Corporate Team
Press Release: Southern USA Resources, Inc. – Thu, Jan 17, 2013 8:30 AM EST
ASHLAND, Ala.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--
Southern USA Resources, Inc. (the “Company”) (SUSA), a natural resource exploration and development company, today announced the composition of its corporate team led by Chief Executive Officer, Charles H. Merchant, Sr., and a team of industry veterans with proven success in natural resource exploration and production.
“We have a great team in place to potentially make this venture a successful one right out of the gate for the Company and its shareholders. I am proud to work alongside with seasoned colleagues that will enable our mining operation to stay efficient in our exploration and successful in gold production,” commented Charles H. Merchant, Sr., CEO of Southern U.S.A. Resources, Inc.
Southern U.S.A. Resources’ Corporate Team includes:
Charles H. Merchant, Sr., CEO and Director
Charles has spent the last twenty years in the mining business in Alabama and Utah. He has been a licensed mining engineer in the counties of Randolph, Cleburne and Clay, independently in the State of Alabama since 1997. From 1984-1990, Mr. Merchant served as Chief Operating Officer of Tennessee National Corp., a $65 million precious metals Holdings Company based in Tennessee. He also served as Vice President of U.S. operations for Consolidated Mining Co. of Alabama, where he negotiated numerous mining leases in seven states, for the coal and precious metals mining businesses.
From 2001 to present, Mr. Merchant has served as Chairman and Chief Operating Officer of JMays LLC, a major U.S. producer of commercial grade mica to the cosmetics and aerospace industries. In his capacity with JMays LLC, he constructed a multi-million dollar mica processing plant and secured land leases with a combined appraised value in the millions of dollars. Mr. Merchant currently serves as a Director for a private iron and rare earth exploration and development company located in Utah.
As President/CEO of then Novastar Resources in 2006, Merchant successfully engineered the reverse merger of Novastar Resources into Thorium Power later that company becoming what today is known as Lightbridge Company, a NASDAQ listed company (LTBR). Mr. Merchant has guest lectured at numerous functions speaking of the potential for gold production in Alabama based on historical records and how the state would benefit economically from this resurgence.
Roger W. Szelmeczka, Director of Operations
Roger has 20 years of experience and demonstrated knowledge with progressive responsibility in regulatory compliance, environmental science, groundwater, hazardous materials management, waste management, emergency response, and emergency management.
From 2000 to present, Mr. Szelmeczka has consulted on numerous gold prospecting projects in Alaska, Idaho and Alabama. He has spent over three years working on systematic sampling of Southern USA Resources Inc. properties that were part of an overall gold research project for Alabama Mineral Properties, LLC, an independent mineral properties research and development company. His research included use of field tech equipment using XRF technologies to detect presence of precious metals in surface samples.
As well, from 2008 to present, he has been an Environmental Specialist for Weirich Consulting Services, Inc., providing professional environmental services to Savannah River Nuclear Solutions LLC at the Savannah River Site in South Carolina.
Mr. Szelmeczka has published various technical reports and articles for journals. Mr. Szelmeczka holds a bachelor’s degree from the University of Idaho in Soils Science.
Marcus Flis, Director
Marcus has served since 2008 as the Managing Director of Royal Resources Limited, an Australia-based company engaged in iron ore and uranium exploration in Australia and United States, listed on the Australian Stock Exchange (ROY.AX). From 2000 to 2008, Mr. Flis served as a Director of Business Development of Rio Tinto Iron Ore. Mr.
Flis also currently serves as a Director of Razorback Iron Pty Ltd, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Royal Resources Limited, Non-Executive Director of Aldershot Resources Ltd, a Canadian based company focused in uranium and vanadium exploration with projects in Australia, Africa and North America, listed on the TSX Venture Exchange (ALZ.V), and as a Non-Executive Director of Iron Ore NZ.
Mr. Flis received his B. Sc. degree with honors from the University of Adelaide in 1980 and his M. Sc. degree from the University of Utah in 1985.
About Southern USA Resources, Inc.
Headquartered in Ashland, AL, Southern USA Resources, Inc. operates a gold mining operation and exploration group in the “Idaho District” of Northern Clay County Alabama. The Idaho District has numerous sites which have been producing mines and placer sites dating to the late 1800’s. Using modern mining techniques, the Company is revisiting prior producing sites where it plans to excavate to a minimum depth of 80 feet, projecting the life of this project to be in excess of 20+ years.
