| 7:00 am - 7:00 pm |
Registration
Auditorium Lobby B, Level 1 |
| 8:30 am - 10:00 am |
Welcome
Room 205, Level 2
Tim Portz, Program Director, BBI International
Ethanol’s Beginning, Rise and Emergence as the Nation’s Primary Renewable Fuel
Ethanol has traveled a long road from its early days with the Model T to the construction of the fleet of first generation plants through its position today as the nation’s most abundant form of renewable energy. This panel will walk attendees through ethanol’s timeline with an eye on key waypoints like the passage of the Renewable Fuels Standard, the construction of the first plants, achieving 10 billion gallons of capacity, and the landscape of the industry today. Finally, this panel will spend time examining the role that ethanol plays in agriculture at large and in particular the importance of the industry to rural economies across this country.
- Moderator: Tom Bryan, Vice President, BBI International
- Larry Johnson, Owner, LLJ Consulting
- Todd Sneller, Administrator, Nebraska Ethanol Board
- Mark Yancey, Vice President, BBI International Consulting Services, & Co-founder, NEATech
- Bob Randle, Vice President, Business Development, Genera Energy
|
| 10:00 am - 10:15 am |
Networking Break
Room 205, Level 2 |
| 10:15 am - 11:45 am |
Understanding the Science of Ethanol Production at Commercial Scale
Room 205, Level 2
The practice of converting starches to alcohol is one of the oldest biotechnologies in human history. But what is ethanol chemically and what have we learned over the past 9000 years? This panel will walk attendees through the basic science of the reactions that lead to the creation of an ethanol molecule and how and where those reactions occur at a modern ethanol plant. Attendees will learn about the major production inputs at an ethanol plant, who in the industry provides those inputs and the role they play in the formation of the ethanol molecule. Finally, attendees will learn about the production efficiencies the industry has already achieved and the efficiency gains just over the horizon.
- Moderator: John Caupert, Director, National Corn-to-Ethanol Research Center
- Ryan Heuer, Account Manager, Novozymes
- Scott Kohl, Technical Director, ICM Inc.
- Pete Moss, Vice President, Marketing, Cereal Process Technologies
- Rich Chmielewski, Biofuels Marketing Manager, Siemens Industry Inc.
|
| 11:45 am - 1:15 pm |
Catered Lunch |
| 1:15 pm - 2:45 pm |
Ethanol Economics: Examining the Business of Producing Ethanol Profitably
Room 205, Level 2
The business of producing ethanol profitably is a matter of procuring commodity inputs, converting those commodities efficiently into other commodities and then successfully marketing the fuel and feed products that exit the plant. This panel will dig into the business of running a successful ethanol plant and examine the fixed and variable expenses of plant operation, the value of the products they market and the discipline required to derive a profit from the manufacture of ethanol.
- Moderator: Tim Portz, Program Director, BBI International
- John Christianson, Principal, Christianson & Associates
- Donna Funk, Member, Biofuels Group, Kennedy and Coe
- Casey Whelan, Vice President, Strategic Initiatives, U.S. Energy Services
- Doug Tiffany, Assistant Extension Professor, University of Minnesota
|
| 2:45 pm - 3:00 pm |
Networking Break
Room 205, Level 2 |
| 3:00 pm - 4:30 pm |
Ethanol in Washington: The Policies and Players that Created the Road to Commercialization
Room 205, Level 2
While our Washington insiders can’t tell you what will happen in November, they can explain the impact that D.C. politics has had on the ethanol industry. This panel will illuminate who have been ethanol supporters and champions over the years as well as examine ethanol’s critics and the arguments that have been proferred by those critics. From the early days of the development and passage of the Renewable Fuels Standard to the expiration of VEETC, our insiders will explain ethanol’s American political journey.
- Moderator: Mark Palmer, Senior Director, Van Ness Feldman PC
- Pam Keck, Director of Biofuels, National Corn Growers Association
- Brian Jennings, Executive Vice President, American Coalition for Ethanol
- Geoff Cooper, Vice President, Research and Analysis, Renewable Fuels Association
- Tom Buis, Chief Executive Officer, Growth Energy
|
| 4:30 pm - 4:45 pm |
The Road Ahead: Ethanol’s Likely Path to Increased Production and Greater Market Share
Room 205, Level 2
Wes Bolsen, Vice President & Chief Marketing Officer, Codexis
|
| 4:45 pm |
Seminar Concludes |
| 5:00 pm - 7:00 pm |
International Fuel Ethanol Workshop & Expo Grand Opening & Welcome Reception
Expo Hall B/C, Level 1
Registered attendees to the Ethanol Industry 101 Seminar receive a complimentary pass to the Grand Opening & Welcome Reception |