What Small Mine Development, LLC does

Small Mine Development, LLC (SMD) is a US-based underground hardrock mining contractor that provides mine development, production mining, and technical services to major mining operators, primarily across the western United States. Founded in 1982 in Boise, Idaho by Ron Guill and now 100% employee-owned via an ESOP established in 2020, SMD operates as a specialized contractor rather than a mine owner, deploying its own labor, mobile equipment, and infrastructure to deliver projects from exploration through closure. Its service portfolio is organized into three modules — Mine Development (portal/highwall construction, ramps, raises, underground infrastructure, shotcrete, ground support, RC definition drilling), Production Mining (longhole and drifting methods, backfill operations including 100% cemented backfill, cellular backfill), and Technical Services (permitting, engineering, grade control, surveying) — supported by a 14,000 sq ft Battle Mountain, NV shop and training facility equipped with a ThoroughTec underground truck/LHD simulator.

SMD's revenue model is dominated by fixed-dollar unit-rate contracts priced per foot of drift developed and per ton of ore mined, which the company states represent 95-100% of invoiced amounts, with time-and-materials, cost-plus, and ore/metal-purchase structures available as alternatives. Its customer base is concentrated in large gold producers — notably the Nevada Gold Mines JV (Barrick/Newmont), with relationships dating to 1993, plus i-80 Gold, Jerritt Canyon Gold, Barrick, and Newmont on individual projects, with Nevada Copper in copper and Jervois Mining in cobalt — and it has completed more than 50 major projects across Nevada, Idaho, Arizona, and other western states. SMD differentiates through cumulative operating scale (over 1,004,586 feet of drifting and 27,042,374 tons of ore mined company-wide), a sustained safety record (EMR below industry average for 15+ years, multiple Sentinels of Safety awards), and a series of field-pioneered techniques including 100% cemented backfill in underhand cut-and-fill mining, pit highwall portal construction, and early adoption of mechanized bolting and computerized drilling.

Name

Small Mine Development, LLC

Legal name

Small Mine Development, LLC

Website

https://undergroundmining.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1982

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

251–500 employees

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Underground Mining Contracting Services

NAICS

Support Activities for Metal Mining (213114), Support Activities for Mining (213)

SIC

Metal Mining (1000)

akta.pro primary industry

Mine Operations Contracting (Open-Pit & Underground Development, Production, Load/Haul) (IMAKAKAD)

akta.pro secondary industry

Mine Construction & Development Contracting (Shaft Sinking, Tunneling, Pre-Strip, Civil Works) (IMAKAKAG)

Keywords

• Underground mining services
• Mine development contracting
• Hardrock mining contractor
• Production mining services
• Mine engineering services

Headquarters

HQ city

Boise

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Supply Chain, Infrastructure, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. Fixed Dollar Contracts: SMD's preferred contract model is fixed dollar bids by the foot of drift and ton of ore mined. This allows clients to determine true costs and avoid project cost overruns due to time and material charges. Hard dollar unit rates typically represent 95 to 100% of what they invoice.
2. Time and Materials / Cost-Plus Contracts: SMD also offers time and materials or cost-plus contracts as an alternative when appropriate for the project scope.
3. Fixed and Variable Contracts: A blended contract style combining cost-plus and unit rate approaches, providing flexibility for different project requirements.
4. Ore or Metal Purchase: SMD will consider purchasing ore or metal. If the orebody is adequately modeled to industry standards, they can take the entire mine including geology, engineering, development, and production mining and sell the ore or metal to the client at a fixed price.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels1 record

Core offering

Small Mine Development (SMD) is an underground mining contractor that builds and operates hardrock underground mines for mining companies. The company provides end-to-end services from exploration and permitting through engineering, mine development (portals, ramps, raises, drifting), production mining (longhole, drifting, backfill), and closure, primarily under fixed-dollar per-foot and per-ton contracts.

Product overview

Small Mine Development (SMD) is an underground mining contractor that builds and operates America's underground mines. The company offers a unified service portfolio centered on underground hardrock mining, encompassing three primary service lines: Mine Development Services (portal/highwall construction, exploration ramps, raises, underground infrastructure, shotcrete, ground support, RC drilling), Production Mining Services (longhole and drifting mining, conventional mining, backfill operations), and Technical Services (permitting, engineering, grade control, surveying). These services are supported by the Battle Mountain Shop logistics facility. SMD operates under various contract structures including fixed dollar, time and materials, and cost-plus arrangements.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Underground Mining Services Full-service underground mining contractor offering mine development, production mining, and technical services for hardrock mining projects from exploration through production to closure.
• Mine Development Services Includes mine design, portal/highwall construction, exploration and development ramps, conventional and Alimak raises, underground infrastructure (shops, electrical, pumping), shotcrete, high-capacity ground support installation, and reverse circulation definition drilling.
• Production Mining Services Includes longhole and drifting mining methods, conventional mining, longhole drilling, backfill operations (with or without backfill), and cellular backfill capability.
• Technical Services Includes permitting assistance, underground engineering, underground grade control, and underground surveying.
• Battle Mountain Shop Services Logistics and support facility in Battle Mountain, NV providing fabrication, line boring, hose and electrical repair, equipment rebuilding, parts inventory management, and a training center with a ThoroughTec simulator for underground truck and LHD modules.

Quantifiable outcome

• Lee Smith Mine - 247,400 hours worked safely in 2021
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers8 records

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature9 records

Partnerships

Six partnerships are on record, tiered core and major.

• i-80 Gold Corp.coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 5 September 2025i-80 Gold contracted SMD to advance the underground drift to the 5,100-foot elevation at the Archimedes project on the Ruby Hill property in Nevada. Development is expected to be completed by mid-2027, with production anticipated to begin Q4 2026. This supports i-80 Gold's Phase One growth strategy targeting 150,000-200,000 ounces of annual gold output by 2028.
• Jervois Mining, USAcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSMD is developing the Idaho Cobalt Operation (ICO) - the first domestic cobalt mine in 50 years. Work includes highwall bolts, mesh, rockfall fencing, portal construction, and approximately 13,000 feet of development. SMD is currently performing care and maintenance and driving an exploration drive under the DOD's critical minerals program.
• i-80 Gold Corp. (Granite Creek)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSMD supports i-80 Gold's underground mining program at Granite Creek (formerly Pinson mine). Continued ramp-up of production with rehab, drill support, bulk sample, development, production, and backfilling services since 2021.
• Nevada Gold Mines (Barrick/Newmont JV)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLong-standing partnership with Nevada Gold Mines (formerly Newmont) since 1993. SMD has provided underground mining services at multiple operations including Leeville, Turquoise Ridge, North Post, Vista Underground, Carlin East, and others. Current ongoing projects at Turquoise Ridge and North Post.
• Nevada Copper, Inc.coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCurrent project at Pumpkin Hollow in Yerington, NV. SMD is performing 16'x16' development and 15'x15' ore drifting, and shaft access since June 2023.
• Jerritt Canyon GoldmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerMajor mining contractor at Smith and SSX mines in the Jerritt Canyon Complex. Long-term relationships with significant production from 2010-2023 at Smith and 2014-2023 at SSX.

Scale indicators13 records

Recent moves7 records

Direct peers

• Macmahon Holdings: Macmahon provides underground and surface mining services across Australia and select international jurisdictions. While primarily Australia-based, it competes in the same underground hardrock contracting market and offers comparable service bundles.
• Barminco (Perenti): Barminco, owned by Perenti, is a leading underground hardrock mining contractor with North American operations at Tier-1 gold and base-metal mines. It is a direct competitor for development and production scopes similar to SMD's service modules.
• Cementation (part of Stantec): Cementation provides shaft sinking, underground construction, and production mining services, now operating within Stantec's mining group. It is a direct competitor to SMD's mine development and underground infrastructure services.
• Byrnecut: Byrnecut is a globally active underground mining contractor specializing in mechanized development, production mining, and raise boring. It competes head-to-head with SMD on Tier-1 underground hardrock contracts in North America.
• Redpath Mining: Redpath is one of the world's largest dedicated underground mining contractors, providing shaft sinking, mine development, and production mining services to majors. It directly competes with SMD for underground hardrock development and production scopes across North America.
• DMC Mining Services: DMC Mining Services offers underground mine development, production mining, raise boring, and contract mining, primarily in the US southwest and Mexico. It overlaps directly with SMD's underground hardrock contracting footprint in the western US.

Broad incumbents

• Boart Longyear: Boart Longyear is a global drilling services and underground mining contractor, historically dominant in exploration drilling but increasingly active in underground production drilling and consumables. It is comparable as a broader mining services incumbent overlapping SMD's drilling and development work.
• Major Drilling Group International: Major Drilling is one of the world's largest mineral drilling contractors offering surface and underground exploration and delineation drilling. It is comparable to SMD's drilling and definition-drilling services through a different mix of customers and geographies.

Others

• Hatch (Mining): Hatch provides engineering, project management, and consulting services to underground and surface mining operators worldwide. It is comparable as a mining-services ecosystem participant adjacent to SMD's technical services line and a common partner/competitor for engineering scopes.
• Stantec Mining: Stantec's mining practice covers mine planning, engineering, environmental, and construction services, including former Cementation underground contracting. It is an adjacent player in the underground mining services ecosystem compared to SMD.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/small-mine-development-llc

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles4 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Small Mine Development, LLC