Steve Atha is a retired attorney who spent most of his 40+ year career in various business operating roles and industries. He has a background in government contracting with federal agencies, including General Services Admin., US Forest Service and DOD (Defense Logistics Agency), railroad services, printing and packaging, bulk materials handling, river barge terminal operations, private equity, acquisitions and divestitures. He started a business providing logistical services to purchasers of ores and minerals from the Defense Strategic Materials Stockpile program, mostly international trading companies and end users. The materials included: manganese, bauxite, copper, tin, asbestos, chromium, lead, tannin, crude rubber and several other commodities including rare earth elements and monazite sand. 

In the last ten years he has worked as an independent buy-side “finder” (intermediary) working under consulting contracts with a few private equity funds and some closely held family corporations. He is a shareholder and currently serves as a Senior Advisor to Critical Materials, LLC, an affiliate of Great Plains Partners Venture Group, LLC, which is engaged in bringing venture capital solutions to the commercialization of technology. Steve is a graduate of Washburn University and Washburn University School of Law. In 2004 he was admitted to the US Supreme Court.