New Management Is In!
As Forte Analytical continues to expand and adopt new working processes, we are especially thankful to our existing and new team members for their hard work and dedication to our lab’s success. Recently, Brittany Garcia and Jessica Axen have stepped into new management roles.
Our Fort Collins lab is managed by Brittany Garcia, backed by her wonderful team of metallurgical and analytical technicians. She has been with Forte Analytical since we opened in 2020. Brittany has continued to dedicate her time and extensive knowledge to help build our northern Colorado lab into what it is today.
Brittany Garcia – Lab Manager
Brittany Garcia has managed labs while maintaining ISO 9001 Quality, Environmental, and Safety standards. She is a microbiologist by training but has established her career within mining and metallurgy. She began her career in analytical chemistry and later transitioned into process development work and now has over a decade of experience in bioleaching of low-grade sulfide ores with an emphasis on microbial consortia identification. Her experience includes both laboratory and on-site work to identify optimal leaching conditions for both crushed leach and run-of-mine (ROM) material. Brittany's has expertise in Atomic Absorption (AA), Inductively Coupled Plasma Optical Emission Spectrum (ICP-OES), and microwave digestor instruments. She is also very knowledgeable with many biotechnology methods, from phase contrast microscopy to 16s sequencing.
We are continuing to grow our team in Wheat Ridge and look forward to servicing our clients under the guidance of our Lab Director, Ryan Allen. With over 25 years of industry experience, Ryan’s knowledge in metallurgical testing and project development is an asset to our metallurgical testing team. His expertise will help our lab continue to flourish in 2023 and beyond.
Ryan Allen – Lab Director
Ryan Allen has over 25 years of combined experience in mineral processing and chemical manufacturing with a focus in project management, applied research, and process optimization and development. He is a chemical engineer by training and began his career working for multiple Fortune 500 companies in various roles supporting manufacturing operations. Ryan transitioned to the mining industry and was a part of Resource Development Inc.'s metallurgical laboratory (RDi) for the last 14 years. His experience includes the design and supervision of test programs ranging from PEA to Feasibility level studies. This entails process flowsheet development of gravity, leach, and flotation circuits, for precious metals, base metals, and industrial minerals, both internationally and domestic, with an emphasis on refractory ores.
Jessica Axen has successfully established our very own fire assay lab, and continuously works hard to manage it alongside her team of technicians.
Jessica Axen – Director, Exploration
Jessica Axen has 15 years’ experience in inorganic analytical chemistry and laboratory management focused primarily on supporting mining process research and development. Jessica has worked on extractive processes including beneficiation, hydrometallurgical and pyrometallurgical ranging from bench to continuous pilot scale. She has provided analytical support for materials ranging from geological to process concentrates for precious metals, base metals, rare earths, industrial materials and environmental. Jessica has experience in wet chemistry analysis, atomic absorption (AA), inductively coupled plasma-optical emission spectroscopy (ICP-OES), x-ray fluorescence, and fire assay.