1. Michael Zivnoska
Procurement Manager / Eagle Mine
Lundin Mining
Mike.Zivnoska@lundinmining.com
Subject: Referral for Brent McDougal
While working for Brent for a little more than 2 years, he portrayed the perfect example of
professionalism and a daily determination to complete all of the necessary tasks. He was the
Procurement Manager for Cliffs Michigan Mining Operations, which included Tilden Mine, Empire
Mine, Cliffs Technology Group, LS&I Railroad, and the pit operation itself. He was always the first
employee to the office and the last to leave. He quickly became proficient with our procurement
system and worked to gain complete knowledge of our purchasing procedures, in fact he helped
clarify some previous metrics which were misunderstood and not being achieved, and assisted the
purchasing group in meeting the key KPI’s.
Brent was hired during a time that Cliffs Michigan Operations was on a down swing. The purchasing
department lacked direction and motivation. During this time purchasing responsibilities from other
areas of Cliffs were delegated and moved to Michigan Purchasing. The largest was the transfer of the
Cliffs Technology Group that was previously handled in Duluth. We also experienced a depleted staff
when one of the buyers who was assigned with a new task in our Wabush, Canada location. Despite
these adversities, within his first year as Procurement Manager, the department quickly improved to
being within the top three in the monthly KPI reports. This level of performance remained consistent
for the entire two years that I worked for Brent.
I’ve worked for several organizations and I can sincerely say that Brent was literally the best boss that
I’ve had the pleasure to work for. He was dedicated to helping us work well as a team, and literally
lead by example. On a weekly basis we had a one on one meeting with Brent to discuss our weekly
workload and review any issues that might exist at that time. Regardless of how busy Brent was, he
was always willing take time to provide his expertise in mediating resolutions to help us professionally
resolve any situation we experienced.
Brent always showed exceptional commitment and veracity each and every day.
Brent is the most loyal and dedicated employee that I’ve ever had the pleasure of working for. Brent
would be an excellent addition to any team.
Thank You,
Michael Zivnoska
906-201-4975 cell
906-339-7140