On September 27th, the U.S.-Saudi Arabian Business Council (USSABC), in collaboration with the U.S Commercial Service, organized a seminar on doing business in Saudi Arabia at the trade show in Las Vegas, Nevada. The panel featured H.E. Dr. Zohair Nawab, President, Saudi Geological Survey; Eng. Ameen Alghamdi, Mine, EHS, and Technical Director, Ma’aden Aluminum Company; and Andy Phelps, Principal Vice President and Global Manager of Operations for Bechtel Mining & Metals.
Dr. Nawab addressed Saudi Arabia’s vast mining deposits, while illustrating various geographical regions of the Kingdom that are still under evaluation and have potential for new resources, as well as the need for suppliers and equipment distributors. Following Dr. Nawab, Eng. Alghamdi reviewed Ma’aden’s expansion plans, including Ma’aden’s new activities to extract phosphate resources in Wa’ad Al-Shumal and gave an overview of procurement procedures. Mr. Phelps provided perspective from a U.S. company doing business in Saudi Arabia. He detailed Bechtel’s long- standing history and operations in the Kingdom and offered his expertise for new companies looking to enter the market.
