The most comprehensive mine cost data, analytics, and global property database
Our Story
For over four decades, Costmine has been at the forefront of innovation in the mining industry. What began as a visionary leap by Otto Schumacher, PE, in 1983 has evolved into a trusted authority on mining cost analysis, strategic planning, and data-driven decision-making.Â
From the inception of the groundbreaking Mining Cost Service, which revolutionized how mining projects are evaluated, to the development of the comprehensive Apex and Sherpa programs, Costmine has been dedicated to empowering mining professionals worldwide.Â
Our commitment to excellence led us to gather a team of industry veterans, including Scott Stebbins, Burt Gosling, Jennifer Leinart, Brad Terhune, Krista Noyes, and David Boleneus who brought invaluable expertise from their tenure at the US Bureau of Mines, the U.S. Bureau of Land Management and major mining companies including Teck, Newmont, Asarco, Hecla, and Exxon. With their insights, we expanded our offerings to include essential resources such as the Mine & Mill Equipment, An Estimator’s Guide, setting new standards for accuracy and reliability in the industry.Â
In 2019, a pivotal year of expansion, Glacier Media’s energy and mining divisions merged, giving rise to a new frontier in innovative intelligence, media, marketing, and digital talent solutions – Glacier Resource Innovation Group (Glacier RIG Ltd.). In 2019 Glacier RIG emerged as a division of Glacier Media Group, encompassing the existing JWN Energy Group, The Northern Miner Group, and InfoMine Inc.Â
In 2022, a new chapter unfolded for Costmine as we embarked on the transformation of Sherpa programs into cloud-based applications, enhancing accessibility and usability. It was during this transformative period that Costmine merged with Mining Intelligence, creating Costmine Intelligence. With a team exceeding 40 employees spread across the United States, Canada, the Philippines, and India, Costmine Intelligence solidified its position as a global industry leader.Â
A significant milestone in 2023 marked the culmination of years of innovation with the release of Sherpa for Underground, Surface, and Mineral Processing, empowering mining professionals worldwide. This pivotal year also saw Glacier RIG sell its mining media group to EarthLabs, enabling a sharper focus on Costmine Intelligence alongside its sister divisions of Edumine and Careermine.Â
In this dynamic era, we welcomed Mike Sinden as our fearless leader, VP of Metals and Mining Research. Drawing from his wealth of experience at Wood Mackenzie as the Head of Metals Market and Investment Research, Mike Sinden brings invaluable expertise to our team.Â
Today, Costmine Intelligence continues to push the boundaries of innovation, committed to providing cutting-edge solutions that drive success for mining companies of all sizes. We understand the challenges and intricacies of the mining industry, and our mission remains clear: to empower mining professionals with the tools and knowledge needed for informed decisions, optimal efficiency, and sustainable growth.Â
Join us as we script the next chapter of innovation and excellence in the mining industry.Â
Our Data
Costmine Intelligence’s first priority is delivering accurate and reliable data that our clients can have confidence in. Our highly skilled engineers and data analysts have been curating our proprietary databases for over 40 years. Our experts gather data from a variety of sources, collecting and normalizing the information to meet the specific needs of those working in or with the mining industry. Fueled by our core values of Confidence, Curiosity, and Growth, our team works tirelessly to ensure we are always providing the most accurate, reliable, and timely data possible.
Our Team
Mike Sinden
Mike Sinden
Vice President
Mike has over 20 years experience in the natural resources sector, predominantly in the area of research and data collection, as well as product management. He spent 18 years at Wood Mackenzie, working in metals and ferrous market research, well as supporting institutional investor clients leverage the platform for research and mining due diligence purposes. At Costmine, he leads the research and data business as we grow our mine property database, equipment and labor cost data, estimation tools and software, where we serve engineers, financial professionals and governments. Mike holds a B.Sc in Mechanical Engineering from Queen’s University as well as an MBA from Duke University.
Chris Berry
Chris Berry
Vice President, Sales
Chris has over 20 years experience in the mining industry. Most recently he spent six years at Wood Mackenzie as a Senior Account Manager, working with metals & mining clients including governments, large producers, institutional investors and manufacturers. At Costmine, he is focused on growing our research and data business by continually exploring how our highly valued data products can be best utilized by our clients. Chris holds a MBA from Imperial College London.
Companies and Properties Team
Claudia Gheorghe
Claudia Gheorge
Mining Intelligence Manager
Claudia Gheorghe is the Mining Intelligence's Manager. She is a geologist with over 25 years of experience in oil and gas, mineral exploration and mining industry. Prior to joining InfoMine Inc as geoanalyst in 2007, Claudia worked as Mineralogist for diamond company Mineral Services Inc. Over the years, she gained valuable experience not only in Geo analysis, data quality control and training new Geo analysts, but also she was involved in the continuous development and improvement of the Mining Intelligence database and admin interface. Claudia has a Master's Degree in Geology from the KU Leuven, Belgium.
Mining Costs Team
Jennifer Leinart
Jennifer Leinart
Director, Cost Estimating
Jennifer has over 40 years of experience in the mining industry, from exploration through development and mine operations. She is a specialist in cost and resource estimating and economic analysis, starting out in the team that developed the Red Dog mine in Alaska after it was discovered in the 1980s. She has worked on projects ranging from metals to coal and diamonds to garnets in North American and international locations. Jennifer is a registered member of SME and a licensed professional geologist based in Spokane, Washington, USA. She holds a BSc degree in Geology from Colorado State University.
Brad Terhune
Brad Terhune
Cost Analyst/Senior Geologist
Brad has over 20 years of experience in the mining industry, including exploration consulting and mine operations in North America and East Africa. He has been integral in the derivation of costs associated with prefeasibility stage and earlier mine and mineral property evaluations at Infomine. He is a Registered Member of SME and a licensed professional geologist based in Spokane, Washington, USA. He holds a BS degree in Geology and Geophysics from the University of Missouri – Rolla and a MS degree in Geology and Geological Engineering from the South Dakota School of Mines and Technology.
Krista Noyes
Krista Noyes
Cost Analyst/Reclamation Specialist
Krista surveys and publishes the Mine Salaries, Wages and Benefits Reports, other compensation surveys, and the Reclamation Cost Service, published by InfoMine. Prior to joining the CostMine team at InfoMine, she was an Environmental Coordinator with Newmont’s Western Nevada division, based at the Twin Creeks mine and at Hecla Mining Company’s successfully reclaimed and closed Rosebud Mine in Northern Nevada. She holds a BS degree in Geology from the University of Idaho.
David Boleneus
David Boleneus
Cost Analyst/Senior Geologist
David has over 45 years of professional experience with major mining companies, oil companies and consulting organizations across the globe. He has spent more than 20 years in geological research with U.S. Geological Survey’s Geologic Division and with U.S. Bureau of Mines’ Branch of engineering and economic analysis. His numerous investigations resulted in over 20 peer-reviewed professional publications. He is a Registered Member of SME and Licensed Geologist-Hydrogeologist and is certified as a mineral examiner with U.S. Department of Interior.
Ali Vossoughian
Ali Vossoughian
Cost Analyst/Mining Engineer
Ali began his career as a mining engineer in his home country of Iran, helping optimise HSH Stone Quarry before completing his master's degree in mining engineering at the Colorado School of Mines. There, he specialized in optimizing Tunnel Boring Machines (TBM) and drill bit performance, supplemented by a minor in Mineral and Energy Economics. Post-graduation, Ali worked at Nevada Gold Mines and Giga Factory Tesla. As a valuable member of the Costmine Intelligence engineering team since 2022, Ali is part of the Sherpa cost estimation software team. There, he helps optimize and improve the algorithms and cost data flows for the product.
Mahdieh Dianati
Mahdieh Dianati
Cost Analyst
Mahdieh holds a master’s degree in Mineral Processing Engineering from Yazd University, Iran, supplemented by a master’s degree in Industrial Engineering. Before joining Costmine, she spent five years with System Group, Iran's leading software company as a Business Intelligence Specialist. Since joining our team in 2023, Mahdieh has been an essential member of the Costmine Intelligence engineering team, optimizing algorithms, and improving cost data flows for our Sherpa cost estimation software. Her unique background enables us to provide innovative cost estimation solutions to our clients, specifically in the field of mineral processing.
Michael Grimm
Michael Grimm
Cost Analyst/Mechanical Engineer
Mike has over 15 years of experience in manufacturing, including new product design for commercial and industrial kitchens, ballpark concessions, furniture and high strength composites and has experience as a project manager/designer and trainer in an HVAC company. For nearly seven years, he and his wife Karrie owned and operated a small corrugated converting business serving over 300 customers in 19 states. He spent an additional 10 years in business development promoting bubbling fluidized bed waste to energy boiler systems working with clients in North and South America, Australia and parts of the Middle East. He holds a BS degree in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Colorado.
