Robert Friedland is a legend in the mining industry. He is a member of the Canadian Mining Hall of Fame (2016) and the American Mining Hall of Fame (2021). He was involved in the discovery of the Voisey's Bay nickel discovery (later purchased by Inco for CAD $4.3 billion and is now part of Vale (VALE)). He was involved in the discovery of the Fort Knox gold mine in Alaska which is now owned and operated by Kinross Gold (KGC).