A general downturn in the mining industry which is affecting producers and junior companies alike is being felt on the consulting side. The well known firm of Derry, Michener, Booth & Wahl, a partnership of consulting geologists, geophysicists and engineers, is winding down its business operations.
Ian Thompson, a senior managing partner who started with the firm 28 years ago, described the reorganization as “severely reducing the scope” of the Toronto partnership.
Thompson, who earlier this year moved to Vancouver to set up an office for the company, said that while the firm’s name will be retained, he will operate an independent business practice in the west-coast city.
Plans call for the company to retain its Denver office, in operation for 12 years. The Toronto office will also be retained in some form. The “new look” company will have three offices, Thompson said, linked on a referral basis.
Thompson cited a lack of business opportunities as reason for the corporate reorganization, as well as a growing difficulty in collecting from clients for services rendered.
An international company, the consulting firm used to operate an office in Australia. It also previously had an office in Vancouver.
Among the mining services it has offered are creating and managing exploration and development programs for deposits, and appraising and evaluating existing deposits, mining operations and resource companies for customers seeking acquisition or merger information, or contemplating new financing proposals.
The firm’s origins can be traced back to 1960 when the late Duncan Derry left the Canadian exploration division of Rio Tinto to become a consultant. In 1969, Derry formed a partnership with C.E. Michener, who had been with Inco, and J.K.B. Booth, who had been with Superior Oil.
The company grew again in 1982 when the partnership merged with W.G. Wahl Ltd. and David Wahl became a partner.
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