About Us
Together We Build a Better Future.
Our commitment is rooted in a family legacy shaped by hard work and a strong belief that environmental responsibility and innovation can deliver sustainable solutions that benefit future generations. We are driven by passion, determination, and a genuine commitment to improving the world around us.
About the Company
Palkovsky Group is a family-owned company founded to realise the vision of its founder, Petr Palkovsky, and his family; the belief that economic development can only succeed when pursued in harmony with nature and people.
We develop projects that stimulate economic growth while safeguarding community well-being and preserving the natural environment for generations to come. Our focus is on investing in the responsible and sustainable use of critical mineral resources and renewable energy sources, both guided by the same goal: to create shared benefit for society through responsible environmental stewardship, respect for people, and the application of innovative approaches.
Our projects in Serbia are implemented through Palkovsky d.o.o., headquartered in Belgrade.
Our Mission
Our mission is to conduct comprehensive research and analysis, in full compliance with all applicable regulations and the highest professional standards, to demonstrate that natural resources can be developed responsibly, ensuring environmental protection while unlocking their full economic and social potential for Serbia.
Our Vision
Our vision is not only to restore, but to create a business model in which the environment, the economy, and society grow together, hand in hand.
People
The people who lead our company embody, through their personal and professional biographies, the principles that guide Palkovsky Group. They are the guarantee of our vision that economic development can be created in harmony with nature and people.
Family Legacy
Behind Palkovsky Group stands a successful, almost cinematic family story - a story of people who, fleeing repression in their homeland, set out to find safety and opportunity on the other side of the world.
Journey to Freedom
The journey from Czechoslovakia - occupied in 1968 by Warsaw Pact forces led by the Soviet Union - to Canada, where they found a safe haven, also took the Palkovsky family through what was then Yugoslavia.
In 1969, eight-year-old Petr Palkovsky and his parents experienced their first moments of freedom in Yugoslavia - a fact he still recalls with pride. At the time, Yugoslavia was considered the “most Western” country that citizens of Eastern Bloc states could visit, provided they obtained special travel permits. The Palkovsky family managed to secure such a permit for a tourist trip to Yugoslavia. It was the most important journey of their lives - the one that led to freedom. It was also the moment a bond was formed that continues to connect Petr to this region to this day.
After their time in Yugoslavia, the Palkovsky family crossed into Austria, and from there continued on to Canada.
They set out as tourists - and finished their journey as political emigrants.
There Is a “Canadian Dream,” too
Life for the Palkovsky family in Canada was defined by hard work and the desire to build a dignified, stable life in their new home. Looking out over the vast Pacific Ocean from Campbell River, where they lived, inspired young Petr to study marine biology at the University of Victoria. Canada’s vast landscapes and striking nature motivated him to connect his professional path with environmental protection.
While pursuing his “Canadian Dream,” Petr entered the entrepreneurial world and quickly discovered that the painting industry relied on solvent-based products for cleaning equipment - toxic chemicals harmful to both the environment and people. The marine biologist in him, who understood how wastewater impacts marine life, was awakened. This insight led him to develop and patent Bio-Wash, a 100% biodegradable, water-based solution for cleaning painting equipment. The product laid the foundation for an entire range of environmentally friendly water-based paints, paint removers, and wood finishes - now standard in the global coatings industry. By 2000, his company had a global footprint and transformed the industry through safer, more sustainable products.
Through this work, Petr established the most important principle of his business model: economic development in harmony with nature and people.
After selling his company, he chose to go further - applying this model in new ventures. Restless in spirit and driven by a desire to contribute beyond business, he became involved with the Vancouver Aquarium and the David Suzuki Foundation in advocacy for marine conservation. These efforts contributed to the announced ban on open-ocean salmon farms in Washington State and British Columbia, helping to protect fragile ecosystems.
Returning to the Place Where Freedom Began - and New Ventures
A desire to pursue thoughtful, responsible, and sustainable business, in harmony with nature and people, brought Petr back to the place where he first experienced a sense of freedom.
Reports that Serbia holds minerals and other resources essential for the transition to clean and sustainable energy led him, in 2010, to return to the Western Balkans - and especially to Serbia - to launch new business activities.
In Valjevo, he established a company dedicated to creating the conditions for the sustainable and responsible development of Europe’s only known sodium borate deposit, and one of the three most significant deposits globally, a mineral of strategic importance to the global economy.
A second focus area is renewable energy, particularly geothermal energy, for which significant potential also exists in the Valjevo region.
A Proud Czech-Canadian
Petr Palkovsky has spent most of his life in Canada, yet he has never forgotten his Czech and Slavic roots. He describes himself as a proud Canadian Czech - with a Slavic spirit that remains very much alive.
New Generation
As Petr raised his children to love and protect the environment, it was natural to expect they would follow in his footsteps.
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A new generation of the Palkovsky family has joined the family business, bringing fresh knowledge and modern experience.
Alexander Palkovsky connected his education in business and sustainability with the ambition to build new value through principles of sustainability and care for the world and life within it.
He also brought hands-on experience from working with renewable energy companies - particularly in the solar sector - in Canada and the United States, and he has been recognized for his contributions in this field.
Today, Alexander leads the operational delivery of Palkovsky Group projects in Serbia. The combination of experience and expertise that Petr and Alexander bring to the new projects they develop is a strong foundation for uniting entrepreneurship with environmental ethics, community development, and lasting social value.
Where Is the Future?
The future matters when it is tangible - and as certain and positive as possible. We believe strongly in what we do. We have deep confidence in our projects and the positive impact they will deliver.
Valjevo Borates
In the future, we see Serbia – and Valjevo – as an important point on the map of the global economy. With an estimated 10–15% share of the global market, Valjevo Borates will support industries of major importance to humanity.
This will bring significant benefits to Valjevo and Serbia: stable, well-paid jobs for those working on the project; partnerships with numerous companies that cooperate with the mine to mutual benefit; and millions of euros in mineral royalty revenues for the local municipality, invested into improving quality of life in Valjevo.
The project will also generate profit for the budget of the Republic of Serbia, as a partner in the project, supporting new ideas for national growth and development.
Most importantly, nature will retain its integrity and beauty. People in the area will continue to live undisturbed on the land where their families have lived for generations.
Thanks to ore processing activities, parts of inactive open-pit sites of the Kolubara Mining Basin will be remediated. Fully safe tailings produced during ore processing will be used for backfilling. This will be followed by recultivation and re-greening of the area, restoring it to a natural landscape.
The Palkovsky Foundation plans to finance dozens of projects focused on youth, education and science, local community development, and environmental protection – further contributing to quality of life in Valjevo and Serbia.
Geothermal Energy
In the future, we see Valjevo and other Serbian cities in winter without a grey layer of smog above rooftops. We see citizens in warm homes, satisfied with the quality of heating – and with its cost, lower than it was before geothermal energy was introduced.
We see cities progressing toward sustainable development, using natural resources wisely – while protecting and preserving them for generations to come.
