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Tore Alden
Director, Forecasting
Fastmarkets
Tore Alden began his career as an analyst for the Agricultural Marketing group at Smith Barney more than 20 years ago. When the group left to form the International Agribusiness Group (IAG), he directed the firm’s fundamental research reports covering the markets for grains, oilseeds and coffee, amongst others. Before joining Fastmarkets, Tore covered the oilseed complex and supported consulting projects in the biofuel industry for Informa Economics. At Fastmarkets as a senior analyst, Tore has worked on consulting projects for international refining companies that included a 20-year forecast of the impact of growing biofuel demand on feedstocks. Tore has been a speaker at industry conferences for the last ten years, including presenting at the American Fats and Oils Association Conference in 2019.
David Becker
Director, Risk Solutions
David Becker is the Director of The risk solutions practice at Fastmarkets, located in New York. His role is to consult and provide customers with an assessment of commodity price risk and describe ways to mitigate exposure. David has a background in portfolio management, with a focus on the commodity sector. Before joining Fastmarkets, David worked at two investment banks and two hedge funds. He is an expert in explaining commodity hedging using over-the-counter and exchange-traded derivative products worldwide. Additionally, he has robust experience in fixed income and Foreign Exchange portfolio management. David received his bachelor of arts degree from Franklin and Marshall College.
Nathan Burk
Senior Vice President Fats, Oils, Greases
StoneX Commodity Solutions
Nate started his career with StoneX as a Risk Management Consultant in 2003. At the start of his career, Nate worked closely with ethanol and biodiesel clients on the financial trading side of the business where he helped them lock in forward margins while producing over 30 feasibility studies. In 2006 Nate began building out a physical Fats, Oils and Greases trading desk focused on feedstock procurement for biodiesel plants. That business has since expanded to renewable diesel, sustainable aviation fuel, feedstock suppliers, and vegetable oil crushers. Nate has taken a leadership role in the current business which continues to help companies operating in the renewable fuels and vegetable oil crushing space manage their supply chain, feedstock procurement, margin management and financing. Nate and his team currently execute over 4 billion pounds of feedstocks annually.
Dani Charles
Co-Founder
Veriflux
Dani Charles is the co-founder of Veriflux, the only U.S. EPA-funded platform for end-to-end renewable traceability, circularity and bio optionality. Mr. Charles is an experienced executive, entrepreneur and technologist who has designed, developed and deployed multiple innovative solutions to solve complex technical challenges across both the private and public sectors. He has been invited to speak in front of multiple U.S. Congressional Committees, has worked closely with Federal and State government agencies, has been featured in articles, on radio and on podcasts, and is frequently asked to present in front of industry groups on topics such as renewable energy, technology and innovation.
John Cusick
President
Ash Creek Renewables
John Cusick has 15 years of experience as a trader in biodiesel and biodiesel feedstock. His career has included work for the trading upstart RBF Port Neches, Texas, the largest biodesel production facility in the US, along with Morgan Stanley Commodities, Trafigura, Glencore and Imperium Renewables. He has successfully navigated the complex and challenging relationship between agricultural inputs and energy outputs woven into the fabric of regulatory credits.
Fred Ghatala
Director for Carbon & Sustainability
Advanced Biofuels Canada
Fred Ghatala is the Director for Carbon and Sustainability of Advanced Biofuels Canada, a national industry association established to promote the production and use of advanced biofuels in Canada. ABFC members are global leaders in commercial production of advanced biofuels and technology development, with over 35 billion liters of installed annual production capacity worldwide. Fred leads ABFC’s work to establish biofuel carbon value, lifecycle analyses in regulations, sector engagement in sustainability initiatives, and expanding advanced biofuel use into aviation and marine sectors. Fred has 18 years of experience in the Canadian renewable fuels sector and is a partner of Waterfall Group, a Vancouver based consulting business established in 2011.
Joe Jobe
CEO
SABR
Joe Jobe serves as the CEO of SABR and is the President and Founder of business consulting firm Rock House Advisors. He is recognized leader, author, and international speaker on renewable energy with over 25 years of senior executive experience. Prior to founding Rock House in 2016, Joe served as the CEO for the National Biodiesel Board (NBB) for 17 years, helping lead biodiesel from an experimental fuel of 200,000 gallons to over 3 billion gallons representing a $17 billion industry. Joe is a recognized leader on energy, agriculture, environment and sustainability. He has given keynote speeches in eleven countries. He has appeared on The Today Show, History Channel, C-Span, Fox News, PBS, NPR, Discovery Channel, CNN, Jay Leno's Garage, XM Radio, and others. He has published articles or been interviewed for articles in TIME, USA Today, Forbes, Wall Street Journal, New York Times, Reuters, Washington Post, and many others.
Regina Koh
Price Reporter
Regina started her career as a price reporter in 2020 and has been covering commodity prices and news in Asia. Prior to Fastmarkets Agriculture she was reporting on the Asian bitumen market at Argus Media. Before becoming a reporter, she was an events producer for B2B conferences across the commodities, telecommunications, and rail transport sectors. Regina graduated from the Wee Kim Wee School of Communication and Information at Nanyang Technological University in Singapore with a major in Public Relations.
Bob Lane
Senior Analyst – Biodiesel, Vegetable Oil and Grain
Bob Lane holds an MBA and a BBA in finance from Loyola University in Chicago. He has experience in real estate asset management and spent more than 15 years as a professional analyst and trader for options, futures, and equities on the floors of the Chicago Board of Trade and the Chicago Board Options Exchange. Bob is a commodity analyst and editor of the Biodiesel and Grain & Feed Bulletins for The Jacobsen.
Scott Lewis
World Energy
Scott has been in the renewable fuels industry for more than 20 years now and understands the importance of culture and government that values reduction in carbon as currency. His experience centers around building out and managing commercial programs for Biodiesel, Renewable Diesel, and now Sustainable Aviation Fuel production facilities. His advocacy in the U.S. and Canada for better policies governing the renewable and biofuel market has driven important and positive change for World Energy and the industry as a whole. Today, Scott leads World Energy’s commercial SAF operations, helping to build strategic relationships with suppliers, customers, government officials, and joint venture partners.
Mac Marshall
Vice-President, Market Intelligence
United Soybean Board
Mac Marshall serves as the Vice President, Market Intelligence for the United Soybean Board (USB). In this capacity, Mac works with USB leadership to evaluate and establish long-term strategic initiatives in support of advancing domestic and international market opportunities for the U.S. soybean industry while serving as an industry source of market information and analysis. Prior to joining USB, Mac served as global market analysis and trade lead at Bayer Crop Science, where he worked on international market access issues as part of a global agricultural policy team. Mac has also held roles in Monsanto’s Corporate Strategy group and within the federal government as both a staff and supervisory economist at the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. He holds a B.A. in economics from Vassar College and an M.A. in applied economics from Johns Hopkins University.
Michael McAdams
Advanced Biofuels Association
Michael McAdams serves as President of the Advanced Biofuels Association, a Washington-D.C. based association of more than 40 advanced biofuels feedstock, production, marketing, and distribution companies. Mr. McAdams formed the Association in 2007 and has acted as its lead representative since, building on more than 40 years of experience in government and public affairs in both the public and private sectors focused on energy, fuels policy, climate change, air policy and tax. In the private sector, Mr. McAdams has worked for several advocacy organizations focused in the areas of fuels and air policy. He previously spent more than 14 years working for BP, where he was the associate group policy advisor to the then Chief Executive Officer Lord John Browne. In addition, he served as the vice president of the Eastern United States for government and public affairs, as well as vice president of government affairs and the environment. Across his span at BP, Mr. McAdams was a major participant in the greening of the company, having been involved in their climate change efforts, clean fuel introductions and strategy for expansion in biofuels, solar and wind. He was a leader in the negotiations for the first New Source Review legal settlement governing the company's nine U.S. refineries. A leading voice in the renewable fuels field, Mr. McAdams has testified numerous times before Congress and federal agencies, speaks regularly at industry and academic conferences, and authors a twice-monthly column in Real Clear Energy. In 2008 and 2012, Mr. McAdams was invited and participated in the Clinton Global initiative as an energy advisor and expert in the area of biofuels. Prior to moving to the private sector, Mr. McAdams served as legislative director to Congressman Ralph Hall (R-TX) from 1981-1985, where he was responsible for energy and environmental issues. In 1980, he was a field coordinator for President Jimmy Carter’s election campaign. Prior to that, he was a legislative correspondent for Congressman Ray Roberts (D-TX).
Siddhant Mishra
Strategy Director, Agriculture
Ex-Cargill Strategy, Ex-Boston Consulting Group, Siddhant has over 12 years of experience in strategy & management consulting. He specializes in the agriculture & renewable energy sector and has worked on multiple growth strategies for key clients in the sector.
Joao Morciani
Agriculture Analyst
João Morciani is an analyst specializing in agriculture and biofuels. With a keen focus on the oilseeds and biomass-based diesel markets in South America and the US, he brings extensive expertise to his role. Drawing from a background in the banking industry and previous experience with a major player in Brazilian agribusiness, he is adept at providing valuable information and insights to some of the world's largest agriculture companies. João is part of the Fastmarkets’ analytics and forecasting team.
Paul Niznik
Senior Carbon Consultant
EcoEngineers
Paul Niznik is a Senior Carbon Consultant at EcoEngineers and an expert on biofuels markets and mandates. Mr. Niznik applies his broad knowledge of biofuel economics, including U.S. Renewable Fuel Standard credits (RINs), California Low Carbon Fuel Standard (LCFS), and other carbon markets, to assist refiners, low-carbon fuel producers, financial institutions, automakers, and government agencies with strategic planning in markets and compliance. Mr. Niznik contributes technical and regulatory knowledge to biofuel producers and government entities that plan to participate in the LCFS and RFS programs. He collaborates with clients to provide regulatory guidance and help maximize energy credit revenues. Mr. Niznik’s due diligence work has been used in the financing of some of the most capital-intensive low-carbon fuels projects in the nation.
Philip Sheehy
Senior Consultant
ICF
Philip provides technical support to public agencies and the private sector seeking to understand the role of low carbon fuels in the context of decarbonization. His work at ICF is focused on the regulatory, technical, and economic drivers for conventional and low carbon fuels and advanced vehicle technologies. He has led several major studies evaluating state-level low carbon fuel standards, most recently as it relates to the ongoing California LCFS amendment process. Philip is also frequently called upon by investors to help demystify the myriad value streams across transportation fuel markets as part of buy-sell transactions. He grew up in Michigan and spent some time in Massachusetts before heading west to California in 2005, where he has been since.
Harry Simpson
President and CEO
Crimson Renewable Energy Holdings
Harry Simpson is the founder and President & CEO of Crimson Renewable Energy Holdings, LLC, the largest producer of biodiesel in California. Throughout Crimson’s 17-year history, Harry has led Crimson through business and capital formation, multiple plant construction and expansion projects, business development, and the acquisition and sale of biodiesel and used cooking collection oil assets, including the sale in January 2023 of its Sequential subsidiary to Neste Oyj. Since 2017, Harry has served on the Governing Board of Clean Fuels Alliance America, the biomass-based diesel industry’s national trade association. Since 2007, Harry has also been on the Board of Directors of the California Advanced Biofuels Alliance, a state trade association representing stakeholders in the advanced biofuels value chain. Prior to founding Crimson in 2006, Harry served in a variety of C-level and senior executive capacities at venture capital backed technology and interbank foreign currency options trading companies. Harry is a Chicago native and a graduate of Indiana University.
Greg Staiti
Compliance Director
Montana Renewables
Greg Staiti is an attorney and compliance expert who has served clients in the petroleum and renewable fuels sector for nearly two decades, advising on obligations, opportunities and strategies associated with a wide range of federal- and state-level renewable and low carbon fuel programs. Greg has been a regular speaker the Jacobsen and other industry events. For over ten years, Greg was a leader of Weaver and Tidwell’s energy compliance consulting practice. Last year, Greg joined Calumet Specialty Products as Compliance Director for the company’s subsidiary Montana Renewables, a leading producer of renewable diesel and sustainable aviation fuel based in Great Falls, Montana. In this role, Greg oversees compliance while also helping to develop plans and advocate for growth in the renewables sector, particularly in aviation.
Ryan Standard
Managing Editor
Ryan Standard earned a degree in English literature and history from Monmouth College, while maintaining a parallel track in economics. With a background in logistics and sales, he joined The Jacobsen in 2007 as an analyst and the editor of the Animal Fats and Feed Bulletins, and contributor to the Biodiesel Bulletin. He has built a solid, reliable network of sources to inform his industry analysis.
Eduardo Tinti
Price Reporter – Oilseed
Graduated in economics at Unicamp, Brazil, with a double master’s degree in macroeconomics at Sorbonne Paris XII, France, and Kingston University, UK. Covering commodity markets as an analyst and price reporter since 2019, focusing on the South American soybean complex.
Meg Whitty
Vice President, Corporate Relations & Marketing
LanzaJet
Meg serves as the Vice President of Corporate Relations and Marketing at LanzaJet. She started working in biofuels over 15 years ago at the United States Department of Agriculture in Washington, D.C., helping farmers and rural small businesses who were looking to grow biofuel feedstocks and access funding for clean energy. From there, she went on to United Airlines where she helped launch a Midwest Aviation Sustainable Biofuels Initiative to tackle the complexities across the value chain of building a new industry for sustainable aviation fuel (SAF). Since then, Meg has worked in various leadership roles at start-up and high-growth technology companies across strategy, innovation, marketing, business development, and operations. Meg holds a Master’s in Business Administration from Northwestern University’s Kellogg School of Management and a Bachelor’s in Government from Georgetown University.
Jim Wiesemeyer
Washington Policy Analyst
From his office near Washington, DC, Jim Wiesemeyer contributes daily to Pro Farmer’s online website at profarmer.com, providing members with the latest information on agricultural policy and trade developments. He also is a participant in Farm Journal’s Agri-Talk radio program and serves as a Washington analyst for Pro Farmer and Farm Journal. Since 1978, Mr. Wiesemeyer has frequently reported on and interviewed senior government officials, including presidents, as well as USDA Secretaries since Earl Butz. He has traveled extensively in his assignments and is a frequent speaker on farm policy and trade issues. Wiesemeyer rejoined Pro Farmer in June of 2017, after serving as their Washington consultant for 19 years while at Informa Economics, and before that an employee of Pro Farmer, then owned by Oster Communications. Mr. Wiesemeyer also is one of the writers for the Agriculture Letter, formerly the Kiplinger Ag Letter, now owned by Farm Journal Media.
Tim Worledge
Editorial Director
Tim is a co-founder and director of the company, who has joint responsibility for the strategic direction of the company. A former director at S&P Global Platts, Tim led the agriculture reporting team that was instrumental in the development of the Black Sea swaps market and has been at the forefront of price reporting for 10 years. He was also responsible for Platts’ benchmark biofuels assessments, including global ethanol benchmarks. Before moving into agriculture, Tim was an oil market pricing expert focusing on the European refined product markets.
Patrick Lynch
Founder
Bioledger
Patrick is founder of Bioledger, a traceability software platform spun out of the European waste biodiesel industry in response to fraud in the supply chain. Formerly Head of Sustainability and Feedstock Trader at Greenergy UK, Patrick helped build the waste based supply chain and supporting policy and traceability requirements for the European market since 2010. The Bioledger mass balance application now helps feedstock collectors, biofuel producers and traders worldwide demonstrate compliance with the sustainability certification standards. Bioledger is also the European Commission's approved service provider to the incoming Union Database which will track all feedstock and biofuel transactions.
Shashi Menon
CEO and Co-Founder
Shashi Menon is the Chief Executive Officer and co-founder of EcoEngineers. He has more than 20 years of business strategy and business development experience in finance, commercial real estate investments, and renewable energy consulting. He has worked closely with federal and state regulators and the biofuel industry for nearly 15 years to frame policy to enable successful projects. He collaborated with the United States Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA) throughout the Quality Assurance Program (QAP) rulemaking process to develop a balanced rule that controls costs and promotes credit liquidity. He has contributed comments and technical input to help refine biogas rules under the Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS) leading to significant growth in biogas project development activities. He has worked with the State of Iowa to assess the availability of biogenic carbon and to quantify the benefits of renewable energy projects from biomethane.