POET criticizes agency's ruling

Corporate leaders at POET believe revised cellulosic ethanol targets announced by the Environmental Protection Agency will hurt efforts to expand that technology.
“Next year, for the first time in history, the U.S. will produce meaningful volumes of cellulosic ethanol,” said James Moe, chairman of the board of POET-DSM Advanced Biofuels. “With a number of new plants coming online including POET-DSM’s Project Liberty, we can finally say that commercial cellulosic ethanol production has arrived.”
Moe said the latest renewable fuel obligations from the EPA underestimate the volume of cellulosic ethanol that will be produced next year.
“By cutting opportunities for grain ethanol producers and conceding arguments for maintaining the blend wall, the EPA takes away opportunities for cellulosic biofuel development,” he said in a prepared statement. “The poor signal from Washington today makes that work more challenging.”
POET CEO Jeff Lautt said, “America is looking at a possible record corn crop, and the opportunity to offer more affordable fuel options to consumers has never been better. At the same time, cellulosic ethanol capacity is coming online in a large part thanks to significant investment from grain ethanol producers such as POET. The proposed reduction from EPA is troubling.”

New leadership
Team at Tyson
Tyson Foods Inc., parent company of Portland’s Tyson Mexican Original, has announced the creation of several new leadership positions moving into 2014.
Donnie King, currently senior group vice president of poultry and prepared foods, will become president of prepared foods, customer and consumer solutions, reporting directly to Donnie Smith, Tyson’s president and chief executive officer.
Wes Morris, currently group vice president of consumer products, will become president of prepared foods, reporting to King. Devin Cole, currently group vice president of food service, will become president of sales and marketing as well as chief commercial officer. Cole will also report to King.

Joins Ohio
architectural firm
Portland native Theresa VanSkyock has joined Garmann/Miller and Associates, Minster, Ohio, as a designer.
A 2007 graduate of Jay County High School, VanSkyock most recently worked at Kokosing Construction in Westerville, Ohio, where she was CAD/BIM manager for the past two years.
Garmann/Miller is a full-service architectural and engineering firm with a staff that includes registered architects, landscape architects, designers, professional engineers and construction administrators. It serves public and private clients throughout Ohio.

Miles honored
Rodney Miles, owner of Miles Mowing and Lawn Care, Portland, has been inducted into The Grasshopper Company’s “Built to Last” Club. Miles was one of two recipients of the honor last month in Louisville, Ky., at the GIE+EXPO 2013.

Bank helps
food bank
Old National Bank’s “100 Men Who Cook” event raised $90,000 for Second Harvest Food Bank of East Central Indiana.
The event, held Nov. 16 at the Horizon Convention Center, involves 100 community “chefs” preparing their favorite dishes.
Second Harvest provides food assistance to more than 74,000 low-income people in Jay, Blackford, Delaware, Grant, Henry, Madison, Randolph, and Wabash counties.

Name changes
Northeast Indiana Regional Workforce Investment Board has changed its name to Northeast Indiana Works.
The non-profit organization serves Adams County, Noble, Steuben, Wells, and Whitley counties.

New partnership
The Indiana Small Business Development Center and Ivy Tech Community College have announced a statewide partnership aimed at providing business and technical training to small and emerging businesses.
Through the partnership the ISBDC and its clients will be able to access training, professional development and certification programs provided by Ivy Tech’s Corporate College.

CEO named
Joseph A. Martin has been named executive vice president and chief executive officer of Indiana Farm Bureau Insurance beginning in January.
He succeeds Jerry Canada, who is retiring in December after 11 years as CEO.
Martin had been serving as the company’s chief operating officer and senior vice president for marketing.
A graduate of Eastern Illinois University with a bachelor’s degree in business, Martin has a masters of business administration degree from Duke University. He is both a Chartered Financial Analyst and a Chartered Life Underwriter.

Attends symposium
Annette R. Alexander of Raymond James in Portland recently attended the 2013 Women’s Symposium, hosted by the Raymond James Network for Women Advisers.
The conference was held in St. Petersburg, Fla., and included a broad range of educational sessions.[[In-content Ad]]