Michael Silver (CEO)

Michael N. Silver
Michael Silver speaking at the International Rare Earth Summit 2012
Born	(1955-05-10)May 10, 1955
Residence	Los Angeles, California
Nationality	American
Alma mater	University of Southern California
Occupation	Metals & Chemicals Industry Entrepreneur
Known for	Founder of American Elements Materials Science Pioneer Rare Earths & Inner Mongolian Mining Philanthropy
Spouse(s)	Diane Nebolon Silver (m. 1993)
Children	Francesca Daisy Silver (b. 1994) Josephine Violet Silver (b. 2000)

Michael Nathan Silver (b. May 10, 1955) is a metals and chemicals industry business executive, philanthropist, commentator, and the founder and CEO of American Elements,^[1] a global high technology materials manufacturer with one of the largest advanced materials catalogs. He was instrumental in establishing the post cold war rare earth supply chain from Inner Mongolia to the U.S. and Europe. His philanthropy includes sponsoring several hundred materials science and green technology conferences ^[2] and educational television programs on high technology. He writes and speaks on issues affecting the global high technology industry,^[3] science education^[4] and Sino-American relations.^[5]

Early Life and Education

Michael Silver was born and raised in Los Angeles, California. He attended the University of Southern California (USC) receiving a B.A. degree in Psychobiology in 1978 and then attended USC’s JD/MBA dual degree program graduating in 1982. He practiced corporate law for 10 years, specializing in mergers & acquisitions.^[2]

Business career

In the mid 90s Silver founded American Elements as a chemical manufacturer and metals refiner of rare earths and other critical metals serving the U.S. mining industry. Upon the near simultaneous closing of the Unocal/Molycorp rare earth mine in Mountain Pass, California and the Rhodia rare earth refinery in Freeport, Texas, ending U.S. rare earths metal production, he flew to Baotou, Inner Mongolia and established one of the first post-cold war supply chains from Inner Mongolian mines directly to industrial end users in the U.S., Europe and Japan. Over the next 15 years he built American Elements facilities in Salt Lake City, Utah; Monterrey, Mexico; Baotou, China; and Manchester, England and expanded production to include newly discovered elemental forms of advanced materials such as nanoparticles,^[6] green technology & alternative energy materials ^[7] and advanced military alloys.^[8] By 2011, the company's materials catalog had grown to include over 10,000 items.

Philanthropic Activities

Silver with UCLA delegation in Inner Mongolia in 2011

Mr. Silver established the not for profit American Elements' Academics & Periodicals Department in 2006 to support high school, college and graduate school education in high technology and materials science.^[2] Since its founding, the Department has sponsored over 400 academic and industry conferences in 25 countries in fields such as space exploration,^[9] nanotechnology,^[10] green technologies,^[11] solar energy^[11] and robotics.^[12] In 2011, it co-sponsored with the National Science Foundation a four-part PBS TV series on NOVA entitled "Making Stuff" examining the world of materials science.^[13] Mr. Silver funded and hosted a delegation in 2011 from the UCLA Medical Center in Los Angeles, California to the Inner Mongolian Medical Teaching College in Baotou, China which has led to student and teacher exchanges and the development of a joint AIDS program.^[14]

Writing and Speeches

Mr. Silver writes and speaks on several topics including:

• American Global Competitiveness in High Technology
• The Physical and Geo-Political Scarcity of Critical Metals
• Environmentalism and Green Technology
• Ways to Promote Better Sino-American Relations

In 2010, Silver coined the phrases “Innovation Distortion” ^[15] to describe efforts to avoid the use of a given element solely because of concerns that it may be horded by nations with resource control of that material and “The Environmentalism Catch-22” to describe the dilemma faced by the environmental movement which both supports a green technology future reliant on solar energy, wind power, electric cars and fuel cells and concurrently opposes the mining of the critical metals from which these technologies are manufactured. ^[16] In October 2014, Silver's editorial discussing these ideas was published in the Wall Street Journal. ^[17]

Silver coined the phrase "Sovereign Monopolies" to describe nations that have a sufficient percent of the world's reserves of a given metal or mineral that they can dictate its cost and force industries requiring the metal to move production to their country to obtain preferential pricing. ^[18]

References

External links

• "China Moves to Gain High-Tech Dominance: AE Exec Provides Insight," Mining News
• "President and CEO of American Elements returns to The Victory Sessions with host Stephen K. Bannon" - August 27, 2012
• "American Mining Companies Begin Putting Pressure on the Senate over Strategic Metals Legislation July 19, 2012"
• "China, a Rare Earths Giant, Set to Start Importing the Elements," New York Times - July 11, 2012
• "China’s Rare Earths Export Restrictions in Obama’s Crosshairs," Metal Miner
• "China Set to Define Future Market for Rare Earth Metals," Rare Earth Investing News
• "Reuters - WRAPUP 4-US, EU, Japan Take On China at WTO Over Rare Earths"
• "Industrial Minerals - Industry Calls for US Critical Minerals Strategy"
• "Le Ministère est «prêt» à faire face à l'avancée des terres rares February 2, 2012"
• "Interview with Michael N. Silver," EMPact Radio with Dr. Peter Pry
• "Interview with CEO Michael Silver," The Real Side Radio Show with Joe Messina
• "China's Largest Rare Earths Producer Halts OutputThe Market Oracle - Will the U.S. Ever Build A Strategic Metals Reserve?" Moneynews.com
• "Reuters - Rare Earth Prices to Stay High as China Extends Crackdown"
• "Solving the Rare Earth Dilemma," Industry Week
• "The Real Issues with Rare Earths," Nature Journal
• "Supplies of New chip Metal Hafnium Remain Untested," Reuters
• "China Consolidates Grip on Rare Earths"
• The Washington Times - QUINN AND SILVER: ‘Call of Duty’ video game highlights real threat
• Mining News: Minerals critical to restoring luster
• Mining News: Geopolitics trump geology in Fairbanks
• Silver interviewed on NPR's Marketplace Morning Report

Videos

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Michael Nathan Silver.

• Bloomberg, Bloomberg West, Interview with Corey Johnson, August 8, 2014
• “How Minerals Will Impact Global Geopolitics in the 21st Century” (Video) - CEO Michael Silver's address to the New York Mineralogical Club, October 9, 2013
• "Critical Metals & American Jobs in the 21st Century" (Video) - CEO Michael Silver's Keynote Address at the 118th NWMA Annual Meeting, December 5, 2012
• American Elements CEO Commenting on WTO Rare Earth Action
• OSA Executive Series, Steve Jacobs interviews Michael Silver, June 27, 2012
• Bloomberg, Pimm Fox Show, Interview with Michael Silver, January 23, 2012
• 2011 Beijing Rare Earth Meeting TV News Coverage (Video)- Interview with American Elements CEO Michael Silver