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Posted: Jul 09, 2026 2:19 PMUpdated: Jul 09, 2026 2:20 PM
Blue Whale Materials Names New CEO, Expansion Project
Nathan Thompson
Blue Whale Materials has named veteran manufacturing executive Jack Johnson as its new chief executive officer as the battery recycling company prepares to expand operations at its Bartlesville Industrial Park facility.
The company announced the leadership change alongside plans to increase processing capacity, supported by new private financing and a previously announced $55 million grant from the U.S. Department of Energy.
Johnson succeeds co-founder Robert Kang, who has served as CEO since the company's founding. Kang will transition to a role focused on commercial partnerships.
Johnson brings more than 20 years of experience in advanced manufacturing, including a decade in the battery and energy storage industry. The company said he previously led the design, construction and commissioning of one of the first large-scale lithium-ion battery manufacturing facilities in the United States and has founded and led multiple advanced materials companies.
Blue Whale Materials said its expansion is backed by growth capital that includes a senior secured credit facility from Breakwall Capital and an increased equity commitment from Ara Partners, an investor in the company since 2022. Combined with the Department of Energy grant awarded in January 2025, company officials said the financing will support a multi-phase expansion of the Bartlesville facility.
Baseline operations at the plant began in August 2025. An initial expansion is expected to become operational this month, increasing the facility's annual processing capacity to 20,000 metric tons of battery feedstock.
The company uses a proprietary recycling process to recover critical minerals, including nickel, cobalt, copper and lithium, from end-of-life lithium-ion batteries and manufacturing scrap. The recovered materials are processed into Blacksand®, which is used in the domestic battery supply chain.
"My focus is execution: scaling the Bartlesville facility, deepening customer relationships, and strengthening the domestic battery supply chain," Johnson said in a statement. "The team, the technology, and the capital are all in place to move quickly."
Ara Partners Partner Cory Steffek said growing demand for domestically sourced critical minerals positions the company for its next phase of commercial growth, while Breakwall Capital Managing Partner and President Daniel Flannery said the financing package provides Blue Whale Materials with "a balance sheet built for growth."
Company officials said the leadership transition and expanded financial backing will allow Blue Whale Materials to increase production capacity while strengthening the domestic supply chain for critical minerals used in battery manufacturing.
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