About De Stijl Consulting

The best advice leads to a decision, not more questions. De Stijl Consulting operates on the principle that clients hire an advisor for answers.

When you ask a hard question, you deserve an honest assessment, not a hedge. When a situation calls for action, the analysis should tell you what to do and when to do it. The role of an advisor is similar to that of a referee. The players are the ones competing. The referee ensures the game runs correctly, makes decisions based on the available information, and moves on to the next call. De Stijl Consulting operates the same way. Understand the situation, make the call, and keep moving forward.

Founder Ryan Caldwell

Since 2011, Ryan Caldwell has been a trusted counselor for companies seeking clarity and value from their supply chains, predominantly in the critical minerals, chemicals, and electronics industries. Ryan is known in Washington, D.C., as an excellent drafter of legislative and funding proposals, an open and honest communicator, and someone who enjoys finding solutions, not dwelling on problems. Ryan’s major achievements include:

Drafting and successfully advocating for multiple pieces of legislation that directed the U.S. military to avoid sourcing rare earths, certain metals, and printed circuit boards from suppliers of significant concern.
Assisting critical minerals suppliers in receiving hundreds of millions of dollars in U.S. government contract funding for capacity expansions and capability enhancements through the Defense Production Act Investments, Industrial Base Analysis & Sustainment, and other offices.
Maintaining U.S. tax credits for domestic critical mineral production.

As a graduate of Duke University School of Law, Ryan hates the suggestion that law school is primarily about learning how to charge someone to hear, “it depends.” As a high-level basketball and rugby referee, Ryan believes that information should be communicated in a way relevant to the situation and directed towards a decision point.

Ryan lives in Voorburg, NL, with his wife and two children and regularly travels to the United States.

Juris Doctor from Duke University School of Law.
Bachelor of Arts in Plan II Honors and History from the University of Texas at Austin, completed in three years.
Fifteen years advising on U.S. defense and trade policy at a firm that grew from 6 people and 14 clients to 30 people and 80 clients during that tenure.
More Defense Production Act awards won than any other firm in the U.S.
90% client retention rate.
Author of enacted federal legislation, including provisions in the Florida code and conflict minerals policy addressing ethical sourcing in Central Africa.
Speaker at the Society of American Military Engineers, the Critical Minerals Institute, and the Metal Powders Industries Federation.

The De Stijl Connection

De Stijl was a Dutch art movement built on one idea: reduce everything to its essential form. Strip away the unnecessary. Keep only what matters. That principle defines how De Stijl Consulting works. Every engagement, every deliverable, every communication is built around clarity and precision. Analysis leads to decisions, not to more analysis.

The Transatlantic Position

De Stijl Consulting is based in Europe with fifteen years of working-level relationships across U.S.government agencies and Congress. That position offers something most advisory firms cannot.

European companies navigating U.S. defense and trade policy get an advisor who understands both systems. American companies operating across the Atlantic get strategic counsel informed by both perspectives.

AI in the Industry

AI-generated analysis is increasingly common in this industry. It produces volume, but volume is not value. De Stijl Consulting delivers pointed, concise analysis written by a human who understands your industry, your supply chain, and the policy landscape that affects both. The goal is clarity, not word count.

Government policy moves fast. The companies that act on the right information at the right time are the ones that come out ahead.