In every uranium deal, there is a single individual who knows what is going on, as Bill Sheriff of Energy Metals advised us. If you want to know what is really happening at Smith Ranch, you talk to Patrick Drummond, the plant supervisor. He’s been in mining his entire life, having started off in the coal mines of Scotland. The Power Resources operation draws praise from Wyoming’s State Representative David Edwards and State Senator Robert Peck. The people who live in nearby Douglas, Wyoming speak highly of Power Resources.

At Uranerz Energy (OTC BB: URNZ), it is Glen Catchpole, who previously ran a Wyoming ISL operation, and helped develop Cameco’s ISL assets in Kazakhstan. Forum Development (TSX: FDC) has Dr. Boen Tan, who helped discover two of the Key Lake deposits in Canada’s Athabasca Basin. ESO Uranium (TSX: ESO) has precious metals geologist Tony Harvey advising the company. Perhaps it will be ESO’s Mikwam gold project in northern Ontario that puts this company on the map. With Forsys Metals (TSX: FSY), one turns to Graham Greenway, who previously compiled a resource estimate of FSY’s Valencia uranium property in Namibia for Rossing Uranium Ltd. Max Resources (TSX: MXR) has Clancy Wendt, who previously drilled the Utah property, and expects to again find uranium in the same place he found it more than 25 years ago. Mr. Anti-PR, Norman Burmeister of Kilgore Minerals (TSX: KAU), fails to boast about his stint as chief geologist for Silver Standard (NASDAQ NM: SSRI) or his former Bull Run gold mine. Yes, it is mentioned on his website. But, Norm is the kind of guy who quietly lines up a drill rig for his Idaho gold property, fairly certain he’s going to hit something big this summer. Then again, he doesn’t issue a wave of news releases to pump up his stock. These are the kinds of people the media just love to interview. They all have the “hidden” story that makes the reporter’s feature work for his readers, viewers or listeners.

These companies personify the qualities we investigate before writing about them in this column. Mainly, it is the quality of management that sets apart the possible winners from the likely losers. Everything flows out from that key point. If management really does know in which direction the company should be going, they’ll find the right properties. Fund managers will be eager to finance them. Investors will be less fearful about speculating on the company’s prospects. Eventually, even the most reluctant newsletter writer will be compelled to feature the company, or at the very least acknowledge the company has a shot. As long as the commodity price continues running higher, it becomes a win-win situation for those participating. Most of all, at some point, the mainstream media will stumble across such companies, or someone will bring the company to their attention. And then, you get the kind of rallies we’ve seen in Strathmore Minerals and some others.

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