Barrick Gold Corp. to locate office in Henderson

Nevada’s top gold miner plans to open a local business office.

Barrick Gold Corp. said Monday that it will locate its global information management and technology functions in Henderson. The office will hold up to 25 positions previously located in the company’s corporate headquarters in Toronto.

Barrick officials said they expect to staff the office in the first half of 2015 through both transfers and local hiring.

The mining company also previously moved data-storage capacity to the Las Vegas area.

“This move reflects our intent to locate more of Barrick’s key support functions and the jobs they create in Nevada, where we have had major operations for nearly 30 years,” said Michael Brown, Barrick’s U.S. executive director, in a statement. “We also see the growth in high-tech business investment in Nevada and we want to be a part of this positive shift in the state’s economic base.”

The Henderson office will bolster support services provided through an existing business office in Elko, near the company’s mines. Barrick’s corporate affairs staff, including Brown and Leslie Maple, manager of communications and corporate affairs, will also share the Henderson space.

“Strengthening our presence in the state makes sense for Barrick, as many of our best mines and projects are in Nevada,” Brown said. “I think it also better demonstrates our commitment to corporate responsibility and long-term investment in Nevada — all of Nevada.”

Barrick first entered the state in 1987, and has since grown to become the world’s No. 1 gold producer. Barrick operates five gold mines in Nevada, employing more than 4,000 people and spending more than $1 billion a year with more than 500 Nevada-based vendors and suppliers. Barrick is also Nevada’s largest foreign investor.

Nearly half of Barrick’s worldwide gold production comes from the Silver State.

Contact Jennifer Robison at jrobison@reviewjournal.com. Find on Twitter: @J_Robison1.