ReElement Technologies Corporation said on Monday it had hired seven professionals to bolster operations at its Marion, Indiana refining facility, part of a broader push to scale production of rare earth elements and critical minerals.
The additions include Bill Baken and Glen Stewart as shift operations managers, each bringing more than two decades of large-scale manufacturing and U.S. Navy operational experience to the facility. Dee Cooper joins as human resources manager to support workforce development, while Jacob Miller takes the role of area lead with a background in U.S. Navy Nuclear Regional Maintenance.
Vedat Ozsever was appointed Marion plant engineering manager, bringing a Ph.D. in Mining Engineering from the University of Kentucky and two decades of process engineering experience in coal mining. Derrick Roper Jr. will serve as business analyst, focusing on business development in Africa and Europe, and Eddie Tsao returns as senior research scientist after completing a Ph.D. in Chemical Engineering at Purdue University.
The hires follow ReElement’s recent commissioning of its first commercial-scale germanium production column at the Marion facility and the receipt of air permits for all four initial production lines planned for the site. The facility operates a chromatography-based refining platform designed to process rare earth elements and critical minerals, with a modular design that allows capacity adjustments based on customer specifications and feedstock availability.
Kirk Taylor, chief financial officer of ReElement Technologies, said the new team members bring expertise from large-scale industrial operations, engineering, and international business development as the company advances its commercial-scale operations.
