Smooth Rock Announces Additions To Management Team

Smooth Rock Ventures Corp. has announced significant leadership changes with the appointment of Michael Ruggles as President and CEO and Donald Gordon as a director, both effective immediately. This strategic move positions the company to capitalize on what management describes as resurgent natural resource markets and advance its Nevada-based gold exploration portfolio.

Michael Ruggles brings over two decades of financial services leadership, most recently serving as Chief Operating Officer at Arrow Park Capital, a merchant bank specializing in corporate restructurings and capital markets advisory. His experience spans equity research, marketing, and investor relations, providing crucial expertise for guiding Smooth Rock through its next phase of development. Donald Gordon, CFA, contributes over 40 years of corporate finance and capital markets experience, including executive roles at the Vancouver Stock Exchange and Canadian Securities Exchange, along with extensive consulting work with dozens of public issuers.

The company's primary asset is the Palmetto Gold Project, consisting of 116 unpatented mining claims totaling 2,217 acres in Nevada's prolific Walker Lane mineral belt. The project benefits from a NI 43-101 compliant mineral resource estimate and has been explored by major operators including Newmont Gold, Phelps Dodge Corp, and Romarco Minerals. The property features bonanza gold-silver veins, with the initial discovery hole drilled by Phelps Dodge in 1988 and subsequent drilling by Romarco between 1997 and 2002.

Under new leadership, Smooth Rock plans to accelerate exploration programs with a focus on resource expansion at both the Palmetto project and the Giroux property, which hosts multiple minerals and extensive historical workings. The management transition comes at what the company views as an opportune time in natural resource markets, positioning it to advance these underdeveloped projects in one of Nevada's most productive mining regions.