Provo company's big discovery touted by Trump's trade representative

PROVO – A Utah company is getting attention from the Trump administration thanks to a major discovery in the mountains of Utah County.

U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer toured Ionic Mineral Technologies on Friday as part of a two-day visit across the state hosted by World Trade Center Utah.

Ionic has been in the news after announcing it found a large deposit of critical minerals and rare earth elements at Silicon Ridge in Utah County's Lake Mountains. Those elements help power modern technology, including defense systems.

A recent independent analysis of the company's discovery confirmed the project's ability to produce "a diversified portfolio of advanced materials, rare earths, and critical minerals from a single domestic resource."

"Rather than depending on a single commodity, Silicon Ridge is expected to generate value across alumina products, amorphous nano-silica, and 19 individually valued critical minerals and rare earth elements — each named on the U.S. Government's critical minerals list — including gallium, germanium, rubidium, cesium, and thirteen rare earth oxides," the company said in a news release this week.

Greer, who toured Ionic's large facility near the Provo Airport along with members of Congress and other state leaders, praised the company's efforts.

"Ionic is just one more example of a Utah company that contributes to American national security, and here you are building what I think is one of the most comprehensive hubs for rare earth minerals and critical minerals," Greer said, adding that this is "'America first' at work."

Who is Jamieson Greer?

Greer, 45, is a California native who attended Brigham Young University, something he noted in his brief remarks at Ionic's headquarters on Friday.

"It's really good to be back here in Provo, home of my alma mater," he said.

Greer pointed to Ionic's work as an example of the type of manufacturing the Trump administration is working to bring back to America.

"In some instances, we're using tariffs. We're also using private-public partnerships," Greer said. "We're using government money where necessary to help make things more economically viable."

But Trump's trade policies have been controversial, especially the tariffs he imposed in 2025, which were eventually struck down by the U.S. Supreme Court.

At an event Thursday evening in Salt Lake City, Greer faced questions from Traeger Grills CEO Jeremy Andrus about the Trump administration's tariffs — and uncertainty businesses have dealt with as a result.

Asked by KSL about that, Greer insisted the "overwhelming response" from business leaders he met with in Utah "has been positive" toward tariffs. He cited several companies that are facing stiff competition from foreign imports.

Still, Greer acknowledged the overall concern.

"It's been good for me to be here because I've heard them express these concerns, and I've relayed to them how, in Washington, we're trying to look 10, 20, 50 years ahead," Greer said. "We're inviting the business community to take that same long-term approach, even if there are short-term challenges in resourcing."

Ionic's discovery

The founder and CEO of Ionic Mineral Technologies, Andre Zeitoun, said he's grateful Greer chose to visit the company's headquarters in Provo.

"We couldn't have been more happy to be able to show Ambassador Greer firsthand kind of what our team's been working on so hard and the significance of it to the American public," Zeitoun said.

He told KSL his company's recent discovery is "one of the most significant critical element deposits in the country" that is able to be mined from the surface and has a low environmental impact.

Rep. Mike Kennedy, R-Utah, said he's glad the Utah company's work is getting attention.

"It's a reflection of President Trump and the administration that their eyes are on Utah," Kennedy said, "and they recognize how powerful this place is."

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