Career Update

To my LinkedIn contacts, followers, business associates and friends, my long journey as a co-founder and senior executive with Luca Mining (35 years) and its Tahuehueto Gold project (23years) is winding down. Recognizing that my underground mining experience is limited to the last several years with Luca at Campo Morado and Tahuehueto and, that my experience and talents are better suited to mineral exploration, surface mining and senior public company management, I was asked and, willing agreed to step aside Luca management facilitating Luca to add seasoned underground mining executive & management professionals.

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Mike Struthers, CEO and Ramon Perez, President are now guiding Luca Mining through its transaction from construction and pre-production at Tahuehueto, towards its planned designed capacity of 1,000 tonnes during first half of 2024 and, are implementing Luca's improvement plans at Campo Morado to finely turn the mine into a profitable business, something that has eluded previous operators due to the complexity of that mine’s metallurgy.

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Although I was contemplating retirement, I was offered, and accepted, a CEO position with Goldgroup Mining Inc, a small and struggling Mexican open pit heap leach gold miner.

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Goldgroup Mining saw excellent success in the beginning years of operation at its Cerro Prieto Gold Mine however, with declining grade in the later years of its published resources, profitability has fallen and resources are depleting to critical levels.?? How do we turn that mine around?

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First plan is to work toward doubling production, an achievable goal requiring a small budget to expand crushing capabilities and increase irrigation area of leaching pads. Initial steps of this plan are now underway.

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Interestingly, Cerro Prieto, has until very recently, never been systematically explored outside of it main structurally controlled ore body that have been the focus of open pit mining efforts. Over the past several months exploration drilling has successfully extended the mineralized zone northward another 250 Meters. This recent drilling has identified the newly discovered Esperanza zone which is currently being prepared for production.? Mine plans are now in place that are expected to extend the mine life for at least another 18 months or more.

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Exploration will resume in 2024 and, from surface and underground sampling it is highly likely that the mineralized zone will be extended another 300+ northward, to add additional mine life to the Cerro Prieto mine.

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The project concession extends both north and south of the zone described above providing additional exploration potential. The Cerro Prieto mine’s undeveloped areas are highly prospective, with the mine being located on the Sonora Mega Shear trend which host numerous mines and, Cerro Prieto is crying out for exploration where I believe achievable exploration success can significantly increase the mine life.

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Goldgroup Mining Inc and its Cerro Prieto open pit gold Ming present a challenge, and I do love a challenge, as has been successfully demonstrated by acquiring the Tahuehueto Project for Luca Mining many years ago and through persistence and tenacity, our team raised over $50 million, guiding that project through it's early exploration, development, pre-production and mine construction to soon realize a fully built and operation underground mining operation processing at 1,000 tonnes per day!!

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Although, I retain a consulting position in Luca, my future energies will be 100% directed as CEO to Goldgroup Mining Inc to increase Cerro Prieto production and achieve a profitable mining operation and explore this project to its ultimate potential.

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I believe 2024 will be golds time to shine after many years of being out of favor of the general investing public and, I hope you will follow me in my new journey and even purchase a share position in Goldgroup Mining Inc to capitalize on the success that I intend to help achieve within this small gold producer.?

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Best wishes to all for 2024

Ralph