Message #1 From:
NewsBot Date: January 11, 2008 08:48:11 AM
Firstgold Corp. Announces Changes in Board and Appointment of New CEO
Firstgold Corp. (OTCBB: FGOC) announced
today the appointment of Stephen Akerfeldt as the new CEO of Firstgold
Corp. Mr. Akerfeldt will retain his position as company Chairman. Scott
Dockter, founder of Firstgold Corp., will remain as COO of Firstgold. He
will step down from the company board of directors and be replaced by
mining industry veteran Kevin Bullock.
"We are at an exciting stage in our company's development and we see this
as the ideal time to separate the two executive roles. Scott Dockter has
done an incredible job building this company. We are encouraged about our
mining properties at Relief Canyon, where we have almost completed the
construction of the processing plant, and the 30,000+ acres of exploration
acreage we control in the heart of some of Nevada's most prolific mining
areas," commented Akerfeldt.
Prior to joining Firstgold Corp. board in 2006, Mr. Akerfeldt had
previously been Chairman of the Board of Jura Energy Corporation, an Oil
and Gas exploration company based in Calgary and continues to sit on their
board. Mr. Akerfeldt, a Chartered Accountant by training, has had a long
and distinguished career including 15 years as a partner with Price
Waterhouse Coopers. He has acted and continues to act as a principal in the
acquisition, management and resale of a number of large private businesses
and has served as Vice Chairman and CFO of Magna International Inc, the
most diversified automotive supplier in the world.
"The board felt it was critical that Scott devote his time to getting our
plant operational and to growing our company value through the drill bit.
My mission as CEO is to ensure our shareholders get maximum benefit out of
the assets we have accumulated. To achieve this the board was unanimous in
its recommendation that Firstgold needed to expand the management team to
ensure we could install the processes and procedures to manage the growth
opportunities Scott has been able to bring to the table.
"As we enter this next stage in our company growth we know we need to
communicate our development to our current and future shareholders. To help
us in this respect the company has concluded it would be beneficial to open
an executive office in Toronto. Toronto is one of the leading mining
financial centers in the world and we feel we need to have a significant
presence here," commented Akerfeldt. "In this respect we are also very
pleased that Toronto mining veteran Kevin Bullock has agreed to join the
board."
Mr. Bullock is currently Founder, President & CEO, and Director of
Goldcrest Resources. He is a registered Professional Mining Engineer in the
province of Ontario and a qualified person under the act. Kevin has had
over 20 years' experience, at senior levels, in mining exploration, mine
development and mine operations. Mr. Bullock has a wide knowledge base in
the mineral industry and has completed several exploration and mining
projects, both in North America and abroad, including projects in Mexico,
Sweden, and West Africa, where he was Iamgold Corporation Ltd's General
Manager. Throughout his career, Kevin has been involved in projects from
inception through exploration to development and production and until
recently was VP, Operations for Kirkland Lake Gold Ltd. Kevin was
instrumental in the reopening of the Macassa Gold Mine in Kirkland Lake,
Ontario. "We are very pleased to add Kevin's expertise to our board and
trust his experience will prove invaluable," commented Akerfeldt.
Firstgold currently leases over 30,000 acres of prime exploration property
in Nevada. Its principal project is Relief Canyon. The Relief Canyon mine
recently had its Plan of Operation reinstated in the state of Nevada and
the company is conducting extensive drilling and development analysis on
the project. Relief Canyon is located outside Lovelock Nevada on the site
of the previously producing Pegasus Gold Mine. Additional information about
Firstgold Corp. can be found by visiting its web site at
www.firstgoldcorp.com.
Safe Harbor Statement
The matters discussed in this release contain forward-looking statements
within the meaning of Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934,
as amended, and Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended that
involve risks and uncertainties. Although Firstgold Corp. believes that the
expectations reflected in such forward-looking statements are reasonable;
the forward-looking statements are subject to risks and uncertainties that
could cause actual results to differ from those projected. Firstgold Corp.
cautions investors that any forward-looking statements made by Firstgold
Corp. are not guarantees of future performance and those actual results may
differ materially from those in the forward-looking statements. Factors
that could cause actual results to differ materially from those reflected
in forward-looking statements include, but are not limited to, risks and
uncertainties regarding the actual mineralization of Firstgold Corp.'s
mining properties, the unproven nature of and potential changes to
Firstgold Corp.'s business model, the risk that the capital and other
resources that Firstgold Corp will need to exploit its business model will
not be available, and the risks discussed in Firstgold Corp's Form 10-KSB
and in Firstgold Corp.'s 10-QSBs and in Firstgold Corp.'s other filings
with the Securities and Exchange Commission.