David Anderson
General Manager

Dave has more than 30 years of experience in permitting, environmental monitoring, impact assessment, and regulatory affairs. Most recently, Dave was our Director of Environment and Permitting.  Previously,  he held the position of Director of Environment for Highland Copper’s Copperwood project and developed the project from exploration, through completion of feasibility and permitting.

Dave also brings years of legislative and government affairs experience in mining regulation and mining tax reform. He has served on numerous state, tribal and federal committees and worked with regional NGO’s in shaping conservation policy, protection of water resources and environmental remediation. Dave earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Environmental Studies from Northland College with an emphasis in policy and law.

Developing a world class gold/zinc mine takes a lot of time, but when Dave manages to squeeze in some free time, he loves to hunt and fish. Dave believes the U.P. is the best place in the world to raise a family.  Originally from Ontonagon, Michigan, Dave now calls Lake Township his home.

Dana Dziedzic  
Office Manager

Dana joined the Back Forty team as Community Coordinator in 2018.  In February of 2020, she was promoted to the role of Government-Community Relations Advisor. In October of 2021, Dana also assumed the duties of the Finance & Human Resources Manager. With the transition of the accounting and human resources departments to our corporate office, Dana now serves the company as the Office Manager for the Stephenson office.

Dana brings 15 years of experience as an educator of economics, American government, technology and world/American history. Prior to her teaching career, Dana worked in both the financial and healthcare fields. She currently serves on the Menominee County Intermediate School District Board as the Vice President.

Dana holds a Bachelor of Science degree in history from University of Wisconsin-Green Bay. Dana also earned a Master of Science degree in Educational Technology from Michigan State University.

In her free time, Dana enjoys traveling, reading, swimming, gardening, and has recently taken up pickleball. Dana grew up and has lived most of her life in Menominee County, Michigan.

Daniel Dziedzic 
Health & Safety / Security/ Facilities Director

Dan brings over 35 years of experience in emergency response, safety training, and maintenance to Back Forty.  Initially hired as our Facilities Manager, Dan’s role expanded after the completion of professional development coursework to become trained in MIOSHA regulations.  In the role of Health and Safety Director, Dan manages the development of occupational health and safety strategies, systems, and procedures to ensure they are in line with corporate and state requirements and consistent at each company location. He is also responsible for the development and implementation of health and safety best practices training sessions for all team members. Under his watch, Gold Resource Corporation-Aquila Resources USA, Inc. – Back Forty Mine has not had any reportable, or even recordable, loss time incidents. 

Dan has been a licensed Mechanical Contractor for more than 25 years  Dan also served in the United States Army’s Military Intelligence Corps for six years as an Electronic Warfare Intercept Repairer.  He has earned certifications in Firefighter Level I & II and Fire Officer Level I for the State of Michigan.

In Dan’s free time, he likes to hunt, go camping, ride motorcycle, make maple syrup, and garden.  When asked why he returned to the U.P. after serving in the military, Dan responded: “Even though there were not a lot of opportunities for work at the time, the U.P. is still a great place to raise a family.  The people who live here have a strong work ethic and will help out their community members when there is a need.  I am also not a fan of hot weather, so the U.P. is the place to be.”

Michael Foley 
Director of Environment & Infrastructure

Mike has 32 years of experience as a Civil Engineer in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan and northern Wisconsin. Over the last several years, he served as a Senior Project Manager for Coleman Engineering Company (“Coleman”), where he had been the lead contact for a number of mining, industrial, utility and municipal clients. With Coleman, Mike was instrumental in working with the mining consulting team on the Copperwood Mining Project to obtain a variety of regulatory permits for both Orvana Resources and Highland Copper.

Prior to being employed by Coleman, Mike worked on seeing numerous projects through to construction completion for local units of government and counties, as well as working as the Operations Manager for a hot mixed asphalt contractor. Mike earned a Bachelor of Science Degree in Civil Engineering, with an Environmental emphasis, from Michigan Technological University and is a licensed Professional Engineer in both Michigan and Wisconsin.

One of Mike’s passions includes field crop farming.  He raises and harvests hay, wheat, oats, and soybeans.  Mike also enjoys woodworking, metal fabricating, and like most Yoopers, hunting and fishing.

Anthony Geglio  
Environmental Superintendent

Tony is a graduate of Michigan Technological University with a Bachelor of Science degree in Geological Engineering. His education focused on groundwater engineering and the direct and remote sensing of hydrology. Tony has experience with geological and environmental studies at Highland Copper, where he participated in the exploration of multiple sites including White Pine North, 543S and Copperwood projects. Tony also has a background in hydrographic surveying and production engineering for the dredging industry.  His combination of skills are being utilized to develop an environmental monitoring program at Back Forty.  He is incorporating controlled survey techniques with direct and electronic sensing of the environment. Tony’s goal is to help Aquila Resources – Back Forty Mine exceed permit expectations in the future by having a solid understanding of our baseline conditions.

Tony loves living in the U.P. where he can take advantage of the abundance of outdoor activities like mountain biking, hiking, camping, and snowboarding.

John Dziedzic   
Environmental Field Technician

Beginning in 2010, while John was just a sophomore in high school, he began his career at Back Forty Mine.  He has been intermittently employed by Gold Resource Corporation-Aquila Resources USA, Inc. ever since.  John is the finest example of how GRC-Back Forty strives to cross train our employees, which of course gives them the opportunity to grow.  Early on, his experience taught him the importance of putting his, and our team members, safety in the forefront while performing tasks and learning new skills.

After college, John worked as a Professional Ski Instructor for Vail Resorts during the winter months and as Back Forty’s Senior Core Technician for the remainder of the year. In 2019, John made the move to our environmental department. John is currently working as an Environmental Field Technician. He is responsible for maintaining the equipment and collecting water level data throughout the project area for our water monitoring program.

John holds an Associate degree in Ski Area Management from Gogebic Community College and completed coursework in Outdoor Recreation at Northern Michigan University.  John loves the outdoors, and while he enjoys skiing, his true passions in life have become fishing and farming.

John lives on a small farm, aka “the ranch” in Lake Township near the project area. When he is not working on projects around the ranch, you can find John and his dog, Amara, dropping a line on local lakes, streams, and rivers.

Robert Mahin  
Director of Exploration

Bob has been a U.P. resident for more than 30 years.  His geology career started at Purdue University in Indiana where he earned a Bachelor of Science in Geology and a Bachelor of Arts in Technical Communications.  Bob continued his studies at the University of Utah, receiving a Master of Science degree in Geology with a focus on ore deposits. Upon graduation, Bob worked in Nevada and Utah in gold exploration.

In 1990, Bob was transferred to the Marquette area to continue gold exploration efforts. Since then, he has been based in the U.P. and has gained progressive experience from conducting  field work to managing multi-million dollar exploration programs in the pursuit of both base metals and gold.

Bob stayed in the U.P. because of the small town quality of life and access to the great outdoors. He initially worked at Back Forty in 2002 and stayed on for nine years.  Then, Bob led the exploration team for Lundin Mining’s Eagle Mine in Marquette County from 2011 to 2020.

He is excited to be back working on the Back Forty deposit.  In his free time, Bob enjoys fishing, sailing, playing music, working on his hobby farm, and completing crossword puzzles.

Julie Hoffmeyer  
Government-Community Relations Coordinator

Julie joined the Back Forty team in April of 2022 as our Government-Community Relations Coordinator.  She brings more than 20 years of experience as a business leader, owning multiple businesses.  The businesses range from humble service types to retail.  When it comes to engaging with the public, Julie has a natural gift for getting to know people.

Julie has political affiliations at both the county and state levels.  She is also connected with national officials as well.  Being involved with local politics is very enjoyable for Julie.

When Julie is not working at their Mammoth Granite business or taking care of her French bull dogs, you can find her running multiple food vendor operations at fairs through the U.P.  Julie also loves fishing in Alaska, hiking the Porcupine Mountains, and photography.