Metals Economics Group

Mining information with a global mindset

Twenty-two years ago, Michael Chender packed up his family and business to journey from his Colorado home across the Canadian border to Halifax. He set up shop here and hasn’t budged since.

His business compatriot in the move, and to this day, is co-worker Dominique di Gesu.

Today, Chender and di Gesu, the CEO and COO of Metals Economics Group, have a staff of more than 30 people and successfully run their global service business from Halifax.

“Many years ago we moved to Nova Scotia because of the human dimension that exists for business,” says Chender. “We saw Nova Scotia as a place with the potential to create a work environment that benefits our business and our employees.

“We settled here because we appreciate the basic values of the culture, and we’ll stay because of that,” he adds.

Metals Economics Group is recognized as a world leader in mining industry intelligence. It’s the primary source of information and analysis on global minerals exploration, development, and production; strategic planning issues; and acquisitions activity.

Basically, the company performs and compiles mining research and information, which clients can access online on a subscription basis.

Metals Economics Group’s clients span the globe — Asia, Australia, South America, Europe, Africa, North America. Interestingly, more than 40 per cent of the company’s clients come from Canada, which, according to Chender, is the mining finance hotspot of the world.

But the geographic location of the clients is not important, relatively speaking. The Group operates efficiently on a global scale, despite running the business from a province in which they have no current clients.

Chender points out there are disadvantages to operating his business in Nova Scotia. “I can’t just walk down Bay Street or Burrard to visit clients.”

But, he believes the pros outweigh the cons.

“Metals Economics Group aspires to support a healthy work-life balance for our employees,” he explains. “And we find a great talent pool here with a commitment to staying in the province.”

The company’s employees represent an interesting mix of talents and backgrounds.

“A good percentage of our people have been with the company more than 15 years. More recently, we have hired geology graduates from Saint Mary’s and Dalhousie universities,” says di Gesu. “We also have a large IT group with people from all over the world.

“Besides education and the technical knowledge required for the work, we look for certain qualities in our employees,” she adds. “We seek out clear thinking (not to be taken for granted these days) and people who enjoy distilling order and useful information and analysis out of the chaos of data overload. And we look for people who enjoy collaborating.”

The positive attitude di Gesu values in her employees matches Metals Economics Group’s corporate values.

“The company was founded on Buddhist principals,” explains Chender. “Basically, we asked ourselves: how do we create a business that will be successful, and that will also be decent for its employees and ultimately beneficial to the community at large?

“This is, of course, always a work in progress. We’ve focused on a unique set of services, a commitment to quality and providing a human touch to our clients, and fostering a good environment for employees,” he adds.

In addition to Buddhist principles, the founders also took an idiosyncratic approach to building their business.

“Aside from me, many of our first employees were people with no experience in mining,” says Chender. “But they had good liberal arts backgrounds, and talents for writing, researching and, most importantly, analyzing complex information. I found that it was usually easier to train these people in the essentials of the mining business than it was to get established ‘industry experts’ to look at information with an open mind.”

“So Metals Economics Group brings a fresh view of how to research mining and how to present and communicate the information to clients,” he explains.

Moreover, the company doesn’t just offer a specialized service with a unique flair, but has a deep commitment to quality.

“We spend a lot more time than many information providers worrying that we’ve got the last 10 per cent of what we do right,” adds Chender. “The information we provide is known for its accuracy and attention to detail.”

But the company’s success cannot be attributed solely to its values and principles. The rest comes from a willingness to innovate, and decades of experience.

“When we opened our doors in 1981, we were the premiere company of our kind in the world,” says Chender. “We were one of the first groups in any industry to create a worldwide database.

“Since then the world has changed. For instance, where we used to provide only print material, we’ve gradually transitioned into online content. We started with numerous databases related to different areas, and more recently we added a big database integration project. Through all the changes, some of which have been challenging, we’ve managed to remain a critical service provider for our clients,” he adds.

“We have no direct competitors in Nova Scotia or in Canada. Around the globe, we have competitors in certain aspects of what we do; but there’s no one out there that offers the same package Metals Economics Group does.”

According to its employees, Metals Economics Group clearly offers a lot in terms of benefits – which is a good thing for Nova Scotians (and potential employees). The company also contributes to Nova Scotia’s economic viability.

As di Gesu explains, “Because we are primarily exporters, we offer a great contribution to the economy. We’re bringing in new, non-recycled money from the outside.”

What do Nova Scotians offer in return?

“We really appreciate the capability of the people here,” says Chender. “Furthermore, I have a lot of hope for the new generation of workers. They provide fresh perspectives on possibilities in the networked world, and a lot of great ideas with respect to both social innovation and business innovation.

“There’s so much talent bubbling under the surface,” he adds. “Our challenge is to learn how to fully access it.”

It’s that home-grown Nova Scotian talent that will help Metals Economics Group continue to flourish. And it’s Nova Scotia’s cultural values – which are in line with Metals Economics Group’s corporate values – that will keep Chender and di Gesu operating their world-class business right here in Nova Scotia.