As Vice President of Gold Fields Mining, Steve Flechner and his staff led the company into world- class gold production at the Mesquite Mine in southeastern California. He was responsible for consolidating a highly fractured land position by leading the company's acquisition of multiple conflicting mining claim groups, followed by highly economic royalty buyouts and successful title defense in Federal administrative and judicial proceedings. Working closely with Gold Fields' mining engineers, California regulators, and environmental consultants, Steve accomplished environmental permitting of the largest cyanide open pit-cyanide heap leach mine in California by helping to craft practices that ensured environmental protections. To maintain compliance, Steve initiated/co- administered proactive environmental compliance self-monitoring and third-party environmental auditing programs. Steve worked on a bankable feasibility study with Bechtel, facilitated relocation of a state highway to allow the mine's expansion, and achieved a $70M favorable gold loan and mobile equipment lease with Chase, Citibank, Mellon, and Mase Westpac. Mesquite was later acquired by Newmont Mining, and produced 3 million ounces gold between 1985 and 2007. The project is currently being re-opened, with an additional total resource of 5.24 million ounces gold.
Steve Flechner and his staff, working closely with Gold Fields' geologists, were responsible for Gold Fields' 1984 claim-staking program at what would become the Chimney Creek gold mine in Nevada. Following discovery of the Chimney Creek gold deposit, Steve led the company in permitting the open-pit heap-leach operation in less than three years from the first discovery drill hole. As at Mesquite, he facilitated a bankable feasibility study, achieved another $70M favorable gold loan and mobile equipment lease with Chase, Citibank, Mellon and Mase Westpac, and implemented and co- administered proactive environmental compliance self monitoring and third-party environmental auditing programs. The deposit was initially estimated to contain 1.9 million ounces gold. Chimney Creek was bought by Newmont, who combined it with the nearby Rabbit Creek project to form the Twin Creeks Mine project.
Beginning in late 1978 at Gold Fields Mining's Ortiz Mine in New Mexico, Steve Flechner was responsible for achieving surface rights acquisition and water and environmental permitting for an open-pit gold mine in a challenging situation. Located near Santa Fe, New Mexico, the project met with opposition from local groups and especially ranchers mainly concerned with water quality and supply. Steve was able to mitigate the opposition through hydrologic studies and careful individual negotiations. Gold Fields Mining began production in early 1980 at Ortiz after Steve crafted a low- cost contract mining agreement that included mobile mining equipment and allowed mine startup with minimal capital expenditure. Steve later sold the surface ownership with the leased mineral rights to a LAC-Pegasus joint venture. Gold Fields profitably mined 250,000 ounces gold from 1980 to 1986, including 100% return on capital investment in 1.5 years of production.