Tracy Orton
Contract Specialist
A little more than a year after she filled a temporary position at the Hermosa Project, Sahuarita resident Tracy Orton was onboarded as a full time Contract Specialist in March 2020. Despite the challenges of joining a new team during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic and starting her job remotely, Tracy knew that she wanted to be part of something from the ground up. Three and a half years later, Tracy reflects on her time at Hermosa. “I am really excited about what we’re doing as a company. It has been such a huge blessing for my family and I to work for an awesome company like South32. I just can’t say that loud enough.”
Tracy came to the Hermosa Project with nearly 30 years of administrative experience in construction. Joining South32 was the first time she dipped her toes into the mining industry. In her day-to-day work at Hermosa, she facilitates the behind-the-scenes contracts required to engage vendors and suppliers to support the project. She manages a variety of contract agreements, such as attorney-client privilege relationships, community contracts, supplier agreements and master service agreements. Tracy also serves as a Hermosa Project representative on South32’s Supply Culture Committee , which provides her with an opportunity to engage with other representatives from South32’s diverse project portfolio each month.
Tracy’s enthusiasm for her work is palpable. She enjoys partaking in employee Lunch and Learns where she gets to hear from a rotating group of Hermosa Project departments as they update one another on the latest project happenings. Her favorite part of the job? Passing along the knowledge she’s gained over the years. “I find joy in learning new things and teaching other people to use those skills,” she shared. Tracy homeschooled her six children for a period of time, reinforcing her knack for teaching others.
For others who are interested in becoming a Contracts Specialist, Tracy says that understanding the relationship between company and client is key. It was important to Tracy that she works for a company whose values aligned with her own and one that she could be proud to work for—the Hermosa Project has provided her with just that.
When asked to shout out one of her favorite places in Santa Cruz County, Tracy was quick to name Ovens of Patagonia, a local coffee and sandwich shop. In her free time, she enjoys taking advantage of Arizona’s weather by visiting local trails and dog parks with her one-year-old Saint Bernard, Danny. Tracy is training Danny to be a certified therapy dog in hopes that they will be able to give back to the community by visiting different charity organizations, first responders and nursing homes together.
Tracy exemplifies the Hermosa Project’s values through not only the work she does at South32, but also through the hobbies she pursues in her spare time. We are proud to have Tracy as part of our Hermosa Project team.
