Wyoming
Casper Gold And Silver Production Facility Makes Money For 20 Foreign Governments
CASPER — Just across the North Platte River on the northwest side of town in the old newspaper building, a Wyoming version of Fort Knox is being born.
Cement trucks are going in and out, workmen are busy placing rebar, and on the other side of the building parts for a state-of-the-art world-class secure vault are waiting to be assembled. When work is done, the building will have gun ports and cameras at many angles to meet the security expectations of a Lloyd’s of London insurance policy.
Welcome to the Scottsdale Mint, which is in phase two of a nine-phase plan to turn the former Casper Star-Tribune building into a world-class gold and silver production facility.
President and CEO Josh Phair said operations began last summer, and by the end of this year between 50 and 100 people will be working to create precious metal rounds, bars, official national coins and more.
Producing Legal Tender
And that’s why all the expense and work is being put into turning the mint into the city’s most secure place.
“We produce for more than 20 foreign governments and central banks,” he said. “So, we are actually producing legal tender right here in Casper, Wyoming, and ship it all around the world.”
Despite the construction, rooms for melting equipment, tool-and-die operations, stamping, offices and two working vaults are in place and filled with people. An armed guard scans people going in and out. After more than 20 years operating out of Scottsdale, Arizona, Phair said Scottsdale Mint operations will be centered in Casper.
With the shaky world economy, wars in the Ukraine and Middle East, and a divided market where the dollar is being undermined as the world’s reserve currency, demand for Scottsdale’s products have been booming.
That boom started in 2020, during the pandemic.
Phair said the company he began out of his guest bedroom in 2008 and expanded in 2011, then needed to grow again from the two buildings the mint had in Scottsdale. Californians had moved into the Phoenix region and there were no commercial buildings available to expand into less than an hour away.
Sell Or Expand?
He was also getting requests from people who wanted to by the company, and Phair spent some time deciding what he would do.
“I had to make a decision. Do I sell it, or take it to the next level?” He said.
He settled on the latter and started looking for where the company could relocate. Initial searches had him looking beyond the nation’s borders to “free port” areas in Switzerland and Panama that would allow the company to accomplish its international role with some advantages.
The he turned his eyes to elsewhere in the U.S. to states with pro-business laws and “sound money” practices. He learned Wyoming ranked at the top, and that the state passed a legal tender bill a few years ago.
“I wouldn’t be here if that law wasn’t passed,” he said.
Once he toured the former newspaper building, Phair said he knew it would be the mint’s new home, but there would be work to do. Phair said they basically gutted the building and have installed new plumbing, electrical work and air handling systems.
The Vault
There is a 30-by-30-by-15-foot vault with the more than a foot-thick door that now holds some gold and silver items, but there are bigger plans for it in the near future.
“What you are looking at here is the highest rated vault in the world that you can get,” Phair said. “The class three vault is built for billions of dollars. It will be for high-net-worth people who want to put valuables away, also for business-to-business (valuables) and sovereign wealth.”
In a separate vault for production items, Phair shows coins minted for Samoa, Fiji and the Cayman Islands. One coin has the likeness of the late Queen Elizabeth of England.
“We’ve had projects personally signed off by Queen Elizabeth,” he said. “We did a coin a few years ago for Gibraltar. It was the Royal Arms of England (and) … it went to Buckingham Palace for her to sign off on.”
In addition to his work for governments, the mint produces several artistic rounds sought by collectors, as well as gold and silver art pieces. Future plans call for jewelry to be added to the company’s product list.
The Cowboy Round
One hot seller is a cowboy round. That came as an idea to honor the company’s past and future.
“We have a cowboy round that we launched this year, and we have sold more than the state of Wyoming’s population in the last six months,” he said. “The city of Scottsdale has a bucking bronco on the city emblem, and obviously Wyoming has a lot of cowboys on the license plates.”
The company designed the three-dimensional image in-house and included the rays from Arizona’s state flag as part of the design. It added a buffalo as a small “privy” mark on the bottom right of the round’s front.
Phair said depending on the particular job and design of the coin or bar, the company makes as little as $1 on the “transactional spread.”
“On gold, it could be as thin as $1 an ounce, which is nothing,” he said of the profit margins. “If it is something much more elaborate it could be more than $100.”
A lot of the work involves volume.
“One customer alone in the past six weeks we probably did $80 million in gold,” he said.
Some of the Scottsdale Mint’s gold bars use color in their design. The mint employs artists, engineers and others to get creations from an idea to the shipping room. A typical project would take six months before production begins, Phair said.
Son Of A Pastor
The 44-year-old Phair was born in South Dakota and raised there and in Florida. His father was a pastor. After college in 2022, he arrived in the Phoenix area to do risk management.
“When I was 24 years old, I landed a $4 billion gold mining company out of Reno and I started handling the insurance and risk management for about a dozen publicly traded mining companies. So I was in Denver, Coeur D’Lane, and Phoenix handling copper, silver, and gold producers and fell in love with minerals,” he said.
In the bullion business, he saw an opportunity for a high-quality brand. After starting his business in a guest bedroom, he learned that the company using precious metals to make screen material for Apple iPads wanted to sell its manufacturing operation.
“So, I bought the division, and moved it out of Albuquerque to Scottsdale,” he said, emphasizing that success did not happen overnight, but the company has worked to fulfill its motto to be “the most distinguished name in bullion.”
Phair defers questions about the value of the company. It’s privately held and he points to his customers and the company’s reputation in the world for its value.
“I like to say we do billions. Numbers sometimes get really big in our industry,” he said. “I would say we are among the top five mints in the world. I don’t think there is another mint that mints for more countries than us.”
President And ‘Conductor’
As president of the company, he likens his role to a conductor of an orchestra and calls the company a mix of science, engineering and art.
“I’ve got an artistic bone. I can’t hum, I can’t draw, but I know what looks good,” he said. “I think that has played a role in building the brand. And I love to find brilliance. I couldn’t do this without the staff of people from the top to the bottom of the organization.”
There are a lot of future plans for the business in Casper, one that involves the big vault and new company based out of the mint location. When the building is completed, Phair envisions a gallery for art, and a place for digital investments that are tied to a value of something tangible in the vault.
He hopes to take advantage of Natrona County’s free trade zone status and appreciates the fact he, his wife and two children are now living in the center of Wyoming.
Because the company does so much international business, he frequently travels the world and has been to Europe, Dubai, Singapore and the Caymans, as well as many other small island designations.
“I like coming back to Casper,” he said. “There is something about the community here that is special.”
Dale Killingbeck can be reached at dale@cowboystatedaily.com.
Today’s Wyoming sunrise was captured by Tom Boatman. Tom writes, “I took this at Goldeneye Reservoir. Pelicans enjoying the morning…”
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Chance of rain in parts of Wyoming on Sunday with some sun in the south. Breezy overnight with a chance of rain early. Highs from the mid 50s to near 80. Lows from the mid 20s to upper 40s.
Central:
Casper: Chance of rain, otherwise partly sunny and breezy today with a high near 71 and wind gusts as high as 34 mph. Partly cloudy and breezy overnight with a slight chance of rain before 8 p.m., a low near 43 and wind gusts as high as 31 mph.
Riverton: Chance of rain, otherwise mostly sunny and breezy today with a high near 72 and wind gusts as high as 33 mph. Mostly clear and breezy overnight with a slight chance of rain before 7 p.m., a low near 41 and wind gusts as high as 25 mph.
Shoshoni: Chance of rain, otherwise partly sunny and windy today with a high near 70 and wind gusts as high as 37 mph. Mostly clear and windy overnight with a slight chance of rain before 7 p.m., a low near 43 and wind gusts as high as 36 mph.
Southwest:
Evanston: Sunny today with a high near 61 and mostly clear overnight with a low near 33.
Green River: Sunny and breezy today with a high near 66 and wind gusts as high as 28 mph. Mostly clear and breezy overnight with a low near 38 and wind gusts as high as 24 mph.
Kemmerer: Breezy, gradually becoming sunny today with a high near 61 and wind gusts as high as 29 mph. Increasing clouds and breezy overnight with a low near 33 and wind gusts as high as 23 mph.
Western Wyoming:
Pinedale: Slight chance of rain, breezy, gradually becoming sunny today with a high near 59 and wind gusts as high as 28 mph. Mostly clear and blustery overnight with a low near 29 and wind gusts as high as 25 mph.
Alpine: Chance of rain, gradually clearing today with a high near 64 and wind gusts as high as 20 mph. Mostly clear overnight with a low near 35.
Big Piney: Breezy, gradually becoming sunny today with a high near 62 and wind gusts as high as 29 mph. Mostly clear and blustery overnight with a low near 27 and wind gusts as high as 25 mph.
Northwest:
Dubois: Chance of rain mainly after 1 p.m., otherwise mostly sunny and breezy today with a high near 57 and wind gusts as high as 37 mph. Mostly clear and windy overnight with a low near 34 and wind gusts as high as 40 mph.
Jackson: Chance of rain, gradually becoming mostly sunny today with a high near 62 and wind gusts as high as 20 mph. Mostly clear overnight with a low near 33.
Old Faithful in Yellowstone National Park: Rain likely today with a high near 50 and wind gusts as high as 24 mph. Gradually becoming mostly clear overnight with a chance of rain before 11 p.m., a low near 29 and wind gusts as high as 21 mph.
Bighorn Basin:
Thermopolis: Rain likely today with a high near 66 and mostly clear overnight with a slight chance of rain before 9 p.m. and a low near 43.
Cody: Rain likely, cloudy and breezy today with a high near 63 and wind gusts as high as 24 mph. Gradually becoming mostly clear overnight with a chance of rain before 10 p.m. and a low near 43.
Ten Sleep: Rain likely, breezy today with a high near 65 and wind gusts as high as 23 mph. Gradually becoming clear overnight with a slight chance of rain before 9 p.m., a low near 45 and wind gusts as high as 21 mph.
North Central:
Buffalo: Rain likely, breezy today with a high near 61 and wind gusts as high as 22 mph. Partly cloudy overnight with a slight chance of rain before 8 p.m., a low near 44 and wind gusts as high as 21 mph.
Sheridan: Rain likely, mostly cloudy today with a high near 64 and wind from 16-21 mph. Gradually becoming mostly clear overnight with a slight chance of rain before 9 p.m., a low near 38 and wind from 11-16 mph.
Big Horn: Rain likely today with a high near 62 and wind from 11-16 mph. Gradually becoming mostly clear overnight with a slight chance of rain before 9 p.m. and a low near 42.
Northeast:
Gillette: Rain likely today with a high near 63 and wind gusts as high as 26 mph. Partly cloudy overnight with a slight chance of rain before midnight, a low near 39 and wind gusts as high as 26 mph.
Newcastle: Rain likely today with a high near 69 and wind gusts as high as 23 mph. Partly cloudy overnight with a chance of rain before midnight, a low near 43 and wind gusts as high as 23 mph.
Upton: Rain likely today with a high near 67 and wind gusts as high as 22 mph. Partly cloudy overnight with a chance of rain before midnight, a low near 39 and wind gusts as high as 23 mph.
Eastern Plains:
Torrington: Sunny and breezy today with a high near 81 and wind gusts as high as 35 mph. Mostly clear and breezy overnight with a low near 48 and wind gusts as high as 30 mph.
Lusk: Chance of rain after noon, otherwise mostly sunny and breezy today with a high near 71 and wind gusts as high as 30 mph. Partly cloudy and breezy overnight with a slight chance of rain before 9 p.m., a low near 40 and wind gusts as high as 30 mph.
Midwest: Rain likely, otherwise partly sunny and breezy today with a high near 68 and wind gusts as high as 29 mph. Breezy, gradually becoming clear overnight with a slight chance of rain before 8 p.m., a low near 40 and wind gusts as high as 25 mph.
Southeast:
Cheyenne: Sunny and breezy today with a high near 75 and wind gusts as high as 40 mph. Mostly clear and breezy overnight with a low near 46 and wind gusts as high as 30 mph.
Laramie: Sunny and windy today with a high near 67 and wind gusts as high as 45 mph. Mostly clear and breezy overnight with a low near 38 and wind gusts as high as 40 mph.
Medicine Bow: Mostly sunny and windy today with a high near 68 and wind gusts as high as 50 mph. Mostly clear and windy overnight with a low near 37 and wind gusts as high as 45 mph.
South Central:
Rawlins: Mostly sunny and windy today with a high near 67 and wind gusts as high as 45 mph. Mostly clear and breezy overnight with a low near 40 and wind gusts as high as 40 mph.
Saratoga: Mostly sunny and windy today with a high near 68 and wind gusts as high as 45 mph. Mostly clear and breezy overnight with a low near 38 and wind gusts as high as 35 mph.
Hanna: Mostly sunny and windy today with a high near 66 and wind gusts as high as 50 mph. Mostly clear and windy overnight with a low near 38 and wind gusts as high as 40 mph.
Wyoming
Children’s Hospital Colorado hosts Wyoming Pediatric Mental Health Symposium in downtown Casper
CASPER, Wyo. — Children’s Hospital Colorado hosted the Wyoming Pediatric Mental Health Symposium, a first-of-its-kind event designed to shine a light on adolescent mental health in Wyoming and beyond.
The event, which took place over a two-day period May 13 and 14, was “designed for mental health, school, and healthcare professionals seeking to deepen their expertise in pediatric mental health,” according to a brochure from the hospital.
According to the FDA, pediatrics cover those ages 0-21, and that’s exactly who mental health professionals who attended the symposium wanted to reach. Professionals across a wide spectrum gathered at the Best Western Downtown to learn more about counseling and crisis centers, schools, hospitals, primary care practices and outpatient services. They received clinical updates and engaged in discussions regarding current, evidence-informed issues that impact the care of pediatric patients and mental health needs.
And, according to the professionals, there are a lot of mental health needs in Wyoming.
“We’re here to work with folks in Wyoming about pediatric mental health concerns,” said Sandra Fritsch, MD, MSEd, DFAACAP. “May is mental health awareness month, so what a great two days to be here to talk about that during this time, as well as the challenges for access to care for pediatric mental health that exists nationally.”
Fritsch said the goal she and her peers had was to increase knowledge and awareness for everyone who attended the conference, whether they work at a school or a hospital or are a community health worker. She said she wanted to foster a commitment in the community to have real, open conversations about pediatric mental health.
Geographic densities are big reasons that mental health assistance is so hard to find in Wyoming, Fritsch said. However, they’re not the only reasons.
“I think awareness and then knowing the resources you can tap into is really important when it comes to pediatric mental health,” she said. “I do think that we need to have a dedicated approach to increasing the workforce, and that’s the workforce of everyone, whether it be a community health worker who can do screenings, therapists who can be in schools, traditional therapists, child psychiatrists or psychiatric nurse practitioners who can help assess and treat. I think building workforce is something that’s really essential.”
Fritsch said that the suicide rate in Wyoming is staggering, especially for youth, but the pandemic reminded people about the notion of mental health and its importance among the community.
“It actually created awareness and opportunities for a conversation that more people are willing to engage in,” she said. “And the other thing, too, is the notion of putting the head back on the body. Looking at the whole being is really important, and seeing more of that from a prevention and early intervention standpoint, that’s what I would love to see a lot more of.”
Early prevention in adolescence, Fritsch said, begins with parents.
“How are we working with families before they’re even having kids?” she asked. “Being a parent is the hardest job in the world. It’s an apprenticeship program. It’s trial by fire. You think you’ve got it straight with one kid and then you get the next one and it could be completely different. So how do we help support that as well?”
Fritsch said there are no simple solutions, but there there are things people can try.
“One thing I would want is for families to have plans for how they’re together and when they’re together, how they’re off screen, etc.,” she said. “So family meal times, family activity times, things like that. And working on ensuring good, quality sleep I think is really important for all concerned, from that standpoint.”
She also said it’s important to help caregivers meet kids where they’re at developmentally.
“It’s about understanding that and promoting positive success and celebrating those successes and moving forward from that standpoint,” she said. “The other thing, too, is earlier identification and treatment for mild to moderate conditions. You can have anxiety as a preschooler. It’s different than what it looks like as an adult, but being able to address that may offset that depression you would otherwise have when you’re a teenager.”
Fritsch herself spoke at the symposium, heading a talk called “Assessment and Treatment of Depression in Pediatric Primary Care.” The following day, she gave a talk called “Putting Evidence Into Practice: Approaches for Pediatric Anxiety and Trauma Related Disorders.”
Both of these presentations offered insight into mental health needs across Wyoming, Colorado and the entire country.
“I just want people to have an awareness of the breadth of what our understanding of mental health is for the youth population,” she said. “How it can play out in the school setting, how it can play out in the primary setting, how it can play out in the community. And then I want to bring that information back to where they’re at and come up with some commitments to how they way want to do things differently based on what they’ve learned.”
For more information on pediatric mental health, visit www.childrenscolorado.org/.
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