Meet Steve Cochrane, Cyanco

From 3,000 feet underground to the Las Vegas Strip, the Nevada mining supply chain is filled with a diverse cast of interesting people doing interesting things. Meet one of the 30,000 people who make up modern mining in the Silver State.

Name:  Steve Cochrane

Company: Cyanco

Job Title: USA Sales Manager

Howdy, Steve! Tell us about yourself and your career?

I have a wonderful wife, one son and three daughters, five grandkids, and a birddog – Tux.  I grew up in a very small town in very Northern California with three brothers, went to college at Chico State where I got a degree in Communications.  I have enjoyed living in Winnemucca for the past 30 years.  It has been a great place to raise kids and enjoy an active outdoor lifestyle.

I moved to Winnemucca in 1988 and started working at Cyanco as an Operator at the plant in Winnemucca in 1991, a year after they started manufacturing solution sodium cyanide for the gold/silver mining industry.  A couple of years later I took on an opportunity for Cyanco as the Health and Safety Manager at the plant, going to school at night at Great Basin College and getting a degree in Occupational Safety and Health.  After about 15 years in Safety, Cyanco they gave me the Environmental responsibilities as well and for several years I was the ESH Manager.  When an opportunity came up to move into Sales in 2013 I jumped at it.  Cyanco has grown from a small chemical manufacturer in rural Nevada to become the largest manufacturer of sodium cyanide in the world over the past 28 years and my sales region is the USA.

What is the most fun thing about your job?

Interacting with customers and others in the mining industry.  I have many friends throughout the industry and consider it a joy to work with them in many different venues.  I also love to attend mining and other events where I can spend time with my customer/friends, getting to know more about them and their families.

What do you like to do away from work?

I love to hunt (deer, elk, antelope, pheasant, chukar, quail, and…), fish, hike, go  camping, golf and spend time with my family and grandkids.

Why did you select this picture?

I love spending time hunting with my bird dog and friends.

If you could live anywhere in the world, where would it be?

Well… I’m happy to be building a home in Reno to live with my wife and be close to kids and grandkids.  It will also allow me to continue to spend quality time with all my friends in Northern Nevada.  I love the outdoor lifestyle that is in the Reno and Northern Nevada region.  Living here is great and traveling to experience other places is a great way to spend time.