Located just over 30 miles north of Nome, the Graphite Creek property is believed to be one of the largest known graphite deposits in the world. The entire deposit spans about 10 miles along the Kigluaik mountain range, just south of the Imuruk Basin.
“That certainly makes it special from a mineralogic standpoint, a longevity of operations and job opportunities standpoint and of course, the area, just in its natural setting, is also quite special and unique,” said Graphite One’s vice president of mining, Kevin Torpy.
Torpy, an industry veteran, regularly travels back and forth from Nome to Graphite One’s camp, where the Canadian mining company has set up a large complex at the base of the mountains.
The camp is complete with a large laundry tent, a mess hall that serves half-pound smoked cheeseburgers, and high-speed Starlink internet. Employees are talkative. For the uninitiated, it defies expectations of a mining site. Torpy credits a carefully developed company culture.
“We as a management team all the way up to our CEO and down to our site supervision treat people like we want to be treated, we try and make it a fun place to work,” Torpy said. “Beyond that, every one of us is incredibly proud of what we do, and we like our employees to take pride in what they’re doing.”
The camp has about 30 tents, each containing dividers to create personal living spaces for the approximately 50 on-site workers. A large water treatment facility sits on the north side of the camp near the mess hall and laundry facilities. There are several large administrative tents, lined on the insides with foldable tables packed with gear.
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