In this episode of Mining Minds, we sit down with JD Sundseth—owner of Mountain States Mine Development and Reclamation LLC. JD takes us on a candid journey through his life: from a small-town kid in Spring Creek, Nevada, to a tire-slinging high schooler at Les Schwab, to operating heavy equipment in remote mountain terrain.

He opens up about starting a family young, learning the ropes the hard way, and navigating the mining industry—from exploration and greenfield development to full-scale operations. JD shares stories from his wild first day at the mine site, why he never had to run a scraper, and what it really means to be a hands-on leader. Join Mining Minds as we Welcome JD Sundseth to the Face!

Sponsors:

Liebherr Mining

GBC-NORCAT MST

Heavy Metal Equipment & Rentals

Chapters:

9:08 Sweeping Floors to Service Trucks

19:19 Finding a path in mining

31:53 New Hire Week

42:11 Skipping Pay Grades

52:56 Advancing too fast

01:05:20 Gering up to run his own business

01:14:39 Skills learned in trades

01:20:09 Testing equipment operators' skills

01:27:47 Waiting for opportunity

01:33:04 Growing the right way