelawney Mining and Exploration Inc.
Advantage Valve Maintenance Ltd.
Silverman Oilfield Services
Rhino Resource Partners LP – Hopedale Mining LLC
Kimble Cos. Inc.
McVay Drilling Co.
MaXfield Inc.
Ellicott Dredges
Scientific Drilling
Becker/SMC Corp.
GasSearch Drilling Services
Crossrock Inc.
Frontier Services Inc.
Fulcrum BioEnergy Inc.
Summit Midstream Partners
Black Hills Bentonite LLC
Energy Companies
The Final Shot

Energy & Mining International - Spring 2011

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