Get to Know Our Intensity Conference Speakers
The American Coalition for Ethanol's 2022 Conference features speakers from all corners of the ethanol industry. Visit this page to get to know the experts generously sharing their insights on the industry.
Carbon Scoring: The Benefits Outweigh the Costs
From 1974 to 2014 Ron was the owner/operator of RS, Inc., a grain production enterprise near Chester, South Dakota. Ron graduated from Chester High School in 1970 and from South Dakota State University in 1974 with a BS degree in Agronomy/Soil Science. Mr. Alverson was a founding member (1987) and past president of the South Dakota Corn Growers Association, and past Board member of the National Corn Growers Association. Ron was also a founder and is a current Board Member of Lake Area Corn Processors LLC (Dakota Ethanol), a 60 million gallon per year ethanol production plant at Wentworth, S.D., where he works on low carbon ethanol fuel pathways. He is a past President of the American Coalition for Ethanol’s Board of Directors and current Treasurer. Past honors include the South Dakota “Master Farmer” award, the South Dakota State University “Eminent Farmer” award, the South Dakota Corn Growers Association “Excellence in Agriculture” award, and the 2018 Renewable Fuels Association “Industry” award.
Board Training & Planning: What has Changed & What Needs To
As a principal and senior-level business strategist for businesses, Clinton leverages decades of experience dedicated to improving company operations and increasing profitability. His niche is helping family owned and closely-held companies in the Equipment Dealership, Manufacturing, and Food & Beverage industries to capitalize on opportunities.
Not only is Clinton experienced with navigating the challenges of your industry, he is adept at assessing a business situation, conducting research, analyzing competitors, creating strategic plans, and recommending solutions that will Optimize, Expand, or Transition your business.
Clinton’s specialization in mergers and acquisitions (M&A) has resulted in many successful transitions, and contributed to a significant difference in company performance post-M&A. His proactive, future-focused mindset provides solutions for today’s operational and financial issues, as well as big-picture ideas for sustainability, succession, technology, and integration.
With a background in tax and accounting, Clinton’s strategic approach is focused upon improving the financial health of your business – with the purpose of providing innovation, creativity, and strategy for the benefit of your bottom line.
Producer/Vendor Collaboration Leads to Evaporator System Optimization
Brody Bockenstedt has been with SUEZ Water Technologies & Solutions for over 5 years in both an Account Manager and Area Manager role. Mr. Bockenstedt has been the water treatment industry for over 9 years. Brody and his team are committed to help their customers with sustainable solutions in both water and process technologies. Brody holds a degree in Biochemistry from Creighton University.
E15 & Flex Fuel Retailer Workshop
Jeff Carpenter has been the Program Manager for the Higher Blends Infrastructure Incentive Program (HBIIP) since May 2021, and has been part of the team since the program started in 2020. Jeff graduated with a B.S. in Business Administration and Psychology, and with an MBA. He started with USDA Rural Development in Nebraska in 2008, working in the Single Family Housing Programs until he became an Energy Coordinator in 2015. Since 2015, his work has focused on the various Energy Programs offered through USDA Rural Development, including those centered around advanced biofuels.
Carbon Scoring: The Benefits Outweigh the Costs
John O. Christianson is a certified public accountant and director of Christianson PLLP. After graduating from the University of Minnesota with an accounting degree, John’s farming background led him to perceive the need for a full-service accounting and consulting firm with specialized expertise in agribusiness. Under his guidance, John has grown the Christianson companies into a nationally recognized group with over thirty five years of experience in agricultural manufacturing, grain processing and renewable fuels.
In today’s robust and rapidly evolving rural economy, John is committed to providing cutting-edge financial analysis and growth consulting to ensure the continued health of agriculture and biofuels industry in rural America.
Everything Counts: Farm-to-Biofuel Carbon Market Opportunities
Dr. Clay is a Distinguished Professor in Soil Science at South Dakota State University, the President of the American Society of Agronomy (January 2022) and has served as an Editor for the Agronomy Journal and as President of the SDSU Faculty Senate. He spent over 30 years investigating precision farming and soil health at SDSU. He has published 16 books on crop production and precision agriculture and has published over 280 peer reviewed papers on topics ranging from nutrient cycling in marine systems to nutrient cycling in croplands. He has provided training to over 2000 undergraduate student and over 50 graduate students. Based on the hard work of his students and fellow collaborators he has been awarded numerous awards and is a Fellow of the American Society of Agronomy.
Incorporate IT Security into Every Aspect of Your Business
Doug Davidson, is leader of GBQ Partners client facing IT Services department and a special IT advisor to KCOE-ISOM. Doug joined GBQ in 2016, bringing 30 years of experience working with technology and technology leadership in companies ranging in size from innovative, emerging businesses to Fortune 500s.
Prior to joining the firm, Doug was President and CEO of Jacadis, a Columbus-based information security and information risk management firm. Previously, his career focus was leading web development teams pivoting to information security as he recognized the importance the topic would take on in future innovation efforts.
Doug’s passion is for the business side of the information risk management, security and compliance equation. He works with business leaders and executives to assess and improve organization security posture with a focus on risk reduction as well as to help them to organize to efficiently meet the alphabet soup of regulatory and contractual obligations related to security and privacy compliance.
Doug is a recognized speaker, regularly presenting at local and regional business and professional organizations on a variety of business, risk and cyber security related topics. Doug is a Founding Fellow with Control System Cyber Security Association International (CS2AI), a two-time faculty member of InfoSec World in Orlando. He is an Eagle Scout, former Rugby player and the dad of 5 boys.
Carbon Capture and R&D Tax Credits: Worth the Investment?
Jim has more than 20 years of tax consulting experience helping clients benefit from federal and state incentives, including credits for activities most companies consider a necessity to remain competitive in today’s global market. Jim oversees the employee retention credit and R&D tax credit practices and is a leader in the Business Credits & Incentives space. He also assists clients in sustaining their credits if examined by a federal or state authority. Jim has authored articles on tax incentives and actively presents on business credits and incentives at conferences and webinars.
Driving Value to Agriculture through Low Carbon Biorefinery Solutions
Matt Durler is the Vice President of Feed Development for ICM. In his role, he has led the development of value-added feed products, focusing on tailoring solutions that create value for both ethanol biorefineries and animal feeders. He is also responsible for the commercialization strategy of feed products created with ICM technologies.
Matt’s roots are in production agriculture, and he continues to be actively involved in the family farm and cattle ranch near Dodge City, Kansas. Prior to joining ICM, he spent 11 years at Conestoga Energy holding various roles from Plant Manager to Vice President of Marketing. Matt is a graduate of Washburn University, where he studied finance, economics and marketing. He earned his bachelor's degree and MBA while playing college football.
Corn Oil: Getting All the Liquid Gold from Your Plant
Michael is Managing Director at Fluid Quip Technologies where he leads financial, legal, and business development activities. He also supports the development of new technologies and intellectual property at FQT. Michael began his career testing corn starch wash systems and optimizing centrifuge performance for Fluid-Quip, Inc. where he became Technical Projects Manager prior to co-founding Fluid Quip Technologies in 2012. Michael holds a B.S. in Economics and a B.S. in Psychology from the University of Colorado. Michael also holds multiple patents on systems for biofuels and biochemical facilities.
Board Training & Planning: What has Changed & What Needs To
Working with forward-thinking businesses throughout the United States, Donna identifies opportunities to grow businesses and meet goals whether through strategic planning and advice, accounting and tax-consulting, or business acquisition.
She leads K·Coe Isom’s biofuels practice area, specializing in succession planning, multi-state taxation, inventory management, finance, and traditional tax, audit, and accounting services. Donna connects with business owners through her vast understanding of these unique industries, including impacts like commodity pricing and fluctuating economic challenges.
To Donna, results matter. Growing up on a dairy farm, she learned that getting the job done—no matter day or night—was paramount. This inspires her to bring creative ideas to the table, recommending progressive solutions to difficult problems in the constantly changing industries she serves.
Retailer Roundtable: The Low Carbon Revolution
Mr. Gard has over 30 years of C level executive leadership and management experience. Studied Business Management at Waldorf College in Forest City, IA. He previously spent 18 years with Eaton Corporation in the Automotive Components Group. Locations included 3 operating units in Michigan, Iowa, and Nebraska. Gard was Director of Operations for Stuart Entertainment, in the highly regulated gaming industry. Locations Included 5 plants in the United States, with international locations in Mexico, Canada, and Ireland. Gard was Vice President of Global Planning and Business Development for Vermeer Manufacturing Co. in Pella IA. Responsibilities included International Operations, Sales, Marketing, Distribution Development, as well as World-wide responsibilities for Procurement, Parts, Service, and Logistics. Gard retired as the President/CEO of Chief Automotive Technologies in Grand Island NE. Randy was responsible for all aspects of the company and reported to the CEO of Dover Industrial Products.
Currently, Mr. Gard is the COO of Bosselman Enterprises and is also a board member for the Bosselman organization. Responsibilities include executive and operational oversight of the organization. Mr. Gard is also a member of the Nebraska Ethanol Board.
Cogeneration to Complement Your Carbon Reduction Strategy
Bernie Hoffman leads business development efforts for P&E Solutions. P&E Solutions is the EPC arm of Piping and Equipment, a 76-year-old mechanical and electrical contracting and engineering firm. With extensive biofuels, refining and power industry experience, P&E is focused on co-locating combined heat and power solutions with existing ethanol plants to reduce energy costs and lower carbon intensity. Bernie is an experienced senior executive with an extensive track record working for both domestic and international organizations. In his various roles, Bernie has had a key role in developing and/or running numerous ethanol plants. He began his biofuels industry work over 20 years ago with the Broin Companies (now Poet). He spent several years at ICM and was Chief Operating Officer of Babcock and Brown Biofuels. Bernie has a B.S. in Petroleum Engineering from the University of Kansas. Bernie is also a graduate of the Southwest Graduate School of Banking at SMU where he served on the Faculty Advisory Board. Bernie has served on small business and nonprofit boards and on several biofuels plant boards.
Producer/Vendor Collaboration Leads to Evaporator System Optimization
Greg Hoffpauir, Biofuels & Grains Marketing Leader for SUEZ Water Technologies & Solutions, has worked in the Ethanol Industry since 2016 with the primary focus on providing process solutions to customers. Greg has used his BS in Chemical Engineering from McNeese State University as a process/production engineer working in the petrochemical, chemical and pulp & paper industries. Greg has also worked as an application engineer for a process equipment control manufacturer.
Intensity: Updates from ACE Leadership
Brian Jennings is the fourth generation to help raise cattle and crops on land his family homesteaded in South Dakota in 1907. Before becoming the top executive at the American Coalition for Ethanol (ACE) in 2004, Brian served as an advisor to a U.S. Senator and worked for a South Dakota farm organization – jobs which enabled him to help enact legislation to support farmers, ranchers, and renewable fuels from inside and outside the Beltway. Today Jennings works with ACE members, who represent the heart and soul of the U.S. ethanol industry, to feature the personal stories and authentic people who are providing clean fuel and valuable food to a growing world.
Cogeneration to Complement Your Carbon Reduction Strategy
Kevin Jensen has been in working on supporting cogeneration and other markets for Solar Turbines for nearly 20 years. He has spent time in various roles and teams from gas turbine engineering and supply chain to marketing and project support. Currently, he has supported Midwest cogeneration and alternative fuel markets for Solar’s industrial power generation division. In his current role, Kevin has been supporting customers and engineering firms in sizing, selecting, and analyzing the benefits of gas turbines as well as generating proposals for customers. Kevin is a current board member for the Midwest Cogen Association and a proud Midwest native. He received a BS Mechanical Engineering degree from Purdue University and an MBA from University of San Diego.
Solar Turbines Incorporated, headquartered in San Diego, California, is a wholly owned subsidiary of Caterpillar Inc. Solar manufactures the world’s most widely used family of mid-sized industrial gas turbines, ranging from 1 to 23 megawatts. More than 16,000 Solar units are installed in more than 100 countries with more than 3 billion operating hours. Solar is a leading provider of energy solutions, featuring an extensive line of gas turbine-powered compressor sets, mechanical drive packages, and generator sets.
Ethanol’s Evolution: New Uses & Markets
Dr. BJ Johnson is CEO and co-founder of ClearFlame Engine Technologies, a startup dedicated to the development of net-zero engine technology for heavy-duty applications, such as long-haul trucking, agriculture and power generation.
BJ co-founded ClearFlame to develop solutions that enable rapid carbon mitigation by reducing
emissions from diesel engines through the use of decarbonized liquid fuels. He was the lead inventor on a patent filed by Stanford University for this work, which now forms the center of ClearFlame’s intellectual property. Together with co-founder Dr. Julie Blumreiter, the team was instrumental in earning a spot in the inaugural class of the Chain Reaction Innovations program at Argonne National Laboratory, which provided the company with access to lab equipment and scientists, as well as public research funding from the Department of Energy to continue their work.
BJ’s passion and leadership for this work have helped to secure investors and strategic partners for ClearFlame, including funding from multiple industry manufacturers and agencies like the
Department of Energy, Department of Agriculture and the National Science Foundation. He’s also
garnered support from world-class accelerators including StartX, I-Corps, Ameren Accelerator, and
WERCBench Labs.
BJ was named one of the 2021 Grist 50—an annual list of emerging leaders working on fresh, realworld solutions to our world’s biggest challenges. BJ earned his B.S., M.S. and Ph.D. in mechanicalengineering, all from Stanford University. While attending Stanford, BJ was awarded fellowships from both the National Science Foundation and Achievement Rewards for College Scientists. He has also garnered fellowship support from the Echoing Green Foundation and the Straubel Foundation.
Producer/Vendor Collaboration Leads to Evaporator System Optimization
Dan Jones, Biofuels & Grains Industry Leader for SUEZ Water Technologies & Solutions, has worked for the company in various roles since 1987. Dan’s current responsibilities include driving all aspects of Biofuels & Grains growth as it relates water & process technologies, both chemical & equipment solutions. Dan’s direct industry expertise includes Ethanol Markets (both dry & wet mills), Food & Beverage Markets, and the Power Industry. In addition to core water treatment support, his key areas of focus have been process deposit control, solids separation and efficiency improvements including ethanol fermentation, water balance initiatives. Dan holds a BA in Biology & BS in Chemistry from the University of Illinois
Intensity: Updates from ACE Leadership
Ron Lamberty has been working in the fuel business for decades, doing every job in the wholesale and retail fuel business - from pumping gas and checking oil, to c-store management jobs and running wholesale jobberships with multiple c-stores, to operating three c-stores of his own. At ACE he works alongside fuel marketers as they add higher ethanol blends, spreading their success stories to other retailers interested in making the switch through ACE’s FlexFuelForward.com website he developed. Lamberty built and operated several ethanol “splash-blending” facilities in the 1980's, and in the early 1990’s, he opened the nation’s first retail E85 fueling site, and handled fuel for one of the first U.S. soy biodiesel tests. He has spoken at petroleum industry tradeshows and workshops in the U.S. and Mexico. Lamberty joined ACE as Market Development Director in 2000, was named Senior Vice President in 2011, and transitioned to Chief Marketing Officer in 2021.
Expanding Ethanol Use Around the World
Ryan LeGrand serves as the President and CEO for the U.S. Grains Council (USGC), a
non-profit organization that promotes the global use of U.S. barley, corn, sorghum and
related products including ethanol and distiller’s dried grains with solubles (DDGS).
LeGrand joined the Council in 2015 as the assistant director and then director of the
Council’s Mexico office where he identified and addressed all relevant trade, technical
and policy-related factors relevant to building and maintaining the market for U.S. grains
and co-products in Mexico. Before joining the Council, LeGrand worked for Gavilon as
the director of ingredients, located in Guadalajara, Mexico. In this capacity, he managed
the company’s feed ingredients trading, import and distribution throughout Mexico.
LeGrand also served as the director of exports for Hawkeye Gold, LLC where he
exported DDGS to Latin America and Asia, and he began his career as an export
merchandiser with Garvey International.
Everything Counts: Farm-to-Biofuel Carbon Market Opportunities
Jonathon has over 15 years’ experience in conservation policy, having served as principal counsel to Senate Democratic Leader Tom Daschle (D-SD) and as professional staff on the Senate Agriculture Committee under the leadership of Senator Tom Harkin (D-IA). Jonathon developed agricultural, energy, water resource, rural development and forestry legislation on behalf of the Leader, and was the principal negotiator of such legislation for the Democratic Caucus. Jonathon developed successful bipartisan renewable energy legislation during his time on Capitol Hill, and now works extensively with agricultural producers and cooperatives to develop renewable fuel and other environmental markets for agricultural commodities. Jonathon holds a J.D. from Vermont Law School. Jonathon grew up on his family’s dairy farm near Watertown, South Dakota.
All Things HR: Ethanol Plant Labor Challenges & Ways to Overcome Them
Connie Lindstrom provides customized data analysis and reports, working with participants in the Biofuels Benchmarking program at Christianson Benchmarking, LLC, for the past nine years. With over twenty years' experience as a professional technical writer and business analyst, Connie helps benchmarking clients drill into their data to identify precise areas of opportunity for growth. Connie has a Master's of Business Administration from the University of North Dakota, with a concentration in government and business
Corn Oil: Getting All the Liquid Gold from Your Plant
Roji Philip, Director of Protein Technology at Green Plains (GP), joined the company in 2022 where he leads the company’s short and long-term growth strategies and technology development for protein. Prior to joining GP, Roji was at Fluid Quip Technologies (FQT) where he was the Lead Process Engineer for the MSC system. Mr. Philip’s core focus was on the MSC design, optimization, construction, and start-ups. Before joining the FQT, Mr. Philip spent 20 years at Cargill in various regional and global roles. While at Cargill Roji lead several large-scale brownfield projects; worked on the strategic development of the sweetener product line; worked on global technology development; as well as develop and drive data and visualization within the organization.
Mr. Philip holds a Master’s in Business Administration and Data Analytics from the University of Iowa, a BS in Mechanical Engineering and Minor in Nuclear Engineering from Kansas State University.
Capturing Carbon: CCS Pathways to Help Ethanol Achieve Net-Zero and Net-Negative Carbon Emissions
Mr. Pirolli is Chief Commercial Officer at Summit Carbon Solutions, bringing 20 years of leadership experience focused on agriculture, energy, and renewables. His background in biofuels and entrenched industry relationships enable Summit Carbon Solutions to execute on its vision to capture, transport and store CO2 from biorefineries, and profitably accelerate biofuels towards net zero emissions. Most recently, Pirolli served as Senior Vice President of Trade and Processing at The Andersons. Prior to The Andersons, he was Vice President of Fuels at KUM & GO, a Midwest-based convenience store chain with more than 400 locations across 11 states. Pirolli began his career with Archer Daniels Midland Company, holding trading and leadership positions in the U.S., Mexico and Europe. Jim graduated from the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign, and holds an Executive MBA from Kellogg School of Management, Northwestern University.
All Things HR: Ethanol Plant Labor Challenges & Ways to Overcome Them
Ann is the CFO and Chief Accounting Officer at Southwest Iowa Renewable Energy. In her role, she is responsible for accounting, finance, IT, HR, regulatory, safety and engineering.
Ann started her career at PwC in the Detroit area and worked in various compliance roles with Fortune 500 companies after she left public accounting before joining SIRE in May of 2021.
She received her bachelor's degree from the University of Nebraska and her Master’s of Science in Accountancy from the University of Toledo in Ohio.
Capturing Carbon: CCS Pathways to Help Ethanol Achieve Net-Zero and Net-Negative Carbon Emissions
- Over 20 years of engineering and leadership experience in carbon capture and storage (CCS) and oil and gas. Built and led carbon sequestration organizations within Schlumberger (SLB) and ConocoPhillips (COP) and managed the development of 1+ MMT/ yr CO2 storage projects in Texas (Sweeny Refinery), Kentucky (COP/Peabody partnership), Alberta (TransAlta Pioneer), and Saskatchewan (Aquistore). At SLB, also held responsibility for leadership of the Schlumberger Carbon Services North America technical team.
- Prior to co-founding Vault, held the position of Senior Vice President of Development with responsibility for subsurface engineering, planning and budgeting at a private oil & gas company that grew from zero to over 30,000 boe/ d of production and deployed over $1 billion of capital during his tenure. In that role, also led development of a 400 MW combined cycle gas power plant project and served as President of the subsidiary developing the project.
- Significant commercial, capital markets, transactional, project management, and business development experience. Technically, core skill in reservoir engineering including experience with enhanced oil recovery (EOR) as well as significant experience in well design and reservoir characterization.
- Bachelor's and Master's degrees in Mechanical Engineering from Rice University and registered professional engineer in Alaska and Alberta.
Carbon Capture and R&D Tax Credits: Worth the Investment?
Mark has over 18 years of experience helping taxpayers identify and implement tax saving strategies made available through building, acquiring, renovating and designing property. As a leader of the Business Credits & Incentives (BCI) group, Mark oversees a national team of CPAs, Professional Engineers, energy modelers, LEED professionals, architects, HERS raters and construction specialists. The BCI group has professionals with wide industry experience performing fixed asset planning, 179D energy deduction, cost segregation, 45L energy credit, 45Q CCUS credit, tangible property regulations and construction tax planning studies.
Ethanol’s Evolution: New Uses & Markets
Christopher M. Ryan has served as President and Chief Operating Officer of the Company since June 2011 and as Chief Technology Officer of the Company since September 2012, having previously served the Company as its Executive Vice President, Business Development since June 2009. Prior to joining the Company, he co-founded NatureWorks in 1997. Dr. Ryan served as Chief Operating Officer for NatureWorks from 2008 to 2009 and Chief Technology Officer for NatureWorks from 2005 to 2008, where he was involved in the development and commercialization of that company’s new bio based polymer from lab-scale production in 1992 through the completion of a $300 million world-scale production facility. Prior to 1992, Dr. Ryan served for four years in Corporate R&D for HB Fuller Company, a specialty chemical company. He has over 22 years of experience in strategic leadership, business development and research and product development in bio based materials.
Carbon Capture and R&D Tax Credits: Worth the Investment?
Mel has over 37 years of experience specializing in legislative affairs, including development and implementation of tax legislation at the national level. He spent 6 years on the staff of the Joint Committee on Taxation and has served as the chairman of the Tax Legislation Committee of the AICPA. He spends his time at the capitol meeting with legislators, listening in on updates impacting tax processes and procedures and providing timely updates and education on issues and opportunities impacting clients. He is a sought-after speaker for many AICPA, TEI and FEI conferences.
Cogeneration to Complement Your Carbon Reduction Strategy
Kevin Slepicka is the Vice President of Heat Recovery Boiler Sales for Rentech Boiler Systems, Inc. Kevin has spent 30 years in the boiler designing waste heat boiler systems for various applications including gas turbines, thermal oxidizers, waste incineration, and steam methane reforming. Kevin specializes in optimizing the heat recovery boiler designs to accommodate emissions reduction technologies and supplemental firing systems. Kevin holds a Bachelor’s degree in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Nebraska.
Keynote: The Role for Biofuels in Forthcoming EPA Actions
Rod Snyder was appointed Senior Advisor for Agriculture to the Administrator of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency in October 2021. He is recognized for his nearly two decades of leadership at the intersection of agricultural and environmental policy.
From 2014-2021, Snyder served as president of Field to Market: The Alliance for Sustainable Agriculture, which is the largest multi-stakeholder initiative working to advance the sustainability of commodity crop farming in the United States. In this role, he forged science-based consensus among diverse stakeholders across the food and agriculture value chain on complex issues such as climate change, water quality, biodiversity, and pest management. In 2015, Snyder co-founded the Sustainable Agriculture Summit, which has grown to be the largest and most prominent annual sustainable agriculture conference in North America.
Prior to his time at Field to Market, Snyder held positions as Public Policy Director for the National Corn Growers Association and Government Affairs Leader for CropLife America. He has been a longtime champion of agricultural solutions to climate change and has on two occasions organized farmer delegations to participate in UN Climate Summits in Paris and Copenhagen.
Snyder holds a B.A. in Political Science from Eastern University in St. Davids, Pennsylvania. He resides on his family farm in Shenandoah Junction, West Virginia.
Intensity: Updates from ACE Leadership
Dave Sovereign serves as Chairman of the Board of Directors for Golden Grain Energy LLC in Mason City, Iowa. Golden Grain Energy is locally-owned by over 900 shareholders, the majority of which are farmers producing approximately 120 million gallons of ethanol annually. Dave was a steering committee member and co-founder of Golden Grain Energy which began production as a 40 million gallon/year facility in December of 2004. Dave serves as Golden Grain Energy’s representative on the Absolute Energy board of directors and the industry trade group director boards of ACE and RFA. Dave is a member of a family farm operation, he and his wife Shirley reside near Cresco, Iowa.
Producer/Vendor Collaboration Leads to Evaporator System Optimization
Bill Steffen has served 4 years as Plant Manager for Husker Ag LLC in
Plainview, Nebraska. Husker Ag is locally owned by over 550 shareholders,
the majority of which are farmers. Husker Ag began production as a 20
MMGY facility in March of 2003, Bill joined shortly thereafter as a Boiler
Operator and quickly was promoted to Team Lead. Bill became the
Production Manager in 2007 for Husker Ag’s 40 MMGY expansion plant,
which started in December 2007. Bill has been big part of getting Husker Ag
to its current production rate of 110 MMGY. Bill currently presides as
President of the Ethanol Plant Managers (EPM) board. He and his wife
Christina with their daughter Clara, reside in rural Osmond, Nebraska.
Ethanol’s Evolution: New Uses & Markets
Larry is President / CEO of Proteum Energy an innovative hydrogen production company. Larry brings over 35 years of experience as CEO of several companies in service to the energy, oil and gas, power and heavy construction industries. Larry is a “pragmatic environmentalist” committed to renewables and the important leadership they bring to the energy transition. Larry sees low carbon hydrogen as a leading fuel in what he calls the “energy addition”.
Flexing Forward: The Retailer Roundtable
Jeff Wilkerson is the manager of government policy and regulatory affairs for Pearson Fuels. Based in San Diego, California, Pearson Fuels is the nation's largest E85 distributor with more than 270 retail sites across the state. Jeff collaborates with partners to expand ethanol access through policy and regulatory initiatives. Previously, Jeff worked in ethanol market development with the Nebraska Corn Board.