08/27/2026
Strengthening the Team Behind Commercial Operations at Marion
ReElement Technologies has added seven experienced professionals to strengthen the operational and technical team responsible for commissioning, operating and expanding our commercial-scale refining platform at our Marion, Indiana facility.
The newest additions bring experience across large-scale industrial operations, engineering, advanced research, manufacturing workforce development and international commercial markets:
🔹 Bill Baken, Shift Operations Manager – More than 20 years of experience in large-scale, continuous-process manufacturing, including leading operations exceeding one million tons annually.
🔹 Deann Cooper, Human Resources Manager – Brings manufacturing recruiting and human resources experience as we continue building and supporting our skilled Marion workforce.
🔹 JacobMiller Jr., Area Lead – More than 10 years of U.S. Navy experience, including service with the Nuclear Regional Maintenance Department, bringing operational discipline and leadership from high-accountability environments.
🔹 Vedat Ozsever, Marion Plant Engineering Manager – Brings 20 years of process engineering experience in the coal mining industry and a Ph.D. in Mining Engineering from the University of Kentucky.
🔹 Derrick Roper, Business Analyst – Brings experience and relationships across African and European markets to support business development, strategic partnerships and ReElement’s international growth.
🔹 Glen Stewart, Shift Operations Manager – More than 22 years of U.S. Navy leadership experience across large-scale operations, maintenance ex*****on and operational readiness.
🔹 Chih-Yao Tsao (Eddie), Senior Research Scientist – Returns to ReElement after completing his Ph.D. in Chemical Engineering at Purdue University under Dr. Linda Wang, with a focus on new feedstocks and continued process improvement.
“The strength of any commercial operation ultimately comes down to the people behind it.” - Kirk T. Taylor, CFO, ReElement Technologies.
The team expansion comes as ReElement advances Marion toward multi-element commercial production. Our first commercial-scale germanium production column has been successfully commissioned and operated, demonstrating the scalability of our chromatography-based refining platform, and the required air permits are now in place for all four initial production lines.
Our platform has demonstrated that it can scale commercially. Now we are building the organization to translate that capability into safe, reliable and sustained commercial operations.
Welcome to ReElement, Bill, Dee, Jacob, Vedat, Derrick, Glen and Eddie.
Read the official announcement here - https://www.accessnewswire.com/newsroom/en/metals-and-mining/reelement-technologies-strengthens-commercial-operations-team-as-marion-rare-eart-1210936