Profiles in Mining: Travis Guhrt g
Proud to be called a miner
ence running a crew, he put me in the working foreman posi- tion. When it comes to the management of people and resources, Mike has provided a lot of guidance to me.” He encourages young people to approach mining as a ca- reer and a responsibility. ɭ/ZYɪ_RP_TYL]`^S_ZOZLYd_STYR8T^_LVP^L]PXZ]PWTVPWd _ZMPXLOPbSPY^SZ]_N`_^L]P_LVPY4ɪaPWPL]YPOSZbTX[Z]_ - ant good planning and clear communication is. At the end of the day, I want to make it back home to my family and I know that goes the same for the family and friends I work alongside too. “There have been some great opportunities for me at UCM. 4Y "_SPO]LRWTYP_`M]P[WLNPXPY_[]ZUPN_bL^MdQL]ZYPZQ the biggest challenges I have faced. We had our work cut out for `^_SL_^`XXP]1]ZXWZbP]TYR_SP QZZ_MZZX_ZL^^PX - bling and replacing the tub to dissembling and reassembling the swing machinery. The “Ace-in-the-Hole” dragline is the larg- P^_WLYOXZMTWPXLNSTYPTY,WL^VLLYOT_ɪ^^`NSLMTR[L]_Z`] mining operations. So the job needed to be done right and on time. It was a massive job and a great experience.” 3Pɪ^[]Z`OZQ_SPWTQPXTYTYRSL^XLOP[Z^^TMWP “My family and I have a comfortable lifestyle, thanks to the incredible opportunities that come with working for the industry. I really enjoy working for the Usibelli family. They are generous and really care about their employees and their families. You can see that in things like the annual Christ- mas party, and the way they encourage employees to be- come involved in community activities. Every day on the job ZʬP]^^ZXP_STYROTʬP]PY_4]PLWWdWTVP_SPaL]TP_dZQbZ]V Honestly, I never really know what the day will hold for me when I roll through the gate at the mine.” 3Pɪ^LOLXLY__SL_XTYP]^YPPO_ZMP[]ZLN_TaPTYPO`NL_ - ing the public. “We need to tell our story to the public. We need to talk about the clean coal technologies that the power plants are using, and SZbT_ɪ^U`^_S`RPWd]PO`NPOPXT^^TZY^BPVYZb_SL_bPNLY `^PNZLWLYO[]Z_PN__SPPYaT]ZYXPY_4_ɪ^YZ_WTVPdZ`SLaP_Z NSZZ^PPT_SP]ZYPZ]_SPZ_SP]BPɪaPMPPYXTYTYRTY3PLWdQZ] XZ]P_SLY" dPL]^LYObPɪaP_LVPY LN]P^ZQXTYPOWLYO^ LYO_`]YPOT_MLNVTY_ZYL_`]LWSLMT_L_4_ɪ^L]PLWWdR]PL__]LNV record, and it makes me proud to be a coal miner.” He respects the role AMA plays in advocating for miners. “I appreciate all of the incredible work Deantha and her team do to make sure that we can have mining jobs in Alaska. ?ST^T^LRZZObLdZQWTQPLYO4SZ[PT_ɪ^^_TWWSP]PbSPYZ`] children and grandchildren grow up.” His family also celebrates the Alaska lifestyle. ɭ8dbTQPLYO4SLaP_S]PPVTO^LRP^ LYO !_SL_ keep us busy. Sometimes the “honey-do-list” can get in the bLdM`_bPLWbLd^ʭYOLbLd_ZSLaPQ`YBPPYUZdRP_ - _TYRZ`_OZZ]^L^X`NSL^[Z^^TMWPBPWTVPS`Y_TYRʭ^STYR SZNVPdLYO^YZbXLNSTYTYR_ZYLXPLQPb?SP]Pɪ^XZ]P to life than being tethered to technology — although mining does play a tremendous role in the production of PlaySta- tions, smartphones and motorcycles!” 3PLW^Z]P[PL_^_SPXP^^LRP_SL_PaP]dXTYP]VYZb% “Shout out to the team of miners I work with every day at Usibelli — stay safe!”
SPECIAL TO THE ALASKA MINER ɭ4ɪaPMPPYbT_S@^TMPWWT.ZLW8TYP@.8QZ]ZaP] !dPL]^ɮ Travis said. “Currently, I work in the maintenance side of operations. We handle everything from dragline boom weld- ing to repairing and remodeling restrooms and locker rooms to working on engine and equipment rebuilds. If something YPPO^_ZMPʭcPOZ`]XLTY_PYLYNP_PLX_LVP^T_ZY “Our biggest priority is making sure the production crews have what they need to haul coal. Outside of UCM, I spend sev- eral hours each day with students at Tri-Valley School teaching the welding and small engines class. It will be neat if one day, I RP__ZbZ]VLWZYR^TOP^ZXPZQ_SP^_`OPY_^4ɪaP_L`RS_ɮ It was almost a given that Travis would consider a career at Usibelli. “I was born and raised in Healy, Alaska, and graduated Q]ZX ?]TALWWPd >NSZZW TY ,Q_P] STRS ^NSZZW 4 NZX - [WP_PO_SPNZXMTYL_TZYbPWOTYRNP]_TʭNL_TZYNZ`]^P_S]Z`RS _SP,WL^VLAZNL_TZYLW?PNSYTNLW.PY_P],A?0.TY>PbL]Oɮ He continues a family legacy at the mine. “As of right now, nobody in the family works in mining. 3ZbPaP]XdOLOɪ^`YNWPbL^_SPʭ]^__ZbZ]VL_@.8TYXd family. My dad relocated from Montana to Healy and was LYP\`T[XPY_Z[P]L_Z]SP]PMPQZ]PSP]P_T]POLQ_P] dPL]^ “I guess that makes me a 3rd generation coal miner. My bTQPɪ^^TOPZQ_SPQLXTWd_SP6TWWTLYɪ^LW^ZSLaPLWZYRST^_Z]d L__SPXTYP=LYOdLYOATN6TWWTLYSLaPbZ]VPOLNZXMTYPO #[W`^dPL]^L_@.8?SL_ɪ^ZYPZQ_SP_STYR^_SL_XLVP^ working at UCM so unique — they encourage and support X`W_TRPYP]L_TZYLWQLXTWTP^bZ]VTYR_SP]P8d !dPL]ZWO son, Dylan, is currently a sophomore at Tri-Valley School and has expressed interest in also working at the mine after he graduates from high school and tech school.” Growing up near UCM helped him understand its important. “Healy is a small town, and you learn from an early age how important the mine is for our community. I think that many of us that were raised here believed we would work for the mine at some point in our lives. UCM provides good-paying jobs and NZXX`YT_d^`[[Z]_4ɪX[]Z`O_ZMPL[L]_ZQLNZX[LYd_SL_ believes in giving back. “What has surprised me the most is hearing people speak negatively about the industry, but in particular, coal mining. UCM takes great pride in its people, the land, and the environ- XPY_ BP bZ]V SL]O _Z PY^`]P L ]PWTLMWP LYO LʬZ]OLMWP Q`PW source for the Interior, and we do so safely and responsibly. We asked him who were his mentors in the industry. “There are too many to list but the three individuals that have probably had the most impact on me and my career at UCM L]P%?TX.ZaPWWBSPY4bL^ST]PO?TXbL^LbPWOP]XPNSLYTN and he was extremely good at his job. He never took shortcuts, LYOST^bZ]V]PʮPN_PO_SL_ “Dave Sawatzky. At some point, I was running shovels on _SP[]ZO`N_TZYN]Pb/LaPbL^LOZeP]Z[P]L_Z]BPʭ]^_^_L]_PO working together when UCM began building the road to Jumbo Dome. Dave had more pit savvy than anyone I had worked with; to say I learned a lot from him would be an understatement. “Mike Talerico. Mike took a chance on me when I transi- tioned back into maintenance. Even though I had zero experi-
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July 2020
The Alaska Miner
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