Junior phosphate technology developer Novaphos, Fort Meade, Fla., announced on May 7 that James Samuelson will serve as Chief Technology Officer, a newly created executive leadership position reporting to Andrew “Woody” Lewis, who was appointed President of the company in April (GM April 26, p. 28).
Prior to joining Novaphos, Samuelson founded the TaySAMM consulting firm, where he served Novaphos and other companies around the world as an internationally recognized expert in phosphate production and developing new organic phosphate fertilizers. Previously, he served as Director of Engineering for the Simplot AgriBusiness Group, directing engineering for mining and manufacturing operations, technology development, and capital management and planning.
“Jim has been supporting us as a consultant for years, helping to develop and validate the technology we have today,” Lewis said. “Jim’s expertise, unique understanding of phosphate, and historical perspective will be instrumental to our future. He is the first hire we have made since I became President, and I am thrilled he will join our executive team.”
Novaphos is a privately-owned company that has developed proprietary technology allowing phosphate producers to use low-quality phosphate rock to make high-quality phosphoric acid for use in agriculture and industry without producing any phosphogypsum wastes. The company said the process is scalable, energy-efficient, and produces a construction aggregate byproduct – J-Rox™ – instead of phosphogypsum. Novaphos’s new facility in rural Florida last month (GM April 5, p. 27) received a grant from the USDA under its Fertilizer Production Expansion Program (FPEP).