Accept No Mediocrity
Chris joined JDS in 2011 as a Project Coordinator. Since that time, he has progressed through positions of increasing responsibility, including Project Manager for the JDS-managed delivery of Victoria Gold’s “Eagle Gold” mine in 2017, and Pure Gold’s “Madsen Mine” in 2019. Chris was promoted to President of JDS Construction in 2020, and now leads a division with 180+ staff managing a portfolio of mine development projects around the world.
To address the large scale of the Eagle Gold Project (the largest modern mine ever constructed in the Yukon Territory), Chris and his team facilitated a contracting strategy with Victoria Gold that maximized local and territorial involvement in the project. By value, 46% of construction contracts were awarded to Na-Cho Nyak Dun-affiliated businesses and 100% of the site development earthworks were performed by contractors based in the Territory.
“A key contributor for the success of the Eagle Gold Project was the involvement and support of the local and regional community” Chris says, “I’m proud of the level of community engagement Victoria Gold and JDS were able to achieve during project development and into operations.”
This nimble and adaptable strategy, combined with the expertise and tenacious nature of the JDS team allowed completion of the project not only on-budget, but also one-month ahead of schedule.
Victoria Gold’s President and CEO, John McConnell, describe the early completion of construction as “tremendous,” and for good reason. Less than three months later, in September 2019, the mine completed its first gold pour. JDS continues to provide management support to Victoria Gold for ongoing sustaining capital projects.
“Our refusal to accept mediocrity from ourselves set a standard on the project that was adopted by our contractors,” Chris says, adding “Our success was ultimately dependent on all project participants believing and adopting our expectation for the highest standard of service from ourselves, each other, and the industry. This standard remains in-place and true on every project we manage.”
Today, Chris and his team are working on and literally building some of the most exciting, challenging and industry-changing projects around the world. From NexGen Energy Ltd.’s “Rook I” project to the Mt. Nansen Mine Remediation project, the JDS Construction team is highly sought after for its proven leadership, skill, experience and results.
(Eagle Gold Project, Yukon)