The Cripple Creek & Victor Gold Mine announced Lowe Billingsley as its new general manager, bringing a seasoned mining executive with deep roots in the region back to where his career began 37 years ago.

“This is more than a job for me – it’s coming back to a place I consider home. CC&V has been foundational to this region for generations,” Billingsley said. “I’m proud to return and be part of a team that supports local families, strengthens the economy, and carries forward a legacy that means so much to Southern Colorado.”

Billingsley began his career in Victor in 1989, after graduating from Colorado College as a geology major, and began as an ore control geologist with Texasgulf Inc., working on the same ground he now oversees. Over the years, he held multiple roles at the Cripple Creek & Victor operation under different ownership structures (Nerco Minerals, Pikes Peak Mining Co., and AngloGold Ashanti) – rising through positions including senior ore control geologist, assistant mining manager, drill & blast supervisor, mine operations supervisor, project engineer, chief mine engineer, and technical services manager, projects manager and process manager.

“Lowe brings not only decades of global mining experience, but he deeply cares about his team, this operation and the surrounding community,” said Bill MacNevin, Executive Vice President of Operations at SSR Mining. “His leadership reflects our long-term commitment to CC&V, to our employees, and to the communities that depend on it.”

The leadership appointment comes as SSR Mining continues evaluating opportunities to enable potential life-of-mine extensions at CC&V, work that could sustain jobs, tax revenue and economic opportunity in the region for decades to come.

“CC&V has always been about people – families, workers, and communities across this region,” Billingsley added. “That’s what makes this role meaningful, and that’s what will guide our work moving forward.”

Located near Victor and Cripple Creek, CC&V is the largest and only significant active gold producer in Colorado and a cornerstone of the regional economy – supporting more than 400 direct jobs and generating significant annual economic activity in the Pikes Peak Region.

“Since acquiring CC&V in March of 2025, SSR Mining has taken deliberate steps to invest in the operation and strengthen its role as a long-term partner in the community, including planned capital investments, support for its workforce, and continued investment in the rural communities connected to the mine,” SSR said in a letter. “Billingsley’s appointment reflects that long-term commitment to CC&V.”