Life's a beach for the sand-sellers at U.S. Silica. While the industrial mineral company got its start making sand-based glass and other products, it is now known for providing its popular "frac sand" product used by natural gas and oil producers in hydraulic fracturing, a process to boost oil and gas production. Supplying customers in the US and Canada, the company also provides silica and aplite for the glass, foundry, chemical, and construction industries; and fine ground silica and kaolin clay used to make paint, plastics, and ceramics. Additionally, U.S. Silica makes raw materials for solar panels. Beyond its main facility in West Virginia, U S. Silica also has 17 plants in the East.