Gunnison Copper Corp. (TSX: GCU) (OTCQB: GCUMF) (FSE: 3XS0), an American copper company headquartered in Phoenix, welcomed U.S. Secretary of the Interior Doug Burgum and U.S. Congressman Juan Ciscomani to its producing Johnson Camp Mine in Cochise County, Arizona, on October 20, 2026. The visit highlighted Gunnison’s current copper production, the growth opportunity at its flagship Gunnison Copper Project, and the role of American workers in strengthening domestic supply chains for defense, technology and manufacturing.

The visit comes as Gunnison prepares for its anticipated trading debut on the NYSE American on or about October 26, 2026, under the ticker symbol “GUNN”.

Federal, state and local leaders, community partners and Gunnison employees gathered to dedicate Gunnison Copper Patriots Plaza, a name selected by employees. Joining Secretary Burgum and Congressman Ciscomani were Arizona State Legislators David Gowan and Lupe Diaz; county leaders Frank Antenori and Kathleen Gomez; local mayors Clea McCaa, Joe Konrad and Greg Hancock; and community leaders George Scott and Melany Edwards-Barton. The visit also included a production blast and discussions on advancing the Gunnison Copper Project. The Company announced employee ownership initiatives, including planned one-time equity awards with a target value of US$2,500 per employee.

“We are honored to welcome Secretary Burgum and Congressman Ciscomani and grateful for President Trump’s and Secretary Burgum’s leadership in supporting domestic mineral production, together with Congressman Ciscomani’s continued advocacy for Arizona mining,” said Craig Hallworth, President and Chief Executive Officer of Gunnison Copper. “Our team is already producing finished copper in Arizona. We have the opportunity to build on that foundation through the nationally significant Gunnison Copper Project and make a much larger contribution to America’s copper supply. Advancing this project supports the administration’s goals for defense readiness, industrial independence and continued American superiority in Super Intelligence.”

Expanding American Copper Supply

The Gunnison Copper Project represents a significant opportunity to expand domestic copper production. Its March 2026 preliminary economic assessment outlined a conventional open pit, heap leach and SX/EW operation producing finished copper cathode on-site, with a net present value of approximately US$2 billion at an 8% discount rate and an internal rate of return of 23%. The PEA is preliminary in nature, includes Inferred Mineral Resources and does not establish economic viability; the related cautionary disclosure appears below.

At Johnson Camp, Gunnison is producing finished copper cathode with a production capacity of up to 25 million pounds annually. The operation incorporates Nuton technology from Rio Tinto and produces copper on-site for American markets. Gunnison is supplying copper for Amazon Web Services data centers, connecting Arizona copper production directly with the infrastructure supporting cloud computing and super intelligence.

Discussions during the visit focused on the Gunnison Copper Project’s contribution to domestic supply and opportunities to accelerate its advancement. The Company is pursuing development and financing pathways that could bring additional American copper production to market sooner.

Gunnison Copper Patriots Plaza Honors Country and Service

The visit marked the official dedication of Gunnison Copper Patriots Plaza, named by employees to honor country, service and the men and women of the U.S. Armed Forces. As a supplier of American-made copper to the U.S. defense sector, Gunnison takes pride in helping provide the materials needed to equip and protect those who serve. The plaza reflects that connection between the work of our employees in Arizona and the military personnel who defend our nation.

The plaza features the flags of the United States, Arizona and Gunnison Copper, along with six military plaques honoring each branch of the U.S. Armed Forces. Secretary Burgum, Congressman Ciscomani and Gunnison’s President & CEO, Craig Hallworth, participated in the ceremonial ribbon-cutting.

The plaza will serve as a lasting gathering place for employees and visitors, honoring military service and reminding future generations of the role American industry plays in safeguarding the nation.

Investing in American Workers Through Employee Ownership

In recognition of the employees driving Gunnison’s success, the Company announced new initiatives designed to strengthen employee ownership, recognize contributions and share in the Company’s long-term growth.

The Company announced a planned one-time equity award with a target value of US$2,500 for each eligible permanent employee. The awards are expected to be granted as restricted share units and will vest after 12 months of continued employment, subject to the terms of the program. The awards will give employees an opportunity to share in the Company’s future growth.

Gunnison also announced plans for a voluntary Employee Share Purchase Plan, providing eligible permanent employees the opportunity to purchase Company shares through payroll deductions at a 15% discount to market value, subject to plan terms. The annual cap of US$2,500 per employee applies to the value of the discount benefit, rather than the amount employees may contribute to purchase shares.

“People First, one of our values, means recognizing the employees who make our success possible and giving them the opportunity to share in the value they help create,” said Hallworth. “As we prepare for our NYSE American debut, these planned equity awards and our planned share purchase program connect our employees more directly with Gunnison’s future. The employee-selected name, Gunnison Copper Patriots Plaza, reflects the pride our team takes in its work and its contribution to the country.”

NYSE American Listing: Bringing American Copper to American Investors

Gunnison’s anticipated NYSE American trading debut on or about October 26, 2026, represents an important milestone in the Company’s strategy to expand its U.S. investor base and strengthen its presence in American capital markets. The Company expects its Level II ADRs to trade under the ticker symbol GUNN, with each ADR representing 30 Gunnison common shares. The listing is not associated with an equity financing and will not result in the issuance of additional common shares.

The anticipated listing is intended to broaden access for U.S. institutional and retail investors to a U.S.-headquartered copper producer operating entirely in Arizona, with current production at Johnson Camp and a significant domestic growth opportunity at the Gunnison Copper Project.

From left to right: U.S. Congressman Juan Ciscomani, U.S. Secretary of the Interior Doug Burgum, and Gunnison Copper President & CEO Craig Hallworth participate in the official ribbon-cutting ceremony for Gunnison Copper’s Patriot Plaza at the Johnson Camp Mine in Cochise County, Arizona.

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The celebration culminated in a spectacular red, white and blue ceremonial mine blast at Johnson Camp Mine, symbolizing the strength of American mining and Gunnison’s commitment to advancing domestic copper production. The patriotic display highlighted the critical role of American-made copper in strengthening U.S. supply chains and national security.

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U.S. Secretary of the Interior Doug Burgum delivers remarks to Gunnison Copper employees, government officials and community leaders during the official dedication of Gunnison Copper Patriots Plaza at the Johnson Camp Mine in Cochise County, Arizona, on October 20, 2026. The event highlighted the importance of American copper production in strengthening domestic supply chains and supporting U.S. national security.

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From left to right: Gunnison Copper COO Bjorn Meyer, U.S. Congressman Juan Ciscomani, U.S. Secretary of the Interior Doug Burgum, and Gunnison Copper President & CEO Craig Hallworth in front of the Johnson Camp Mine’s solvent extraction and electrowinning (SX/EW) plant.

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Gunnison Copper VP, Investor Relations & Communications Melissa Mackie and President & CEO Craig Hallworth discuss the significance of the day in front of the newly dedicated Gunnison Copper Patriots Plaza monument.

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ABOUT GUNNISON COPPER

Gunnison Copper Corp. is a multi-asset pure-play copper developer and producer that controls the Cochise Mining District, containing 12 known deposits within an 8 km economic radius, in the Southern Arizona Copper Belt.

Its flagship asset, the Gunnison Copper Project, has a main pit Measured and Indicated Mineral Resource containing over 846 million tons with a total copper grade of 0.33% containing 5.19 billion pounds of copper (Measured Mineral Resource of 192 million tons at 0.37% containing 1.42 billion pounds of copper and Indicated Mineral Resource of 655 million tons at 0.31% containing 3.77 billion pounds of copper).

The Strong & Harris satellite deposit, located approximately 1.9 miles from the Gunnison processing facilities, is also included in the mine plan and hosts an Inferred Mineral Resource of 76 million tons grading 0.49% total copper (0.32% CuOx) at a 0.07% cutoff, 0.56% zinc and 0.12 oz/ton silver, containing approximately 740 million pounds of copper, including 483 million pounds of oxide copper, as well as zinc (856 million pounds) and silver (9.0 million ounces).

A preliminary economic assessment was completed in March 2026 for the Gunnison Project yielding robust economics including an NPV8% of $2 billion, IRR of 23%, and payback period of 3.9 years. It is being developed as a conventional operation with open pit mining, heap leach, and SX/EW refinery to produce finished copper cathode on-site with direct rail link. The PEA is preliminary in nature and includes Inferred Mineral Resources that are considered too speculative geologically to have the economic considerations applied to them that would enable them to be categorized as mineral reserves. There is no certainty that the conclusions reached in the PEA will be realized. Mineral Resources that are not Mineral Reserves do not have demonstrated economic viability.

In addition, Gunnison’s Johnson Camp Asset, which is now in production, is fully funded by Nuton LLC, a Rio Tinto Venture, with a production capacity of up to 25 million lbs of finished copper cathode annually.

Other significant deposits controlled by Gunnison in the district, with potential to be economic satellite feeder deposits for Gunnison Project infrastructure, include South Star, and eight other deposits.

For more information on the Company, please visit our website at www.GunnisonCopper.com.

For additional information on the Gunnison Project please refer to the technical report titled “Gunnison Project NI 43-101 Technical Report, Preliminary Economic Assessment, Cochise County, Arizona, USA” with an effective date of March 18, 2026 filed on SEDAR+ at www.sedarplus.ca.

For additional information on the Johnson Camp Mine please refer to the technical report titled “Johnson Camp Mine NI 43-101 Technical Report, Cochise County, Arizona, USA” with an effective date of March 18, 2026 filed on SEDAR+ at www.sedarplus.ca.

Dr. Roland Goodgame, Senior VP of Project Development of the Company is a Qualified Person as defined by NI 43-101. Dr. Goodgame has reviewed and approved the technical information contained in this news release.

For further information regarding this press release, please contact:

Gunnison Copper Corp.
Concord Place, Suite 300, 2999 North 44th Street, Phoenix, AZ, 85018

Melissa Mackie
T: 647.533.4536
E: info@gunnisoncopper.com
www.GunnisonCopper.com