RISK FACTORS

The price of our common stock may be materially affected by a number of risk factors, including those summarized below:

Risks Relating to Our Company 

Our results of operations, cash flows and the value of our properties are highly dependent on the market prices of gold and silver and these prices can be volatile.  The profitability of our gold and silver mining operations and the value of our mining properties are directly related to the market price of gold and silver. The price of gold and silver may also have a significant influence on the market price of our common stock. The market price of gold and silver historically has fluctuated significantly and is affected by numerous factors beyond our control. These factors include supply and demand fundamentals, global or national political or economic conditions, expectations with respect to the rate of inflation, the relative strength of the U.S. dollar and other currencies, interest rates, gold and silver sales and loans by central banks, forward sales by metal producers, accumulation and divestiture by exchange traded funds, and a number of other factors.

We derive our revenue from the sale of gold and silver and our results of operations will fluctuate as the prices of these metals change.  A period of significant and sustained lower gold and silver prices would materially and adversely affect our results of operations and cash flows. The volatility of mineral prices represents a substantial risk which no amount of planning or technical expertise can fully eliminate. In the event mineral prices decline or remain low for prolonged periods of time, we may be unable to develop our existing exploration properties, which may adversely affect our results of operations, financial performance, and cash flows. An asset impairment charge may result from the occurrence of unexpected adverse events that impact our estimates of expected cash flows generated from our producing properties or the market value of our non-producing properties, including a material diminution in the price of gold or silver.

During 2019, the price of gold, as measured by the London P.M. fix, fluctuated from a low of $1,270 per ounce to a high of $1,546 per ounce while the price of silver fluctuated from a low of $14.38 per ounce to a high of $19.31 per ounce. As of October 31, 2020, gold and silver prices were $1,882 per ounce and $23.36 per ounce, respectively. The volatility in gold and silver prices is illustrated by the following table, which sets forth for each of the past five calendar years, the high, low, and average annual market prices in U.S. dollars per ounce of gold and silver based on the daily London P.M. fix:

Our production is currently limited to a single mine and any interruptions or stoppages in our mining activities would adversely affect our revenue. We are entirely dependent on revenues from a single mine to fund our operations. Any interruption in our ability to mine this location, such as a labor strike, natural disaster, or loss of permits would negatively impact our ability to generate revenue following such interruption. Additionally, if we are unable to economically develop additional mines, we will eventually deplete our reserves and will no longer generate revenue sufficient to fund our operations. A decrease in, or cessation of, our mining operations at this mine would adversely affect our financial performance and may eventually cause us to cease operations.

If we are unable to achieve anticipated gold and silver production levels, our financial condition and results of operations will be adversely affected. We have proceeded with the processing of ore from the Isabella Pearl mine at the Isabella Pearl project, based on estimates from our Proven and Probable Reserve report. However, risks related to reserve estimates, metallurgy, and/or mining dilution are inherent when working with extractable minerals. Sales of gold and silver that we realize from future mining activity will be less than anticipated if the mined material does not contain the concentration of gold and silver predicted by our geological exploration, studies, and reports. If sales of gold and silver are less than anticipated, we may not be able to recover our investment in our properties and our operations may be adversely affected. Our inability to realize production based on quarterly or annual projections may also adversely affect the price of our common stock. 

Estimates of proven and probable reserves are uncertain and the volume and grade of ore actually recovered may vary from our estimates. The proven and probable reserves stated in this prospectus represent the amount of gold and silver we estimated, at December 31, 2019, that could be economically and legally extracted or produced at the time of the reserve determination. Estimates of proven and probable reserves are subject to considerable uncertainty. Such estimates are, to a large extent, based on the prices of gold and silver, as well as interpretations of geologic data obtained from drill holes and other exploration techniques. These prices and interpretations are subject to change.  If we determine that certain of our estimated reserves have become uneconomic, we may be forced to reduce our estimates.  Actual production may be significantly less than we expect.

Any material changes in mineral estimates and grades of mineralization may affect the economic viability of our current operations, our decision to place a new property into production and/or such property’s return on capital. There can be no assurance that mineral recoveries in small scale laboratory tests will be duplicated in a large-scale on-site operation in a production environment. Extended declines in market prices for gold or silver may render portions of our mineralization estimates uneconomic and result in reduced reported mineralization or adversely affect the commercial viability of one or more of our properties. Any material reductions in estimates of mineralization, or of our ability to extract this mineralization, could have a material adverse effect on our results of operations, financial condition, and stock price.

Our current property portfolio is limited to one producing property and our ability to remain profitable over the long-term will depend on our ability to expand the known deposits on this property, and /or identify, explore and develop additional properties. Gold and silver producers must continually replace reserves depleted by production to maintain production levels over the long term and provide a return on invested capital. Depleted reserves can be replaced in several ways, including expanding known ore bodies, locating new deposits, or acquiring interests in reserves from third parties. Exploration is highly speculative in nature, capital intensive, involves many risks and is frequently unproductive. Our current or future exploration programs may not result in new mineral producing operations. Even if significant mineralization is discovered, it will likely take many years from the initial phases of exploration until commencement of production, during which time the economic feasibility of production may change.

From time to time, we may acquire mineral interests from other parties. Such acquisitions are based on an analysis of a variety of factors including historical exploration results, estimates of and assumptions regarding the extent of mineralized material, and/or reserves, the timing of production from such reserves and cash and other operating costs. In addition, we may rely on data and reports prepared by third parties (including the ability to permit and compliance with existing regulations) which may contain information or data that we are unable to independently verify or confirm. All of these factors are uncertain and may have an impact on our ability to develop the properties.

As a result of these uncertainties, our exploration programs and any acquisitions which we may pursue may not result in the expansion or replacement of our current production with new ore reserves or operations, which could have a material adverse effect on our business, prospects, results of operations and financial position and price of our common stock.

We may not be profitable.  Metal prices have a significant impact on our profit margin and there is no assurance that we will be profitable in the future. Unexpected interruptions in our mining business may cause us to incur losses, or the revenue that we generate from production may not be sufficient to fund continuing operations including exploration and mine construction costs. Our failure to generate future profits may adversely affect the price of our common stock. 

We may require significant additional capital to fund our business plans. We may be required to expend significant funds to determine if mineralized material and proven and probable mineral reserves exist at any of our non-producing properties, to continue exploration, and if warranted, develop our existing properties and to identify and acquire additional properties to diversify our property portfolio.  If we receive the necessary permits and make a positive development decision, we will require significant additional capital to bring the project into production. We have spent, and may be required to continue to expend, significant amounts of capital for drilling, geological and geochemical analysis, assaying, feasibility studies, engineering, mine construction and development, and mining and process equipment in connection with our exploration, development, and production activities.

Our ability to obtain necessary funding for these purposes, in turn, depends upon a number of factors, including our historical and prospective results of operations, the status of the national and worldwide economy, the price of gold, silver and other valuable metals, the condition of the debt and equity markets, and the costs associated with extracting minerals. We may not be successful in generating or obtaining the required financing, or if we can obtain such financing, such financing may not be on terms that are favorable to us. Failure to obtain such additional financing could result in delay or indefinite postponement of further mining operations or exploration and construction and the possible partial or total loss of our interest in our properties.

If we do not hedge our exposure to fluctuations in gold and silver prices, we may be subject to significant reductions in price. We do not use hedging transactions with respect to any of our gold and silver production and we do not expect to do so in the future.  Accordingly, we are fully exposed to price fluctuations if precious and base metal prices decline. While the use of hedging transactions limits the downside risk of price declines, their use also may limit future revenues from price increases. Hedging transactions also involve the risk that the counterparty may be unable to satisfy its obligations.

Revenue from the sale of doré may be adversely affected by loss or damage during shipment and storage at our buyer’s facilities. We rely on third-party transportation companies to transport our doré to the buyer’s facilities for processing and further refining. The terms of our sales contracts with the buyers require us to rely on assay results from samples of our doré to determine the final sales value for our metals. Once the doré leaves our processing facility, we no longer have direct custody and control of these products. Theft, loss, road accidents, improper storage, fire, natural disasters, tampering or other unexpected events while in transit or at the buyer’s location may lead to the loss of all or a portion of our doré products. Such losses may not be covered by insurance and may lead to a delay or interruption in our revenue and as a result, our operating results may be adversely affected.

Exploration and, if deemed feasible, development of mineral properties is inherently risky and could lead to unproductive properties and/or capital investments. Our long-term success depends on our ability to identify additional mineral deposits on our properties and any other properties that we may acquire and to develop one or more of those properties into commercially viable mining operations. Mineral exploration is highly speculative in nature, involves many risks and is frequently unproductive. These risks include unusual or unexpected geologic formations and the inability to obtain suitable or adequate machinery, equipment, or labor. The success of gold exploration is determined in part by the following factors:

Substantial expenditures are required to establish proven and probable reserves through detailed drilling and analysis, to develop metallurgical processes to extract metal and to develop the mining and processing facilities and infrastructure at any site chosen for mining. Whether a mineral deposit will be commercially viable depends on a number of factors, which include, without limitation, the particular attributes of the deposit, such as size, grade, metallurgy, rock competency and proximity to infrastructure such as power, water and roads; metal prices, which fluctuate widely; and government regulations, including, without limitation, regulations relating to prices, taxes, royalties, land tenure, land use, importing and exporting of minerals, environmental protection and local and community support. We may invest significant capital and resources in exploration activities and abandon such investments if we are unable to identify commercially exploitable mineral reserves. The decision to abandon a project may have an adverse effect on the market value of our common stock and our ability to raise future financing.

We may acquire additional exploration stage properties and our business may be negatively impacted if reserves are not located on acquired properties. We may in the future acquire exploration stage properties. There can be no assurance that reserves will be identified on any properties that we acquire. We may experience negative reactions from the financial markets if we successfully complete acquisitions of additional properties and reserves are not located on acquired properties. These factors may adversely affect the trading price of our common stock or our financial condition or results of operations.

To the extent that we seek to expand our operations and increase our reserves through acquisitions, we may experience issues in executing acquisitions or integrating acquired operations.  From time to time, we examine opportunities to make selective acquisitions in order to provide increased returns to our shareholders and to expand our operations and reported reserves and, potentially, generate synergies. The success of any acquisition would depend on a number of factors, including, but not limited to:

There can be no assurance that we will be able to conclude any acquisitions successfully, or that any acquisition will achieve the anticipated synergies or other positive results. Any material problems that we encounter in connection with such an acquisition could have a material adverse effect on our business, results of operations, financial position, or trading price of our common stock.

We rely on contractors to conduct a significant portion of our operations and construction projects.  A significant portion of our operations and construction projects are currently conducted in whole or in part by third party contractors.  As a result, our operations are subject to a number of risks, some of which are outside our control, including:

In addition, we may incur liability to third parties as a result of the actions of our contractors. The occurrence of one or more of these risks could adversely affect our results of operation, financial position, or trading price of our common stock.

The facilities and development of our mine and operations are subject to all of the risks inherent in development, construction, and operations. These risks include potential delays, cost overruns, shortages of material or labor, construction defects, breakdowns and injuries to persons and property. We expect to engage subcontractors and material suppliers in connection with the continued mine activities at the Isabella Pearl project. While we anticipate taking all measures which we deem reasonable and prudent in connection with our facilities, construction of the mine and the operation of the processing facility, there is no assurance that the risks described above will not cause delays or cost overruns in connection with such construction or operation. Any delays would postpone our anticipated generation of revenue and adversely affect our operations, which in turn may adversely affect our financial position and the price of our common stock. 

Construction of mine and process facilities is subject to all of the risks inherent in construction and start-up, including delays and costs of construction in excess of our projections. When applicable, many factors could delay or prevent the start or completion of, or increase the costs of, future projects or ongoing construction projects at our mine and process facility, including:

If any of the foregoing events were to occur, our financial condition could be adversely affected and we may be required to seek additional capital, which may not be available on commercially acceptable terms, or at all. If we are unable to complete such construction, we may not be able to recover any costs already incurred. Even if construction of a mine and processing facility is completed as scheduled, the costs could exceed our expectations and result in a materially adverse effect on our business, results of operations, financial condition, and cash flows.

Our operations are subject to permitting requirements which could result in the delay, suspension, or termination of our operations.  Our operations, including our ongoing exploration drilling programs and production, require permits from governmental authorities. If we cannot obtain or maintain the necessary permits or if there is a delay in receiving future permits, our timetable and business plan will be adversely affected.  We have from time to time relied on third party environmental firms to assist in our efforts to obtain and remain current with required regulations and permits.  While we attempt to manage and oversee third party firms, we are dependent on the firm to operate in a professional and knowledgeable manner.

Our ability to recognize the benefits of net losses is dependent on future cash flows and taxable income. We recognize deferred tax assets when the tax benefit is considered to be more likely than not of being realized; otherwise, a valuation allowance is applied against deferred tax assets. Assessing the recoverability of deferred tax assets requires management to make significant estimates related to expectations of future taxable income. Estimates of future taxable income are based on forecasted cash flows from operations and the application of existing tax laws in each jurisdiction. To the extent that future cash flows and taxable income differ significantly from estimates, our ability to realize the deferred tax assets could be impacted. Additionally, future changes in tax laws could limit our ability to obtain the future tax benefits represented by our deferred tax assets. At December 31, 2019 GRC Nevada Inc. (our wholly owned subsidiary) had recorded a $2.1 million valuation allowance for our net deferred tax assets as a result of the net operating losses recorded to date.

Our continuing reclamation obligations at our operations could require significant additional expenditures. We are responsible for the reclamation obligations related to disturbances located on all of our properties.  We have a liability on our balance sheet to cover the estimated reclamation obligation. However, there is a risk that any reserve could be inadequate to cover the actual costs of reclamation when carried out. Continuing reclamation obligations will require a significant amount of capital. There is a risk that we will be unable to fund these additional obligations and further, that the regulatory authorities may increase reclamation requirements to such a degree that it would not be commercially reasonable to continue mining and exploration activities, which may adversely affect our results of operations, financial performance and cash flows.

Competition in the mining industry is intense, and we have limited financial and personnel resources with which to compete. Competition in the mining industry for desirable properties, investment capital and personnel is intense. Numerous companies headquartered in the United States (“U.S.”) and elsewhere throughout the world compete for properties and personnel on a global basis. We are a small participant in the gold mining industry due to our limited financial and personnel resources. We presently operate with a limited number of personnel and we anticipate operating in the same manner going forward. We compete with other companies in our industry to hire qualified personnel when needed to successfully operate our mine and processing facility. We may be unable to attract the necessary investment capital or personnel to fully explore and, if warranted, develop our properties and be unable to acquire other desirable properties. We believe that competition for acquiring mineral properties, as well as the competition to attract and retain qualified personnel, may continue to be intense in the future.

Our activities are subject to significant environmental regulations, which could raise the cost of doing business or adversely affect our ability to develop our properties. Significant state and federal environmental laws and regulations in the U.S. may hinder our ability to explore, develop, and operate. Federal laws that govern mining claim location and maintenance and mining operations on federal lands are generally administered by the Bureau of Land Management.   Additional federal laws, governing mine safety and health, also apply. State laws also require various permits and approvals before exploration, development or production operations can begin. Among other things, a reclamation plan must typically be prepared and approved, with bonding in the amount of projected reclamation costs. The bond is used to ensure that proper reclamation takes place, and the bond will not be released until that time. Local jurisdictions may also impose permitting requirements (such as conditional use permits or zoning approvals). 

The nature of mineral exploration and production activities involves a high degree of risk and the possibility of uninsured losses. Exploration for and the production of minerals is highly speculative and involves greater risk than many other businesses. Many exploration programs do not result in the discovery of mineralization, and any mineralization discovered may not be of sufficient quantity or quality to be profitably mined. Our operations are, and any future mining operations or construction we may conduct will be, subject to all of the operating hazards and risks normally incident to exploring for and mining of mineral properties, such as, but not limited to:

Any of these risks can materially and adversely affect, among other things, the development of properties, production quantities and rates, costs and expenditures, potential revenues and targeted production dates. We currently have limited insurance to guard against some of these risks. If we determine that capitalized costs associated with any of our mineral interests are not likely to be recovered, we would incur a write down of our investment in these interests. All of these factors may result in losses in relation to amounts spent which are not recoverable or result in additional expenses.

Title to mineral properties can be uncertain. Our ability to explore and operate our properties depends on the validity of our title to that property. Our U.S. mineral properties include patented and unpatented mining claims. Unpatented mining claims provide only possessory title and their validity is often subject to contest by third parties or the federal government, which makes the validity of unpatented mining claims uncertain and generally riskier. Uncertainties inherent in mineral properties relate to such things as the sufficiency of mineral discovery, proper posting and marking of boundaries, assessment work and possible conflicts with other claims not determinable from public record. There may be valid challenges to the title to our properties which, if successful, could impair development and/or operations.

We are dependent upon information technology systems, which are subject to disruption, damage, failure, and risks associated with implementation and integration. We are dependent upon information technology systems in the conduct of our operations. Our information technology systems are subject to disruption, damage, or failure from a variety of sources, including, without limitation, computer viruses, security breaches, cyber-attacks, natural disasters, and defects in design. Cybersecurity incidents, in particular, are evolving and include, but are not limited to, malicious software, attempts to gain unauthorized access to data and other electronic security breaches that could lead to disruptions in systems, unauthorized release of confidential or otherwise protected information and the corruption of data. Various measures have been implemented to manage our risks related to information technology systems and network disruptions. However, given the unpredictability of the timing, nature and scope of information technology disruptions, we could potentially be subject to production downtimes, operational delays, the compromising of confidential or otherwise protected information, destruction or corruption of data, security breaches, other manipulation or improper use of our systems and networks or financial losses from remedial actions, any of which could have a material adverse effect on our cash flows, competitive position, financial condition or results of operations.

We may also be adversely affected by system or network disruptions if new or upgraded information technology systems are defective, not installed properly or not properly integrated into our operations. If we are not able to successfully implement system upgrades or modifications, we may have to rely on manual reporting processes and controls over financial reporting that have not been planned, designed, or tested. Various measures have been implemented to manage our risks related to the system upgrades and modifications, but system upgrades and modification failures could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations and could, if not successfully implemented, adversely impact the effectiveness of our internal controls over financial reporting.

We do not insure against all of the risks to which we may be subject in our operations and development. While we currently maintain general commercial liability, pollution and property insurance in Nevada, we may be subject to liability for certain environmental, pollution or other hazards associated with mineral exploration and mine construction, for which insurance may not be available, which may exceed the limits of our insurance coverage, or which we may elect not to insure against because of premium costs or other reasons. We may also not be insured against all interruptions to our operations. Losses from these or other events may cause us to incur significant costs which could materially adversely affect our financial condition and our ability to fund activities on our properties. A significant loss could force us to reduce or suspend our operations and development.

We depend upon a limited number of personnel and the loss of any of these individuals could adversely affect our business. Due to the relatively limited number of personnel that we employ, we are dependent on certain individuals to run our business. These individuals include our executive officer and other key employees. If any of these individuals were to die, become disabled or leave our company, we would be forced to identify and retain individuals to replace them. There is no assurance that we can find suitable individuals to replace them or to add to our employee base if that becomes necessary. We have no life insurance on any individual, and we may be unable to hire a suitable replacement on favorable terms should that become necessary.

Risks Related to Our Common Stock

There currently exists no public trading market for our common stock and you will not be able to sell your shares of common stock if an active trading market does not develop. Although we expect that a public trading market will develop after the Spin-Off has been completed, there can be no assurance that a public trading market will develop at that time or be sustained in the future. Without an active public trading market, you may not be able to sell your shares without considerable delay, if at all. If a market does develop, the price for our common stock may be highly volatile and may bear no relationship to our actual financial condition or results of operations. Unless our common stock is listed on a national securities exchange, many brokerage firms may not be willing to sell our common stock on your behalf. Although we expect our common stock will trade on the OTCQB platform maintained by the OTC Markets Group, there is no assurance that our shares will be in fact traded on the OTCQB platform.

Our stock price may be volatile and as a result you could lose part or all of your investment. In addition to other risk factors identified and due to volatility associated with equity securities in general, our stock prices could decline due to the impact of numerous factors, including:

Stock markets in general have experienced extreme price and volume fluctuations and the market prices of individual securities have been highly volatile. These fluctuations are often unrelated to operating performance and may adversely affect the market price of our common stock. As a result, you may be unable to sell your shares at a desired price.

Issuances of our stock in the future could dilute existing shareholders and adversely affect the market price of our common stock. Our Directors have the authority to issue up to 200,000,000 shares of common stock, 20,000,000 shares of preferred stock, and to issue options and warrants to purchase shares of our common stock without shareholder approval. Upon completion of the Spin-Off, we will have approximately 20,000,000 outstanding shares of common stock (subject to change prior to the record date of the Spin-Off) and no outstanding shares of preferred stock. Future issuances of our securities could be at prices substantially below the price paid for our common stock by our current shareholders. The issuance of a significant amount of our common stock may have a disproportionately large impact on our share price compared to larger companies.

Awards of our shares and stock options to employees may not have their intended effect. A portion of our total compensation program for our executive officers and key personnel will include the award of shares and options to buy shares of our common stock. If the price of our common stock performs poorly, such performance may adversely affect our ability to retain or attract critical personnel. In addition, any changes made to our stock option policies or to any other of our compensation practices which are made necessary by governmental regulations or competitive pressures could affect our ability to retain and motivate existing personnel and recruit new personnel.

 Our directors and officers may be protected from certain types of lawsuits. The laws of Colorado provide that our directors will not be liable to us or our shareholders for monetary damages for all but certain types of conduct as directors of the company. Our bylaws permit us to indemnify our directors and officers against all damages incurred in connection with our business to the fullest extent provided or allowed by law. The exculpation provisions of these items may have the effect of preventing shareholders from recovering damages against our directors caused by their negligence, poor judgment, or other circumstances. The indemnification provisions may require us to use our limited assets to defend our directors and officers against claims, including claims arising out of their negligence, poor judgment, or other circumstances.

We may issue shares of preferred stock that would have a liquidation preference to our common stock. Our Articles of Incorporation currently authorize the issuance of 20,000,000 shares of preferred stock. Our board of directors have the power to issue shares without shareholder approval, and such shares can be issued with such rights, preferences, and limitations as may be determined by our board of directors. The rights of the holders of common stock will be subject to, and may be adversely affected by, the rights of any holders of preferred stock that may be issued in the future.

Although we presently have no commitments or agreements to issue any additional shares of preferred stock, authorized and unissued preferred stock could delay, discourage, hinder or preclude an unsolicited acquisition of our Company, could make it less likely that shareholders receive a premium for their shares as a result of any such attempt, and could adversely affect the market prices of, and the voting and other rights, of the holders of our shares of common stock.

Our Shareholder Rights Agreement may not be in the best interest of our shareholders. On October 15, 2020, we adopted a Shareholders Rights Agreement, commonly called a "Poison Pill", and declared a dividend of one Series A Right and one Series B Right, or collectively the Rights, for each share of our common stock which was outstanding on October 15, 2020. The Rights have certain anti-takeover effects and will cause substantial dilution to a person or group that attempts to acquire us on terms not approved by our Board of Directors. The effect of the Rights may be to discourage a third party from attempting to obtain a substantial position in our common stock or seeking to obtain control of us. To the extent any potential acquisition is deterred by the Rights, the Rights may make the removal of management difficult even if the removal would be considered beneficial to our shareholders generally and may have the effect of limiting shareholder participation in certain transactions such as mergers or tender offers if these transactions are not favored by our management.

You may have difficulty depositing your shares with a broker or selling shares of our common stock which you received in this offering. Many securities brokers will not accept securities for deposits and will not sell securities which trade in the over-the-counter market.

Further, for a securities broker which will accept deposit and agree to sell such securities in the over-the-counter market under certain circumstances, such broker may first require the customer to complete a questionnaire detailing how the customer acquired the shares, provide the securities broker with an opinion of an attorney concerning the ability of the shares to be sold in the public market, and pay a “legal review” fee which in some cases can exceed $1,000.

For these reasons, shareholders may have difficulty selling shares of our common stock.

We are an Emerging Growth Company, subject to less stringent reporting and regulatory requirements of other publicly held companies and this status may have an adverse effect on our ability to attract interest in our common stock. We are an Emerging Growth Company as defined in the JOBS Act. As long as we remain an Emerging Growth Company, we may take advantage of certain exemptions from various reporting and regulatory requirements that are applicable to other public companies that are not emerging growth companies. We cannot predict if investors will find our common stock less attractive if we choose to rely on these exemptions. If some investors find our common stock less attractive as a result of any choices to reduce future disclosure, there may be a less active trading market for our common stock and our stock price may be more volatile.

The occurrence of the COVID- 19 pandemic may negatively affect our operations depending on the severity and longevity of the pandemic. On March 11, 2020, the World Health Organization declared the outbreak of a respiratory disease caused by a new novel coronavirus (“COVID-19”) as a pandemic.

Precious metal mining is considered essential to support critical infrastructure under guidelines from the U.S. Department of Homeland Security and the State of Nevada. As a result, the Isabella Pearl Mine in Nevada has continued to operate at full capacity.

As of the date of this prospectus, there have been no significant impacts, including impairments, to our operations and financial statements. However, the long-term impact of the COVID-19 outbreak on our results of operations, financial position and cash flows will depend on future developments, including the duration and spread of the outbreak and related advisories and restrictions. These developments and the impact of COVID-19 on the financial markets and the overall economy are highly uncertain and cannot be predicted. If the financial markets and/or the overall economy are impacted for an extended period, our results of operations, financial position and cash flows may be materially adversely affected. We are not able to estimate the duration of the pandemic and potential impact on our business if disruptions or delays in business developments and shipments of product occur. In addition, a severe prolonged economic downturn could result in a variety of risks to our business, including a decreased ability to raise capital when and if needed on acceptable terms, if at all.

Risks Relating to Our Spin-Off

We may be unable to make the changes necessary to achieve the perceived benefits of the Spin-Off and operate as an independent entity or we may incur greater costs, which could prevent us from operating profitably. Following the spin-off, GRC will have no obligation (beyond what is provided in the Separation Agreement and Management Services Agreement) to provide financial, operational, or organizational assistance to us.  As a consequence, we may not be able to successfully implement the changes necessary to operate independently.  We may also incur additional costs relating to operating independently that would cause our available cash resources to decline.  These costs may include, but are not limited to, board of director fees, salaries for personnel, investor relations, accounting and auditing services, legal fees, and shareholder and transfer agent costs.  We cannot guarantee that once we become a stand-alone company we will be profitable.

There could be significant liability if the distribution is determined to be a taxable transaction. There is no guarantee that the requirements for tax-free treatment under Section 355 of the Code will be satisfied with respect to the Spin-Off transaction. We have evaluated the requisite criteria, however, determination of taxability relies on certain facts, assumptions, representations and undertakings from the Company and Spin-Off regarding the past and future conduct of the companies’ respective businesses and other matters and the IRS may disagree with ours and our advisors’ assessments. If any of these facts, assumptions, representations, or undertakings is determined to be incorrect or not satisfied, the Company and its shareholders could be subject to significant tax liabilities following the distribution. We have not requested and do not intend to request a ruling from the Internal Revenue Service or an opinion of tax counsel that the distribution will qualify as a tax-free spin-off under U.S. tax laws.

We could have an indemnification obligation to GRC if the Spin-Off were determined not to qualify for non-recognition treatment. If, due to the breach of any of our covenants in the Separation Agreement with GRC, it were determined that the Spin-Off did not qualify for non-recognition of gain and loss, we could be required to indemnify GRC for the resulting taxes and related expenses. In addition, Section 355(e) of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended (the “Code”), generally creates a presumption that the Spin-Off would be taxable to GRC, if we or our shareholders were to engage in transactions that result in a 25% or greater change by vote or value in the ownership of our common stock during the two-year period beginning on the date that begins after the date of this Prospectus, unless it were established that such transactions and the Spin-Off were not part of a plan or series of related transactions giving effect to such a change in ownership. If the Spin-Off were taxable to GRC due to such 25% or greater change in the ownership of our common stock, GRC would recognize gain in an amount up to the fair market value of our common stock held by it immediately before the Spin-Off, and we generally would be required to indemnify GRC for the tax on such gain and related expenses. See “Relationship with Gold Resource Corporation After the Spin-Off- Separation Agreement” for more information.

We have agreed to numerous restrictions in the Separation Agreement with GRC to preserve the non-recognition treatment of the Spin-Off which restriction may limit our operating flexibility. We have agreed in the Separation Agreement with GRC to covenants that address compliance with Section 355(e) of the Code. These covenants may limit our ability to pursue strategic transactions or engage in new businesses or other transactions that might maximize the value of our business, and could discourage or delay transactions that our shareholders may consider favorable. See “Relationship with Gold Resource Corporation After the Spin-Off- Separation Agreement” for more information.