Albemarle CEO Highlights Arkansas Ties, Lithium Future

March 20, 2025

Albemarle’s expertise with Arkansas brine and its more than 55 years of work in the Smackover region position the company well for a future with both bromine and lithium, Albemarle’s CEO Kent Masters told Arkansas leaders earlier this week. 

Masters headlined the Arkansas Economic Development Foundation (AEDF) luncheon in Little Rock, where more than 650 elected officials and industry leaders came to celebrate the state’s advancements in development and to hear more about its future in minerals. 

“Technically, I think we're well down the path on producing lithium,” Masters said. “We typically make lithium carbonate or hydroxide, we can do either one of those from the Arkansas brine—and I think the technology is either there, or very close to being there, to be able to do that.” 

Arkansas Commerce Secretary Hugh McDonald interviewed Masters on stage about Albemarle’s history in Arkansas, the outlook for the lithium industry, innovative technologies for extraction and the type of business climate needed for success. 

Arkansas Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders, Arkansas Commerce Secretary Hugh McDonald and AEDF executive director Clint O’Neal and other leaders from across the state attended the event to raise funds for economic development efforts in the state. 

Sanders recalled her visit to Albemarle’s facility in Langelsheim, Germany, last year.  

“I think I learned more about chemistry at your facility in that couple of hours than I did the entire time I was in high school,” she said, “because we got deep into a lot of what you do in production. It is truly amazing what you are doing across the globe, but particularly here in South Arkansas. We are so proud that you call this home and that one of your big facilities across the globe is right here in our backyard.” 

In addition to lithium extraction, Masters addressed efforts related to President Donald Trump’s executive orders on energy security and critical minerals, calling out the natural resources available in the United States and the need for more processing capacity to build out a full domestic critical minerals and battery supply chain. 

President Trump’s Executive Orders aimed at solving two critical concerns: our inadequate capacity for producing, refining and generating energy, and our dependence on others for the critical and rare earth minerals we need for the future, Masters said.

 “I think that it’s a positive that he (Trump) is focused on these critical minerals supply chains,” he said. “He understands the importance. So, I think that’s a big positive for the industry, for the West, and for Arkansas that he is focused on that.” 

State governments play a critical role in fostering industry growth, he noted. He congratulated Sanders, McDonald and other partners in the state for their business climate and the accessibility of leaders to help foster good relationships.  

“We’ve been here for a long time, so we understand how to work with the state,” he said. “We’ve got people at our plants, employees, who are multi-generational employees. We’re happy to be a good corporate citizen in Magnolia, Columbia County and Arkansas. I think Arkansas is doing all the right things. And we’re happy to be an employer here and continue to grow.”