Management Profiles

BOARD OF DIRECTORS

Edward E. Winders is a professional with over 35 years of high level executive management experience. Dr. Winders, who holds a Ph.D., has substantial experience as a Board member and as a senior executive with for-profit firms over his long and distinguished career. In those roles, Dr. Winders was instrumental in developing and implementing strategies and plans for companies facing serious financial challenges, turning them into successful operations. He has played major roles in administrative, planning, financial and business development.

Most recently, Dr. Winders was President and CEO of Transnational Public Policy Advisors (TPPA), an international development firm that provided consultancy and training in 15 countries throughout the world focusing on leadership development, coalition building, civil society development and microenterprise and small business initiatives. In June of last year, he merged TPPA with Voices for Global Change, a 501(c)(3) not-for-profit organization that specializes in micro-enterprise development and institution and capacity building in transitional countries in Africa and Asia and was named Chair of that organization.

In 1992, Dr. Winders became Chair of John J. Kassner & Company, Inc. and subsequently served as Chair Emeritus of Liro-Kassner until 2002, after the firms had been merged in 1997. As Chair Emeritus, Dr. Winders rendered advice and counsel to executive management of this 300-person engineering/architectural firm, focusing on long-range strategic planning and development, organizational effectiveness, client relations, and marketing programs.

Prior to the merger, Dr. Winders, as Chair of Kassner, supervised operational activities for this multi-discipline professional organization in concert with the President, concentrating on such areas as engineering, administration, marketing, personnel management and affirmative action. He also developed programs that placed increased emphasis on quality assurance, cost control and employee productivity, ensuring that the company work product was consistently of the highest quality and delivered on time and within budget.

From 1976 to 1992, Dr. Winders served as Vice President for the NH Bettigole Company. In 1989, the Bettigole firm was purchased by Thermo Electron, a Fortune 500 Company and merged with Andrews & Clarke, another metropolitan New York engineering firm. Dr. Winders was promoted to Corporate Senior Vice President and served as a member of the Executive Committee of this new 200-person engineering organization, which planned, formulated and implemented company-wide policies and programs. Prior to the merger, Dr. Winders worked closely with the President in co-managing the Bettigole Company, a 100-person civil and structural engineering firm.

From 1974-1975, Dr. Winders served as Assistant to the President of Associated Industries of New York State, Inc., which was subsequently re-named the New York State Business Council. Dr. Winders was second-in-command of this 3,000-member, leading statewide business organization, which represented such major firms as General Electric, Xerox, IBM, Kodak and Bausch and Lomb. He oversaw and directed the governmental affairs, safety and health and public relations departments, revamped the Association's legislative monitoring procedures, redeveloped and enhanced the quality of the public relations program, and personally analyzed legislation and appeared before State Legislative Committees to promote the business community's point of view.

In these various positions, plus high-level positions in state and local government in his home state of New York, Dr. Winders developed policies and procedures that optimized employee participation, strengthened performance and morale, measured and evaluated productivity, and improved the quality of work with the end result of more effectively achieving and strengthening an organization's cohesiveness and outputs and goals.

C. Wayne Hartle is presently the Secretary of the Company. He owns and operates Wayne's Service Center, an automobile repair and service business in Salt Lake City, Utah. In addition, he was Chief Operations Officer for Energy and Corrosion Research Company of Utah from 1979 to 1981. Mr. Hartle was educated in Salt Lake City, Utah school system. He received a degree in Management and Accounting from Henagers Business College in Salt Lake City, Utah in 1958. He pursued advance studies in Engine Transmission Technology.

Dr. Stephen R. Brown is a Principal Scientist at New England Research (NER) (1997-present) and a Visiting Scientist in the Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) (2009-present). He was formerly a Senior Scientist at Applied Research Associates (1996-1997), a Member of the Technical Staff at Sandia National Laboratories (1987-1996), a Member of the Professional Staff at Schlumberger-Doll Research (1985-1987), and a post-doctoral fellow at Los Alamos National Laboratory (1984-1985). He was an Adjunct Assistant Professor at Dartmouth College, Hanover, New Hampshire (2000-2006). He is currently an Adjunct Associate Professor of Geology and Geophysics at the University of Utah (1987-present). His former professional involvements include being a member of the NAS/NRC Committee on Fracture Characterization and Fluid Flow and a member of the board of directors of the American Rock Mechanics Association.

Dr. Brown's primary scientific interests are the physical properties of fractured and otherwise heterogeneous rock and the application of geophysical methods to mining, energy, and environmental problems. His work combines field geologic and geophysical studies and mapping, experimental geophysics in the laboratory, computer modeling, and theoretical work. Field work has involved various fracture and fault mapping projects where the results have been placed in the context of theoretical models. In the course of this work, he has also invented, designed, and built unique laboratory and field apparatuses for measurement of physical processes; and has successfully designed, written, and used accompanying specialty software for data acquisition and analysis. Specific technical skills applied in these projects are manufacturing and prototyping using machining, metalwork, and casting, analog and digital electronics design and assembly, integration of micro-controllers into instrumentation, ELF and VLF radio receiver and antenna design and construction, radio remote control of instrumentation and data logging, laser imaging and ranging equipment design, assembly, and use, time series analysis, image analysis and processing, and numerical modeling of elastic, electrical, and fluid transport processes. He has published more than 40 peer-reviewed research articles in technical journals. 

Dr. Brown graduated from the University of Utah with a Bachelor of Science degree in Geology. He was subsequently awarded a Master of Arts in Geology, a Master of Philosophy in Geology, and a Ph.D. in Geology from Columbia University.

David A Gillespie has a proven record of success in leadership and management positions for business in a variety of sectors including renewable energy, electric utility and merchant power generation. Since 2006, Mr. Gillespie has held the position of president and chief executive officer for DAG Associates, LLC, a specialty consulting firm providing strategic advisory services and contract negotiation support to utility and public sector clients. From 2006 to 2009, Mr. Gillespie also served as president and chief executive officer of New Generation Biofuels Holdings, Inc., an early- stage enterprise formed to commercialize a proprietary technology for the manufacture of vegetable oil- based renewable fuel. In this role, Mr. Gillespie originated and closed multiple common and convertible preferred stock offerings on favorable terms; originated and closed product test and sales agreements with major IPPs, industrials and utilities; and developed, permitted and placed into service first commercial scale 5MM gallon per year biofuel production facility.

From 2001 to 2006 Mr. Gillespie served as a Vice President—Business Development and Asset Management of Duke Energy Corporation, a Fortune 500 energy company with business units that include regulated gas pipeline and electric utilities, natural gas liquids processing, and domestic and international merchant energy. In such capacity Mr. Gillespie developed and led all aspect of Duke Energy North America's 8000 megawatt $3 billion generation business in the western United States and in Canada. From 1998 to 2001 he served as a Senior Director—Asset Management of Duke Energy, during which he provided overall leadership for the company's merchant power projects in Connecticut and Maine. Prior to joining Duke Energy, from 1982 to 1998 Mr. Gillespie served in various capacities with The United Illuminating Company, an electric utility with annual revenues of approximately $350 million located in Connecticut.  Since June 2006, Mr. Gillespie has been a principal of DAG Associates, LLC, a provider of management consulting services in the area of commercial negotiations and corporate strategy.  Mr. Gillespie received his MBA from the Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, Hartford, Connecticut, and his BSME from the Worcester Polytechnic Institute, Worcester, Massachusetts.

Ernest H. Kuhn has significant experience in accounting and financial oversight positions, including accountant, controller, finance manager, chief accounting officer and chief financial officer, for a variety of companies and organizations. From 2007 to the present, Mr. Kuhn has served as chief financial officer Tilley Exploration and Development Co. of Bountiful, Utah where he has performed all accounting, tax, legal, cash management and other administrative functions; implemented internal controls relative to a small business; produced timely, accurate and relevant reports for management, clients and other third parties; and researched operations and procedures of the mining industry. From 2006 to 2007, Mr. Kuhn was the controller for NAI Utah Commercial Real Estate Services were his responsibilities included creating standard operating procedures and training staff; supervising accounting staff and reporting to clients; overseeing management of client funds; and establishing and monitoring internal controls.

From 1981 to 2006, Mr. Kuhn served in a variety of positions, including finance manager, data processing manager, and chief accounting officer for Property Reserve Inc., the real estate arm of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. As finance manager his responsibilities included organizing accounting operations independent of the Church; project accounting for capital projects from planning to finish; creating policies and procedures in conformity with GAAP; monitoring compliance; overseeing corporate accounting and staff in conformity with Sarbanes-Oxley; assuring accuracy, punctuality and presentation of data based on GAAP principles; measuring performance of portfolios and properties; administering treasury services functions; and internal auditing of fee managed properties and business operations. Prior to 1981, Mr. Kuhn's positions included finance manager for the Southern California Gas Company and staff accountant for Arthur Andersen and Company. Mr. Kuhn is a graduate of Brigham Young University where he earned a Bachelor of Science in Accounting and a Bachelor of Science in Mathematics.

OFFICERS

Mark A. Lopez serves as Chief Executive Officer of the Company. Unico originally retained him in February 2004 to serve as special interim consultant to the company with a focus on providing guidance to management. During his tenure with the company, Mr. Lopez has worked closely with Ray Brown on the company's strategic planning, operations and key developments. Mr. Lopez was instrumental in Unico's election to become a Business Development Company and to solidify its long-term growth potential. Mr. Lopez brings 17 years of extensive corporate management, banking and financial expertise to the position. He is vice president of investments for Ashton Capital Management Inc., a full-service securities broker dealer and is licensed as an independent registered investment adviser by the California Department of Corporations. Mr. Lopez currently holds several securities licenses including series 7, 24, 63 and 65. Prior to Ashton, he served as general securities principal for American Pacific Securities Inc., a registered broker dealer and was a co-manager of KM Income Properties LLC, a real estate investment company. Mr. Lopez also attended California State University, Fullerton, where he majored in business administration with concentrations in finance.

C. Wayne Hartle is presently the Secretary of the Company. He owns and operates Wayne's Service Center, an automobile repair and service business in Salt Lake City, Utah. In addition, he was Chief Operations Officer for Energy and Corrosion Research Company of Utah from 1979 to 1981. Mr. Hartle was educated in Salt Lake City, Utah school system. He received a degree in Management and Accounting from Henagers Business College in Salt Lake City, Utah in 1958. He pursued advance studies in Engine Transmission Technology.

Kenneth C. Wiedrich has a substantial working knowledge of Unico's internal accounting procedures, having provided ongoing consulting services to the company since 2004. Mr. Wiedrich also had an ongoing working relationship with Unico's independent auditing firm, HJ Associates & Consultants, LLP, having assisted with the filing of the company's quarterly and year-end reports during that same period. Mr. Wiedrich has over 38 years experience in operational accounting and finance functions in a variety of businesses within the service, construction and manufacturing industries. From November 2003 to April 2007, Mr. Wiedrich served as controller of Javelin Advisory Group responsible for client accounting, and in this capacity served as chief financial officer and secretary of three publicly traded client companies. Prior to November 2003, Mr. Wiedrich served as an independent insurance inspector for approximately five years, providing personal lines loss-control inspections for several inspection service companies.

CHIEF GEOLOGIST

Alex Scarbrough possesses thirty-three years of experience in the minerals exploration industry and a broad academic background in geology, as senior geologist for the company's wholly owned subsidiary, Deer Trail Mining Company LLC. Included in Mr. Scarbrough's experience was his role as senior geologist for Behre Dolbear and Company (USA), Inc., which was contracted to provide geological services at the Deer Trail Mine in Marysvale, Utah. Mr. Scarbrough was assigned by Behre Dolbear to conduct and supervise the logging and splitting work on core samples taken from the underground diamond core drilling program conducted at the Deer Trail Mine in 2005. For the Deer Trail Mine project, Mr. Scarbrough evaluated 7,235 feet of underground core from 13 holes drilled in carbonate-hosted manto-type polymetallic mine for their base and precious metal potential. His primary duties on the project included detailed geologic and geotechnical logging of lithologies and alteration present in core, the splitting and assaying of sporadic major and extensive minor mineralization, and the subsequent determination of gross and detailed composite assay intervals and their respective weight-averaged grades. Most recently, Mr. Scarbrough served as president of Rush Creek Mining Company in Centennial, Colorado. He was engaged by Inspiration Mining Corporation to consult on advanced-stage drilling of nickeliferous Komatiite-hosted deposit occurring in Achaean greenstone belt in east-central Ontario. In this role, Mr. Scarbrough continued work begun in 2006 with Behre Dolbear and Company, Inc. on manto-type polymetallic deposit. He completed the evaluation of drill core and wrote a comprehensive report on relationship between stratigraphy and mineralization to be used by client in assessing potential for future exploration and development at mine. As an independent consultant from 2003-2005, Mr. Scarbrough conducted work on behalf of the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) and involved research and compilation of undeveloped and developed metallic and non-metallic mineral resources, existing mineral extraction operations, and projected mineral development in Grand and San Juan Counties, Utah. From 1997 to 2001, Mr. Scarbrough worked as a geologic contractor for the Colorado Geological Survey, identifying, assessing, and inventorying all metallic, non-metallic, and industrial minerals/construction materials as well as coal resources on over 4 million acres of state-owned lands. As an independent contractor, he also worked to identify and pursue carbonate-hosted zinc reserves for a major fully integrated zinc company with operating mines and refineries. Previous to this experience, Mr. Scarbrough worked in a variety of geologist positions, both within the company and as a consultant, for BHP Minerals International Exploration Inc., Noranda Exploration, Inc., USMX, Inc., Westmont Mining, Inc., Nicor Mineral Ventures, Houston International Minerals Corporations/Tenneco Minerals, Cominco American Inc., and the Atlantic Richfield Company. Mr. Scarbrough graduated cum laude from Memphis State University with a Bachelor of Science degree in Geology, followed by a Master of Science degree, also in Geology.

CONSULTING GEOLOGIST

Dr. Richard Kennedy has been a consultant to UNICO since 1992. He acquired his B.S. and M.S. in Geology from Brigham Young University in 1960 and a PhD from the University of Arizona in 1963, specializing in Economic Geology, Petrology, Mineralogy and Structural Geology. Dr. Kennedy has worked as a Geologist and Consultant for Minex, Phelps Dodge Corporation, Cominco American, Inc., amongst others, and from 1964-1975 he was President of Minerals Exploration and Mining Co. and served on the Board of Directors of Mineral Energy, Inc. and Petro-Nuclear, Ltd. In 1963, Dr. Kennedy earned a Teaching Certificate from the University of Utah and has been a Professor of Geology at Southern Utah State College since 1977. In 1984, Dr. Kennedy was honored by Southern Utah State College as an 'Outstanding Educator.' Dr. Kennedy has many research credits to his name in the field of Geology and has published four papers on the geology of Utah and the southwest United States. He is currently a member of the Geological Society of America. Before his arrangement with UNICO, Dr. Kennedy was a consultant for the Deer Trail Development Corporation from 1964-1975.

SENIOR METALLURGIST

Edgar Blanco will focus much of his attention on the mill and processing facility at the Deer Trail Mine. Included in his work at the facility will be development of the reagent schematic and mineral characteristics for the floatation circuit, and he will direct the implementation of adjustments that are necessary as testing phases at the facility are initiated. Prior to joining Deer Trail Mining Company, Mr. Blanco spent over a decade working in various positions with the Southern Peru Copper Corporation, including serving as supervisor of the chemical laboratory, concentrator, copper smelter bed minerals preparation and other departments of the corporation. Mr. Blanco has an extensive education and experience related to high temperature chemical processing and mineral processing and has supervised crews of 60 workers in three shifts. Mr. Blanco received his Bachelor of Science degree in Metallurgical Engineering from the Universidad Nacional Jorge Bas, in Peru, his Master of Science degree in Metallurgical Engineering from the University of San Agustin, Arequipa in Peru and is currently completing his Ph.D. in Metallurgical Engineering from the University of Utah. Mr. Blanco is a member of the Minerals, Metals and Materials Society and the Society of Mining Metallurgy and Exploration. He has published several articles on metals concentrate processing.