Welcome To Ucore Rare Metals HUB On AGORACOM
Our specific objective is the discovery and exploration of properties with the potential to yield economic, world class deposits of technology and specialty metals, including rare earth elements, uranium, and associated collateral byproducts.
James McKenzie, B. Comm. Finance
President & CEO; Chairman
Mr. McKenzie is an entrepreneur with over 25 years experience managing, owning and operating companies within the Canadian private and public equity sectors. From 2002 until 2006, he was the President and principal shareholder of Worldmax Inc., Canada's largest independent partner of MTS Allstream Corp. Between 1999 and 2002 he variously served as Vice President, President and CEO of a wholly owned subsidiary of AT&T Canada and US-based AT&T Corp, helming a voice and data network spanning from Vancouver to Halifax. From 1988 until 1999, he was the President and sole shareholder of Mediapro Inc, a voice and data enterprise with offices in major centres Canada-wide, until the company was bought by AT&T Canada in early 2000. Between 1992 and 1998, he was a director of Tagcom Canada Inc, an interconnect provisioner operating across western Canada. He has spearheaded multiple business and technical initiatives for major organizations such as the Dept. of National Defense (DND/MARCOM), Lucent Canada, BCE and AT&T Global Solutions. Mr. McKenzie served as Chair of the 2008 Canadian Uranium Symposium under the direction of The Canadian Institute. He holds a Bachelor of Commerce degree from Dalhousie University in Halifax.
Peter Manuel
VP, CFO, Corporate Secretary
Mr. Manuel is a Chartered Accountant with more than 17 years experience providing consulting services to companies in a range of sectors, with a focus on the financial services and resource sectors. He joins Ucore having spent the last 10 years in England and The Republic of Ireland providing assurance, strategic planning, corporate finance and other consulting services to a portfolio of both public and private entities including licensed banks, proprietary trading operations, and international corporate treasuries.
Harmen J. Keyser, P.Geol.
Position: Vice President Project Development
Mr. Keyser is a geologist with 25 years of experience in mineral exploration in 20 countries working with various majors, juniors, and as an independent consultant. He was involved in the discovery of the San Martin gold mine in Honduras, the Cerro Blanco gold deposit in Guatemala, and the Skukum Creek gold-silver deposit in Yukon. He previously worked for AGIP Canada Ltd. exploring for uranium deposits in Saskatchewan; has worked as an independent consultant on uranium exploration in Yukon, Manitoba, Nevada, Utah, Tanzania, Algeria, and Egypt; and also has experience in epithermal gold, volcanogenic massive sulfide, and porphyry copper-gold exploration. He is a director of Radius Gold Inc., Northland Resources Inc., and Sound Energy Inc. He obtained a Bachelor of Science degree in geology from Saint Mary’s University in 1981, is a member of the Northwest Territories Association of Professional Engineers, Geologists and Geophysicists, and is a “Qualified Person” in accordance with National Instrument 43-101.
Nick T. Vermeulen, MSc. Geo., MBA
Position: Vice President of Corporate Development
Mr. Vermeulen is a successful businessman and entrepreneur, with over 20 years of business experience. In the late ‘80’s and early ‘90’s Mr. Vermeulen ran an international sales and marketing team for International Computers Ltd, a Fujitsu IT subsidiary, from a European base. He successfully sold database machine technology to become part of IBM & Oracle ‘s core business in a $80M deal. In 1994 Mr. Vermeulen moved to western Canada and played an instrumental business development role in a number of high-tech start-ups, latterly in the high tech security market until 2002. For the past 5 years Mr. Vermeulen has been involved as a managing partner in successful “niche market-focused” real estate development projects. Mr. Vermeulen holds a Master of Science degree in Structural Geology with a minor in Business Administration from University of Utrecht, Netherlands. Mr. Vermeulen’s unique combination of geological background combined with his array of business experience allows him to effectively bridge the technical – business aspects of the exploration business.
Jaroslav Dostal, Ph.D., P.Geo
Position: Director
Dr. Dostal is Professor Emeritus of Geology at Saint Mary’s University in Halifax. He has over 35 years experience in geology, ore deposit studies, and geochemistry. He has published more than 250 scientific papers, and is a widely acknowledged expert on uranium mineralization in granitoids and volcanic rocks and mobility of uranium in metamorphic and volcanic rocks. He is the recipient of the 2005 Career Achievement Award of the Volcanology and Igneous Petrology Division of the Geological Association of Canada and the 2007 Gesner Medal for Distinguished Scientist of the Atlantic Geoscience Society. He is also Honorary Professor of Mongolian University of Science and Technology in Ulaanbaatar.
Jos De Smedt
Position: Director
Mr. Reid has in excess of 30 years experience in exploration and mining geology, spanning a variety of Canadian geological terrain, from Newfoundland to Northern B.C. and Alaska. His positions have included Exploration Manager for St. Andrew Goldfields, Canadian Exploration Manager for Echo Bay Mines, as well as District Manager for Noranda Exploration and Hemlo Gold Mines Inc. Mr. Reid was instrumental in the discovery of the Brewery Creek Gold Deposit in the Yukon Territory and the Boundary Massive Sulphide Deposit / Duck Pond Mine in Central Newfoundland. His experience includes uranium exploration experience in Saskatchewan’s Athabaskan region, as well as in Newfoundland & Labrador. Mr. Reid holds a BSc. in Geology from Memorial University in Newfoundland and has a Professional Geologist designation from the Association of Professional Geologists of Ontario.
Anthony Mariano, Ph.D.
Position: Advisory Board Member
Anthony Mariano, Ph.D. is a recognized authority on rare earth element (REE) mineralogy and deposits at a world level. Dr. Mariano has nearly 50 years experience as a consultant, exploration geologist, senior earth scientist and adjunct professor. His rare earth – related field experience extends to 52 countries in North and South America, Europe, Asia, Africa, and Australia. Dr. Mariano was instrumental in the original delineation of rare earth minerals at one of the world’s largest rare earth deposits at Mt. Weld, Australia. He originally examined the Alaska-based Bokan-Dotson Ridge rare earth deposit in 1988 and has significant knowledge of the rare earth mineralization at that location