A North Carolina native, Rick is a 1974 graduate of Furman University, with a BS in biology. Rick played football while at Furman and has been active in supporting this program as well as the chemistry department.

He is the president (retired) of Premier Magnesia LLC, a privately-owned minerals and chemical manufacturing entity, specializing in the production of several different magnesium compounds. All of Premier Magnesia’s $100+ business starts at their owned and operated magnesia mine in Nevada. This is the only naturally occurring magnesia deposit, that is mined, in the U.S. From there, magnesium compounds are made for such diverse industries as animal feeds, wastewater treatments, and as a primary ingredient in a variety of chemical processes. One such process is the production of magnesium sulfate, Epsom Salt, of which Premier’s Giles Chemical Corporation is the largest producer in the United States.

Rick also owns Giles Industries, which markets sodium sulfate, which is produced as a by-product, from various manufacturing streams, and has owned this business since 1993. He sits on the board of AMI Industries, which is a marketer of various chemicals and minerals worldwide, principally sourced from China, and usually magnesium related.

Prior to Premier, Rick was the sole owner of Giles Chemical Corporation, which he merged with Premier Magnesia in 2007.