American Rare Earths strengthens Halleck Creek leadership with development chief appointment

American Rare Earths Ltd (ASX:ARR, OTCQX:ARRNF) has appointed experienced mining executive Andrew Conover as chief development officer to drive the flagship Halleck Creek Rare Earths Project in Wyoming through feasibility studies and towards construction.

The newly created executive role will focus on advancing the Cowboy State Mine development area through the current pre-feasibility study, the planned final feasibility study and subsequent permitting, detailed engineering and construction phases.

Conover brings around 20 years of experience delivering mining studies, major capital projects, restarts and brownfield expansions across the Americas.

Most recently, he served as senior director of construction at Elko Mining Group and Origin Mining, where he oversaw the restart of a brownfield copper-molybdenum processing operation, tailings facilities and associated infrastructure under a capital budget of about US$350 million. 

Driving Halleck Creek towards construction

As chief development officer, Conover will integrate the engineering, project controls, risk management and constructability workstreams supporting the Halleck Creek pre-feasibility and feasibility programs.

He will also establish the development framework required to move the project from technical studies into permitting and construction while supporting long-term safety, operability and capital discipline.

American Rare Earths said the appointment would strengthen its internal project delivery capabilities as it works to de-risk Halleck Creek as a potential domestic source of rare earths for US defence, energy and advanced manufacturing supply chains.

“Andrew brings exactly the kind of real-world project execution experience we need as Halleck Creek enters its PFS and final Feasibility Study phase,” chief executive officer Mark Wall said.

“His track record delivering large, complex mining projects from study through construction will help ensure Halleck Creek is advanced as a buildable, financeable project that can move into construction as quickly and responsibly as possible.”

Conover will also contribute to the company’s Whole of Property Development Assessment, which is examining the broader, long-term development potential of the Halleck Creek deposit beyond the initial Cowboy State Mine.

Large-scale Wyoming rare earths project

Halleck Creek is described by American Rare Earths as the largest known rare earth deposit in the United States on a total rare earth oxide basis.

The company is initially progressing the Cowboy State Mine area while evaluating the potential for staged development across the wider, multi-generational property.

“Halleck Creek is a unique opportunity to help build a large-scale, US-based rare earth project at a time when domestic critical minerals supply is front of mind for government and industry,” Conover said.

Building experience

The appointment of Conover comes shortly after veteran mine builder Matthew Gili joined the board as a non-executive director, ahead of a planned Nasdaq compliance listing in the second half of 2026.

Gili is president and CEO of Ur-Energy Inc, a Wyoming uranium producer listed on the NYSE American and TSX, and brings more than 25 years of mine development, construction and operational experience gained with major global miners including Rio Tinto and Barrick.