By John Huntington | Pinal Nugget
For more than a century, Hayden and copper smelting have been synonymous. In fact, Hayden started as essentially a company town providing housing for workers at the nearby Ray open pit mining complex and the local copper smelter complex. Both Hayden and the copper smelter came into being in 1912.
And the relationship will continue into the future, according to Thomas Aldrich, vice president of environmental affairs at ASARCO/Grupo Mexico, which owns and operates the Hayden Smelting Operations. Copper reserves remain high at the Ray and Mission mines that send ore to the smelter. And ASARCO is embarking on a project to upgrade the smelter so that it meets new environmental emission standards, and thus continues to provide jobs and economic prosperity to Hayden and the surrounding Copper Basin area.
The ASARCO smelter and surrounding operations continue to be an important part of the Hayden/Winkelman economy. It employs 1,400 hourly and salaried workers, who are annually paid $140.8 million in wages, salaries and fringe benefits. The operations also generate $28.6 million in property, severance and sales taxes. The company annually generates spending of $345.8 million on materials, fuel and supplies into the Arizona economy.
