Brian Gavin, President, CEO and Director
Brian Gavin, a certified professional geologist, is responsible for overall corporate strategy and coordination of the Corporation's various projects, investor relations efforts and general corporate development. Gavin has more than 28 years experience in all phases of mineral exploration, project evaluation and project management. He has worked in the field as project manager and consultant in base metal, precious metal and industrial minerals programs in the US, Mexico, Nigeria, Romania and Argentina. Gavin is responsible for grassroots gold, silver and copper discoveries in the United States and Argentina. He holds a B.Sc. (Honours) degree in Geology from the University of London and a M.S. degree in Geology and Geophysics from the University of Missouri-Rolla. From 1981 to 1993 he was a consultant with Ernest K. Lehmann & Associates Inc, a geological mining consulting firm. From 1994 to 2009 he was Vice President of Exploration of Minera Andes Inc.
George D. Tikkanen, Chairman
George Tikkanen has been active in the mining and mineral exploration industry since 1956 with more than 22 years at senior corporate and Board level, having retired in 1999 from Cominco Ltd. as Vice President of Exploration and was President of Cominco Resources International from 1987 to 1995. From 1999 on, he has continued to be available as a consultant in the mining and mineral exploration industry. He has held directorships of many companies worldwide. He brings to the Corporation more than 45 years experience in mineral exploration, mining, mine project development, public company management and in relations between mining companies and indigenous groups. His many successes include management of programs that discovered the Polaris zinc deposit in northern Canada, the Kudz Ze Kayah base metal deposit in Yukon and the Hilltop, Aqqaluk and Paalaaq zinc deposits at Red Dog in Alaska. He was intimately involved with the exploration, development and operation of the Red Dog mine; the development and operation of the Buckhorn gold mine in Nevada and the Quebrada Blanca copper mine in Chile, the operation of the Pine Point zinc mine, the Con gold mine in Canada's NWT, the Black Angel zinc mine in Greenland, the Rubiales zinc mine in Spain, the Warm Springs phosphate mine in Montana and the Magmont lead-zinc mine in Missouri.
Bonnie L. Kuhn, Vice-President, Corporate Secretary and Director
Bonnie Kuhn is a solicitor who currently practices law in the areas of natural resources, corporate commercial and securities law. Ms. Kuhn is also the Secretary of Minera Andes Inc. She received a law degree from the University of Manitoba in 1989, and has practiced law in Alberta since 1990.
Chad Houck, CFO
Chad Houck joined Franconia as Corporate Controller in early 2007. He received his Masters Degree in Business Administration from Eastern Washington University in 1992, and also has Bachelor's Degrees in Financial Management, Business Management and Accounting. In 1999, after successfully completing the requirements as a Certified Public Accountant (CPA) in the US, he worked in the Accounting Department at Sterling Savings Bank until 2005 and subsequently taught accounting at Eastern Washington University and Webster University before becoming a Senior Accountant with Providence Health Care in Spokane, Washington, where he remained until shortly before joining Franconia.
Lewis Lawrick, Director
Mr Lawrick is the President and CEO of Anaconda Mining Inc., a TSX listed exploration and development company. Mr. Lawrick is also the Managing Director of Thorsen-Fordyce Merchant Capital Inc. a private merchant bank focused on the mineral resource sector. In addition, he currently acts as director of Brionor Resouces Inc. (TSX-V), Volta Resources Inc.(TSX) and Serengeti Resources Inc. (TSX-V).