Lowe Billingsley
There are moments in a career that feel less like a step forward and more like a return to something that shapes you. For me, coming back to the Cripple Creek & Victor (CC&V) Gold Mine where I started my career 37 years ago is one of those moments.
One of the first jobs that helped define who I became – both personally and professionally – was in Victor, working as an ore control geologist. It was one of my first introductions to mining at its core – not just technical work, but the people behind it. The kind of people who show up before the sun rises, who know the land, and who understand that what they do matters far beyond the boundaries of the mine site.
Now, decades later, returning as General Manager is something I don’t take lightly. It’s not just a professional milestone – it feels like coming home. Because places like this stay with you.
The Cripple Creek & Victor mine is more than one of Colorado’s most important mining operations. For many families here, it’s part of their identity. While mining is often measured by its economic impact, the contributions here are impossible to ignore.
In Teller County, the Cripple Creek & Victor Gold Mine contributes more than $635 million annually to the local economy, supporting 644 jobs and generating $60.5 million in labor income.
Across the broader Pikes Peak region – including El Paso and Fremont Counties – that contribution grows to more than $704 million annually, 430 employed workers and $70.9 million in labor income.
Statewide, the mine supports 942 jobs and contributes more than $830 million annually to Colorado’s economy.
Those dollars support public services and local small businesses – from welders and electricians to fuel suppliers and restaurants. They also sustain good-paying jobs and long-term opportunities that are difficult to replace in rural communities, making the CC&V mine a critical economic anchor for the region. But numbers only tell part of the story.
What has always stayed with me is the crew.
This is a team that gives 100 percent every day. A team that takes pride not just in the work they do, but in how they do it. Many have spent years – some for their entire careers – at this mine. And for many families, that commitment spans generations.
You see it here in a way that’s increasingly rare: sons following in their fathers’ footsteps, stories of grandfathers who helped shape this operation, and families whose livelihoods have been sustained by this mine for decades.
For us, that represents the greatest contribution anyone can make. Generations of families have built their lives around this mine and built something lasting in this community.
I’m incredibly proud to be part of that legacy.
And just as importantly, this is a highly skilled crew – the kind of people you trust day in and day out – to make sure things are done safely and with integrity.
I’m humbled to work alongside the men and women at CC&V, and I’m honored to serve as General Manager. Not because of the title, but because of what it represents: the opportunity to be part of a team that cares deeply about their work, their safety, and their community.
Colorado has a long and proud mining history, and the Cripple Creek & Victor mine is a living part of that story – where tradition meets modern standards, and where a legacy industry continues to evolve while staying grounded in its values.
Coming home to Victor reminded me why I chose this work in the first place. Not because of the CC&V mine itself, but because of the people who have dedicated their lives to it.
*Lowe Billingsley is the General Manager of the Cripple Creek & Victor Gold Mine and a veteran mining executive who began his career in Victor more than three decades ago as an ore control geologist. A Colorado College geology graduate, he has held leadership roles across the United States and internationally before returning to Southern Colorado to lead CC&V.
