Episode 171: Alex G. Balogh on the importance of colleagues and family in career success

This episode features the induction of Alex G. Balogh to the Canadian Mining Hall of Fame. The ceremony took place at the Metro Convention Centre in Toronto on Jan. 9. During a career spanning 50 years, Balogh earned his place in a select group of industry leaders who shaped and built Noranda and Falconbridge into the most successful mining and metallurgical giants in Canadian history. He has the rare distinction of contributing to the growth of both companies, starting with Noranda, which he joined at Gaspé Copper in 1954 after earning a degree in metallurgical engineering from McGill University in his home city of Montreal, Quebec. Balogh’s greatest contribution to the mining industry and to society was in the 1970s, with the introduction of Noranda’s continuous smelting and converting process at the Horne smelter in Quebec. This pioneering process improved energy and environmental efficiency, eliminated the emission of sulphur dioxide into the atmosphere — mitigating the “acid rain” issue — and ensured the longevity of the Horne smelter, which could treat a variety of feed materials as other smelters closed. All this and more with online editor and host Adrian Pocobelli. Music Credits: “Rattlesnake Railroad”, “Big Western Sky”, “Western Adventure” and “Battle on the Western Frontier” by Brett Van Donsel (www.incompetech.com). Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 License creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/