I started in the mineral exploration business when I was seventeen years old working at a small gold project on the Spatsizi Plateau in northern British Columbia. It was only a summer job, but little did I know that my time spent there would pave the way for a career in the junior resource industry – from jobs in camp and field work, public company administration, and investor relations to executive officer roles in several organizations and ultimately taking on the role and risk of being a founding shareholder and CEO of Evrim. It has been quite a ride. I quickly learned that one of the most influential forces in our business is the capital markets, and how access to capital dictates the ability of exploration companies in their quest to make discoveries.

The role of any Board of Directors is to oversee a Company’s management and ensure the Company is acting in the best interests of its shareholders. Sounds like a simple enough task, right? When it comes to the Mineral Exploration industry, this role of the Board of Directors is critical in setting the Company up for success. In an industry where the statistics show that one in every one thousand exploration projects becomes economically viable, the role of the Board becomes a key element in the adaptation and re-direction of many exploration companies.

This issue of Evrim’s newsletter is dedicated to country assessment, and the criteria we use to rank the accessibility and desirability of certain countries. While our core business remains in Mexico, we continually look at other countries or regions that could provide unique opportunities for Evrim. The assessment largely depends on various components that matter to a country’s viability: government, economy and doing business, risk, and mineral/exploration potential.

Evrim means “to evolve”, and during 2011 we have done just that. We evolved from a private company to a publicly listed entity. Our property portfolio evolved with the addition of nine projects in Mexico and a database covering Mexico and southwestern United States. Our human resources grew to include an experienced board and an energetic management team. We bolstered our treasury with a $7.1 million financing and, most importantly, we evolved our prospect generator business model from a concept in 2010 to execution in 2011.

Last spring, we started to discuss how social media has become an effective communication tool to deliver important company and industry information to shareholders in an efficient and timely manner. Indeed it seemed that part of our communication strategy should cover at least a few types of social media, given its popularity and growth.

Having worked in the mineral exploration industry for over 20 years – beginning as a 17 year old field worker, then an office administrator, an investor relations officer, and moving on to become a CFO, and eventually a President and CEO, I’ve had the opportunity to see many facets of the exciting mineral exploration industry. My name is Paddy Nicol, President and CEO of Evrim Resources Corp., an emerging exploration company listed on the TSX Venture exchange under the symbol EVM.