Most investors can tell you what uranium is. Or copper. Or lithium.
But fluorspar?
Well, the DoD knows what it is and just awarded a $169M contract to this little known company to secure this critical mineral.
That’s what makes this Experts Roundtable worth watching.
James Walker (CEO of Ares Strategic Mining) walks us through why fluorspar sits quietly inside a surprising number of “non-negotiable” industries—steel, chemicals, refrigeration, lithium-ion batteries, and even the nuclear fuel chain.
And then comes the thing that changes the whole framing:
Ares has a five-year contract with the U.S. Defense Logistics Agency (DLA) to supply acid-grade fluorspar.
That doesn’t mean it’s risk-free. It does mean this isn’t the usual “someday” junior mining story. It’s a “can they turn this into revenue and scale it?” story—with a real customer, real urgency, and a real timeline.
What James lays out (in plain English)
Why fluorspar matters now (and why the U.S. wound up dependent on imports)
Where Ares is in the buildout: mine work + plant installation + commissioning
What “first revenue” looks like and what has to happen next
How they think about product mix: metallurgical-grade early, then acid-grade once flotation is running
Key timing: he targets having the plant turned on by the end of February
Why this isn’t just a pitch
Our panel does what they always do: they pressure-test the story.
You’ll hear the right questions:
What the economics look like per ton, and how pricing works in the real world
What the unusual “pipe” geology implies for planning and consistency
What milestones matter most over the next 6–12 months
What the ownership and capital structure look like, and what to watch on financing
The part most people miss: stock mechanics
E.B. Tucker closes with a point that’s easy to overlook but matters a lot: a huge chunk of U.S. investors can’t easily buy this stock today, because it’s listed on the CSE in Canada and OTC in the US. James tells us that is about to change. A NASDAQ listing is in the works.
If Ares executes on the next obvious steps—revenue + a higher-quality listing—the investor base can change, liquidity can change, and the market can re-rate the story fast.
If your company would like the opportunity to be featured in a Doug Casey’s Experts Roundtable session, click here to speak with a member of our team.
Disclaimer: The company has paid a fee for the opportunity to sit in the ‘hot seat’ and present their story to our panel of experts; however, the opinions, analysis, and verdicts expressed by the expert panel are entirely their own, independent, and unfiltered. This content is for informational purposes only and does not constitute investment advice. Investing in junior mining stocks is speculative and carries a high degree of risk. Please conduct your own due diligence and consult a qualified financial advisor before making any investment decisions.
