Jason Green with Capstone Mining. Photo by LCGross
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Second Generation Miners: Jason Green

“Capstone would like to hire more veteran talent.”

He has traveled the world, jumped out of a helicopter, and dove deep beneath the sea to explore a shipwreck. Since October 2020, Jason Green has been the Senior OpEx Advisor II for Capstone at Pinto Valley.

“I lead projects across the entire company to improve our operations,” says Jason. 

 

Daily tasks for a Senior OpEx Advisor vary from field observation and shadowing key personnel to conducting site surveys, analyzing data and writing reports. The key metrics of improvement include safety records, cost savings, extra pounds of copper produced and time saved. Projects can be anything from improving haul truck roads to developing a new training or delivery system. 

“I love it here,” Jason says, “as long as there is something interesting to do.”

One project of great interest to Jason is Capstone’s partnership with Arizona Coalition for Military Families (ACMF), an organization that connects veterans to available resources — housing, healthcare, employment. He and two colleagues have completed their Veteran Supportive Employer Training to ensure high standards when interviewing and transitioning veterans into a new job.

“Capstone would like to hire more veteran talent,” says Jason. 

According to Jason, mining work and military service have a lot in common — hardhats, steel-toed shoes and heavy equipment. More than that, though, it’s the culture.

“In the military, all racial backgrounds, all socio-economic backgrounds, come together in common purpose,” Jason says. “It’s the same in the mining industry.”

Son of a Mining Professional

Jason Green grew up in Safford Arizona. His father, Ron Green, worked in the mining industry as an account representative. 

“He took me to work with him sometimes,” Jason says, “to get me to know the industry.” 

Ron Green also taught Spanish and Jason learned to speak it when they traveled together to Mexico, part of Ron’s account territory. 

Jason graduated from Safford High School as valedictorian in 1994. Three weeks later, he borrowed a suitcase from his grandma and flew out of Tucson to attend West Point military academy on the east coast. 

“It was a culture shock,” recalls Jason, “the whole trip — it was exciting.”

He studied engineering, computer science and languages — Spanish and Brazilian Portuguese. After college Jason became a tank platoon leader, 2nd lieutenant. He was stationed in Germany and deployed to Kosovo in 1999. 

Post-military service, Jason held a variety of positions — a medical device representative for Johnson and Johnson, a test engineer for Trax International, and a process engineer for Intel Corporation, to name a few. From 2006-2009 he managed projects across the state of Arizona for Freeport-McMoRan. A data analysis expert, he became certified as a Lean Sigma Green Belt. 

“I was trained by Harvey Wilson,” says Jason. “He is a blackbelt.”

He applies his data analysis expertise in the current position, looking for ways to improve the operation through site surveys and follow-up results. For example, the company wants to move as much ore as possible. What is the optimal payload for each haul truck? If you overload a truck, says Jason, you increase the risk of maintenance failures. 

Jason’s career has spanned several industries and he likes the mining industry for the important service it provides.

“The Intels of the world couldn’t produce chips without mining,” he points out. “We wouldn’t have roads.”

What Jason really likes about Capstone is the focus on workplace culture.The values defined by general management, he says, provide a useful guidepost and serve as a compass on decisions. 

Always accountable

Execute with excellence

Work responsibly

Get results

Personal blurb:

Jason plays the drums, rides dirt bikes and motorcycles and is a prolific reader. He likes to hunt, fish and scuba dive. He is currently living in a trailer on Top of the World, Sunday through Wednesday while his family — wife, three daughters and another on the way — remain in Safford

 

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