Pete Nelson
Pete Nelson is a principal in BioDimensions which provides services and makes investments in startup companies developing new green technology, a field he has been involved in since 1996. He is an advisor to companies including Arkansas-based Infinite Enzymes and Ontario-based Stemergy which are both working to introduce new agricultural-based opportunities. Mr. Nelson was one of six initial steering committee members for the Southeast Sun Grant Initiative based at University of Tennessee which has received over $40 million in Federal funding for university research. Mr. Nelson was one of three original founders of the Biobased Manufacturers Association (BMA) which helped influence key components of Title IX of the 2002 Farm Bill related to biobased products and renewable energy. He has been invited to participate on key steering committees and think tanks in the Southeast U.S. and wrote the “Tennessee Biobased Products for Farmers and Rural Development Act of 2000.” Mr. Nelson has worked extensively with Tennessee State University, an 1890 Land Grant University, to develop opportunities for minority students to participate in new agricultural-based technologies. These programs have been successfully funded by DOE and USDA. Mr. Nelson is also a published writer and a frequent speaker at conferences related to biobased products and renewables. He is currently a founding board member for the West Tennessee Clean Cities Coalition and a member of the Communications Committee for ACORE’s Biomass Coordination Council. Among other projects, he is working on deploying new farming methods in Sub-Saharan Africa, including Sudan where he has worked for two short terms. Mr. Nelson is a graduate of University of Memphis.
Maury has over 30 years of experience in business operations and management. A native of Memphis, Tennessee Maury attended the University of Memphis before beginning his career. In 1972, Maury joined the staff of Manpower Employment Services as a Service Representative. He served Manpower in a variety of positions including Branch Manager, Area Manager, Vice-president of Operations, General Manager and President/Chief Executive Officer. During this period, the Company grew from one office to seven offices in three states. Working with a permanent staff of over 50 people, Manpower eventually employed over 10,000 temporary and contract workers annually.Maury was instrumental in the formation of AMIC, a captive insurance company providing employee insurance coverage to Manpower operations throughout the United States. He served two terms as the first President of AMIC and also served as Secretary and Vice-president of the Board of Directors. Additionally, Maury is an active community leader serving on the Boards of a number of non-profit organizations in the Memphis area. Maury provides BioDimensions with leadership and expertise in the areas of Operations, Human Resource Management, Sales, Marketing and Customer Service.
Hillary Spain is a native of Hopkinsville, Kentucky. She earned her Bachelor and Master of Science Degrees in Agriculture from Murray State University in Murray, Kentucky. While at Murray State, she completed a study on biodiesel utilization and wrote a thesis on the amount of soybean biodiesel being used in Western Kentucky. Ms. Spain spent over two years working for a large farm equipment dealership in Western Kentucky before relocating to Memphis, Tennessee and joining BioDimensions in February, 2008. Ms. Spain also spent four months in Niger, West Africa where she served as an agriculturist to native peoples in the village of Gotheye. She is also involved in the "Sustainable Shelby" program recently initiated by County Mayor A. C. Wharton. Ms. Spain serves on the Environmental and Natural Resources Committee.
Randall W. Powell, Ph.D.
Randy Powell earned his Ph.D in Synthetic Organic Chemistry from the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill. Dr. Powell spent most of his career with Eastman Chemical Company in a variety of operational and management roles in the United States and Europe. Most recently, he served as the Vice President of Performance Chemicals Manufacturing for Eastman Chemical Company. In that position, he was responsible for three specialty chemical manufacturing facilities located in Batesville, AR; Llangefni, Wales, U.K.; and Kingsport, TN. He initiated a biobased products business strategy for the Batesville, AR site, which resulted in the commercialization of biodiesel in October 2005. He subsequently led a transition team that managed divestiture of Eastman's Specialty Chemicals business and served as President and COO for the new company, FutureFuel Chemical Company in Batesville, AR from 2006 to 2007. Currently, he is the President of Powell Consulting, LLC, supporting the biofuels, bioproducts, specialty chemicals, and allied industries.
Michael Gong
Michael Gong
is a Mid-south native with deep family farming roots in Northeast Mississippi. His experiences on, and family history of this Alcorn county farm have helped shape his passion for the development of agriculture in the 21st century. Mr. Gong holds a bachelor's degree in Recreation Management from The University of Mississippi. Areas of study included facility maintenance and design and program cycle analysis and evaluation. He also earned a minor in business administration. After graduation, he spent two years working in North Mississippi for the United Methodist Church. After two years in Batesville Mississippi, Michael recently returned to the Memphis area and joined the BioDimensions team in January of 2008. His scope of work involves development of regional biodiversity and increasing regional awareness of the emerging bioeconomy. His particular area of interest is in the development of new and re-tooled crops for the region and innovative value-added processing of the resulting plant materials.
next>>
