Teck Resources

Teck Resources really digs zinc ... and coal. ... and copper. Its Red Dog mine in Alaska holds some of the world's largest zinc reserves. The company's coal business operates through subsidiary Fording Canadian Coal Trust. (The company owned less than 20% of Fording until it spent $14 billion in 2008 to buy the rest of it.) It mines copper in Canada, Chile, and Peru. Teck's energy segment consists of stakes in three oil sands projects in Canada that are in the development stage. In 2012 Teck agreed to acquire Canada's SilverBirch Energy for $425 million. Though Teck was founded in 1913 as a gold miner, it sold off its gold holdings to pay off its debt and focus on growing its other metals businesses.