What do green energy activism, the Pyramid copper project in Alaska, and taking a Tesla Model S sedan on a road trip across North America have in common? The short answer is Gianni Kovacevic.
A self-proclaimed “realistic environmentalist” and chairman of CopperBank Resources Corp., Kovacevic has a foot in each the mining and green energy sectors – industries with a symbiotic relationship that has yet to be fully appreciated.
To raise awareness about this symbiotic relationship and promote “My Electrician Drives A Porsche?,” a critically acclaimed novel he authored on the topic – Kovacevic pulled away from the PDAC Convention in Toronto in his all-electric sedan on March 10 to embark on a cross continent road trip that will ultimately take him to his home in Vancouver, B. C.
Sitting in the front seat of the Tesla before his departure, Kovacevic told Daniela Cambone of Kitco News, “The greener and cleaner we create and utilize energy, the more that is demanded of electricity … and, of course, copper plays a very important role in that relationship.”
Allegorical novel
The electrician featured in the title of Kovacevic’s allegorical novel is a Generation X’er that becomes an investment mentor to an older family doctor from the Baby Boom generation. Within this fictional tale that follows the convergence of ideas between the two generations of investors, Kovacevic embeds real world notions on the challenges and opportunities of re-inventing the way the world tackles energy, the economy and the environment as hundreds of millions of new electricity consumers join the spending class.
“There are still about a-billion-and-a-half people that are going to witness dramatic progress in the next 10-20 years as they are lifted out of abject poverty and become consumers like you and I,” Kovacevic explains.
China, alone, is home roughly 415 million “Millennials” – more 16-35 year olds than the United States, Europe and Canada combined – seeking a standard of living on par with their counterparts in the West. Kovacevic reasons that this massive, young and aspiring population will dramatically increase the demand for electricity, as well as fueling the need for greener sources of this energy.
From the generation of this electricity, through the powerlines to deliver it, to the endless array of modern end products powered by electricity, the world is going to need a lot more copper.
“So if you stand for progress, humanity and green energy, you also stand for copper, because you should know it is irreplaceable in that equation,” Kovacevic explained in an interview with The Gold Report.
His book, which explores responsible wealth creation in this shifting demographic landscape, is the recipient of critical acclaim from resource investors and miners alike.
“Gianni Kovacevic’s artful storytelling takes curious investors on an exciting journey around the world to explore and discover current trends and their unexpected impact on the resource market,” praised U.S. Global Investors CEO Frank Holmes.
“Finally, a readable common sense review of the implications of emerging markets. Long overdue!” Teck Resources President and CEO Don Lindsay wrote.
Pounds in the ground
Kovacevic’s interest in copper as an important ingredient of green energy is not strictly academic. The realistic environmentalist is personally and financially invested in CopperBank Resources, a copper exploration and development company.
Formed in 2014, CopperBank brought Contact, a heap leach copper project in Nevada, and Pyramid, a large exploration-staged copper-gold-molybdenum project on the Alaska Peninsula, into a single company.
Kovacevic is executive chairman of CopperBank and Rob McLeod serves as the company’s CEO.
Anchored by Kovacevic’s vision that the world’s green energy future is going to need a lot more copper, the philosophy of CopperBank is to offer investors “pounds in the ground” by holding established, well-situated copper projects; managing them like owner-operators; and vehemently protecting the company’s per-share value.
“Being the single largest shareholder of the company, I can assure all of our shareholders that we are hyper-aware of dilution that does not accretively increase our value per share,” Kovacevic explained in a message to shareholders at the close of 2015.
Inside this strategy of growing shareholder value, management is seeking new copper projects to add to the CopperBank portfolio.
“During 2015, the company reviewed many advanced copper exploration and development assets, the majority of which did not meet our criteria for investment. In particular, we cannot stress enough that potential acquisitions should offer a comparable value per share for CopperBank shareholders,” Kovacevic explained.
Tesla tour
From behind the wheel of an all-electric Tesla sedan, Kovacevic is promoting his book and green energy during a 32-city tour that includes stops in New York; Washington D.C.; Atlanta, Georgia; Dallas, Texas; Phoenix, Arizona; and Palo Alto, California.
A May 5 stop at the headquarters of Tesla Motors, along with driving one of the company’s Model S sedans across North America, will put an exclamation point on another of the realistic environmentalist’s messages.
“We will effectively and colorfully debunk the many false myths about the changing energy mix, the validity of electric cars – and, in particular, the incredible Tesla brand and way of life,” he explained prior to setting out on his trek.
“The Realistic Environmentalist Tesla Tour” also provides Kovacevic with the opportunity to talk about CopperBank and the pounds of copper in the ground at the properties in its portfolio.
“As executive chairman of the company, I am strictly focused on continuing to introduce new investors to our very unique, dilution-conscious business model so badly needed during these challenged market conditions,” said Kovacevic.
Leaving the Tesla Motors headquarters in Palo Alto, the realistic environmentalist will make stops at Pacific Coast cities including Seattle, the computer capital of the world and home to the electrician in his novel, before making the short final leg of his journey home to Vancouver, a mecca for mining companies, including his own CopperBank Resources.
