Ontario Community Newspapers

Oakville Beaver, 12 Dec 2008, p. 29

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www.oakvillebeaver.com The Oakville Beaver, Friday December 12, 2008 - 29 Business is booming despite tough times Continued from page 28 creating his own company. Graduating from the University of Western Ontario, Isaacs first went into corporate banking getting a job with the foreign currency dealer Deak International. Isaacs created and ran Deak's risk management department for two years after which the company was bought out. At this point Isaacs went to work for an accounting firm specializing in junior mining companies and it was here that he found his true calling. Isaacs noticed the firm was dealing with many dormant mining exploration companies who had run out of money and could no longer continue their operations. On a hunch he took out a $25,000 loan from one of the partners at the firm to buy a controlling interest in one of these companies, convinced there was a hidden value. "If I'm not taking a risk I'm not a happy guy," said Isaacs. "I like to create opportunities and I saw that as one." Isaacs reorganized and restructured the company and in the end was able to sell it to a buyer for $125,000. Isaacs repeated this success numerous times, buying rundown companies, fixing them up and selling them for a profit, but this success was interrupted by the terrorist attacks of 9/11, which put an end to most small capital transactions in Ontario. Things began to look brighter in 2003 when Isaacs merged Forsys Metals Corp, one of the companies he had fixed up, with a private company, which owned uranium properties in Namibia, Africa. By this time, Isaacs had developed a considerable reputation for his abilities in the field of corporate financing and he was asked by the private company to stay on as president and Director for the next four years. Isaacs agreed, raising $70 million for the company and managing its growth from start up to more than $750 million in market capitalization. Under Isaacs' leadership the company found considerable uranium deposits in Namibia and while this was celebrated it also marked a turning point for the company that made Isaacs' departure a necessity. "At that point the company was no longer an exploration company. They made a decision to go into the production of uranium and my strengths just aren't there," said Isaacs. "I thought it best that the president of the company should be somebody who had experience in production and I had none." Isaacs was not alone when he left Forsys Metals Corp with a number of the people who had made that company a success leaving with him to accompany Isaacs in his next venture, Delta Uranium Inc. Isaacs noted that surrounding himself with such people has been the key to his success. "Exploration of any commodity has a very technical side to it and I have no desire to become a geologist or a geophysicist," he said. "Luckily I happen to be surrounded by some very smart and talented guys. My strength is on the corporate side. What I do is I structure companies, I arrange financing and I put the moving "If anything happens to the company, when you pull up at McDonald's I'll be the guy serving you fries through the window." Wayne Isaacs pieces together and in synch so it actually becomes a well oiled machine and a good, solid, profitable company." While profit is important to Isaacs so is the environment with precautions taken to make sure the impact made by his company's mining operations is a minimal one. "When you are mining, you are punching a hole in the ground, but we try to make sure that our programs are so efficient and effective that we are not causing any unnecessary damage. We take that very seriously," said Isaacs. "Before we go into an area we make sure we speak with the appropriate ministries, be it fisheries or wildlife, to find out any environmental concerns going in and we make sure we ease those concerns." Like just about every other company in North America, Delta Uranium Inc. has felt the effects of the current economic crisis as uranium prices have taken a tumble downward taking the company's stock with it. However, looking at the big picture Isaacs is not concerned. "We're well funded to continue our exploration program," he said. "By the time we get to the stage where the price of uranium significantly matters to us I think the price will be back at a reasonable level, around the $100 per lbs." Being the company's largest shareholder gives Isaacs additional incentive to see that the company gets through these troubled economic times. "If anything happens to the company when you pull up at McDonald's I'll be the guy serving you fries through the window," he joked. On a more serious note Isaacs pointed out that despite the current economic crisis he is actually preparing to hire more people as the company delves into the world of gold exploration. Isaacs noted steps are already underway to get this separate company, Delta Precious Metals Inc., off the ground with other companies already calling in to say that they have the gold assets, which they want Delta to develop. When not conquering Bay Street or jetting to Beijing or Dubai, Isaacs is spending time with his wife Winsome and his three young sons Jeremy, Zachary and Noah. "We do a lot of stuff together and they really hate it when daddy travels, but they understand that that's just daddy's job. He's here for a couple of weeks and he's gone for a couple of weeks," said Isaacs. "Every time I travel I have my laptop and my webcam, my webcam is on 24/7. We are never out of touch because I have to see them. It drives my soul."

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