Thyssen Mining’s history in North America began in the 1960s when the Thyssen business in Germany exported its knowledge of shaft sinking and ground freezing to Canada to service the potash industry in Saskatchewan. In the mid-1990s, TMCC saw opportunities in the western United States, particularly in the gold sector and particularly in Nevada. The U.S. operation was conducted as a branch operation of TMCC, which was a suitable structure for a burgeoning U.S. business. Early in the second decade of the 2000s, the future of the U.S. market looked promising with work available in Nevada, Alaska, New Mexico, and other states. Thyssen Mining Inc. (“TMI”) was established as a subsidiary of TMCC.