The comeback: How Standard Uranium (STND.V) took it in the junk and stood tall

I was sitting in Jon Bey’s office, down in Coal Harbour, overlooking one of the city’s finest views. Bey’s group sits at the literal end of civilization in Vancouver – not the edge of the downtown eastside, but the other edge of civilization – the last building before Stanley Park takes over. It’s far from the cigarette smoke and desperation of Howe Street, and just far enough from Cactus Club that one might be dissuaded from making the trip to that nest of market vipers.

Bey does business among the boats and the birds. And, truth be told, if you’re going to be a damn workaholic, this is the kind of place that would inspire you to do it.

Midway through a long interview about the end of his company drill season, one in which the elements did Bey no favours and the market responded in kind, I asked Bey an outside-the-box question.

“Geez man, you’ve been on a frozen lake all winter, you’ve been racking up frequent flier miles in the spring looking for financing.. do you remember what the kids look like?”

I instantly felt like a dick for joking about it, because Bey’s quick intake of air told me that, indeed, the kids were in the forefront of his mind.

“I started this thing a few years ago and my family were behind me every step, and now we’re at that place where I have to decide, either it was all for nothing, or we’re going to push through and make it work,” he said.

It was one of those moments you don’t get very often in the public markets, where for all the days in the gym and all the nice suits and all the boardroom hours and market machinations, you realize you’re sitting next to a dad giving everything he has to provide for his kids, and who WILL NOT QUIT if there’s a god damned chance he can make things work.

I made the vow, at that point, to help Bey and his company, Standard Uranium (STND.V) in any way I could, because you’ve gotta be there for the good guys. There’s not enough of them to leave them doing all the pushing by themselves. Our marketing contract with Standard expired around that time, but I continue to talk about the company, gratis, because I know Bey is giving this thing everything he’s got, and the market is finally starting to respect that.

Standard Uranium’s Bold New Pivot: A Journey to Revival

In the rags to riches world of uranium exploration, the latest corporate update from Standard Uranium shows what can be done when a group is willing to agree the initial plan hasn’t worked out.. With exciting news of strategic land expansion, the appointment of a new president, and the addition of promising projects, it’s evident that this company is gearing up for a major comeback, and people are noticing.

To start off with changes to the C-suite, Sean Hillacre is stepping up as the newly appointed President. When a company ushers in new leadership, it often indicates a fresh perspective and renewed energy, and though Hillacre has been working with Standard for some time on the geo side, his expertise and reputation certainly bring promise, not to mention confirmation that he’s in there swinging.

Bey, the company’s CEO, addressed the challenges faced by many uranium exploration firms this year in telling the world, despite the tumultuous waters in the broader industry, Standard Uranium has been meticulously expanding its portfolio, while forging joint venture partnerships and gathering allies and resources for what promises to be a significant upward trajectory.

For those new to uranium exploration, the new focus is the expansion of the Sun Dog and Atlantic projects and the inclusion of the Corvo project. Think of this as the company planting more seeds in fertile ground. The Athabasca basin, where these projects lie, is the North American hub for uranium, and Standard Uranium now proudly owns seven projects across this uranium-rich hotspot.

The company’s strategy? Grow their valuable assets in this region, ensuring they provide the best returns to their shareholders, but also shift away from a single property, and spread their bets across a wider board.

Let’s delve into the Corvo project. Located a short distance away from the heart of the Athabasca basin and nearby key facilities, Corvo is in a prime location. It covers an expansive area showcasing intriguing geological features which indicate potential rich uranium deposits. The plan now is to gather more data, conduct surface tests, and identify the best spots to start drilling. The location and geology are perfect, making it a potential powerhouse for producing valuable uranium in the future.

In uranium exploration, a ‘high grade’ tag means you’re dealing with a rich and concentrated source. And for Standard Uranium, the definition of high grade is uranium mineralization with more than 1.0 weight percent of U3O8. That’s what you’re looking for in news going forward.

The technical stuff:

The Corvo project has two prominent northeast-southwest magnetic-low trends, in sync with EM conductors and intersecting faults.
Past surveys revealed geochemical anomalies along conductive patterns and noticeable lithologic contacts in outcrop.
These anomalies include unusual uranium values linked with increased pathfinder and total rare earth elements (TREEs).
Raised radioactivity is detected in boulders, outcrop, and drilled rock.
The aforementioned geochemical anomalies in the Corvo project suggest a high likelihood for uranium mineralization.
Corvo was the site of the earlier discovered Manhattan showing.
Manhattan showing yielded results of up to 59,800 parts per million uranium, coupled with increased levels of thorium, lead, and TREEs.
The project is near SMDI 2052, which showcased 0.137 per cent U3O8 and 2,300 parts per million thorium.

Literally as I was writing this, Standard announced they were not just big on Corvo but expanding their land holding at the project.

Standard Uranium Ltd.’s wholly owned subsidiary, Standard Uranium (Saskatchewan) Ltd., has entered into a mineral property purchase and sale agreement, dated effective Aug. 24, 2023, with Eagle Plains Resources Ltd., pursuant to which the company will acquire eight additional mineral claims totalling 4,278 hectares contiguous with the recently staked Corvo project in the eastern Athabasca basin region. Upon completion of the acquisition, the Corvo project will comprise 7,989 hectares within 10 claims and contain 14.5 kilometres of prospective exploration corridors across two trends. Standard Uranium continues to implement its project generator growth strategy, further adding to the already-considerable land package in the Athabasca basin through expansion and acquisition opportunities.

In layman’s terms? Standard Uranium is bouncing back, betting big on new projects and leadership. They’re planting seeds in one of the most lucrative uranium fields, gearing up to reap a bountiful harvest in the near future, and – most intriguingly, as far as I’m concerned – learning from the past to make Standard stronger going forward.

The stock is picking up.