JOIN US FOR THE PREMIERE BIOFUELS FINANCIAL EVENT OF THE YEAR!
September 27-28, 2017
Radisson Blu Minneapolis Downtown
Minneapolis, MN
Christianson PLLP is hosting its 13th annual Biofuels Financial Conference September 27-28, 2017 at the Radisson Blu Minneapolis Downtown, Minneapolis, MN.
We know how important it is for you, as biofuels professionals, to stay on the cutting edge of industry developments, so this year we’ve teamed up with BBI International to ensure the best possible conference experience.
Once again, we’ll be offering concurrent ethanol and biodiesel tracks, and including an individual consulting session. This session gives attendees the chance to consult with experts in a variety of compliance topics in a relaxed and one-on-one setting.
As always, we’ve developed a top-notch agenda with the most relevant topics, with leading industry experts as speakers to keep you in-the-know.
Earn up to eight (8)
CPE credits for attending!
Registration includes admission to:
- All Conference Sessions
(General and Breakout) - Entry into the Expo
- All Meal Functions
- Speaker Presentations
CONFERENCE SCHEDULE
Day One: September 27
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10:00 – 12:00
Speed Consulting
All registrants will be able to sign up for a 15 minute "Speed-Consulting” session with one of several experts. The email to sign up for these slots will be sent out once registration is complete.
- Consultants to be Announced
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11:00 – 1:00
Lunch + Registration
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1:00 – 3:00
Keynote Panel
“What Is Our ‘Biofuelture’?”
The concept of “Futurism” encompasses speed, technology, advancement, and progress. Biofuels continues to develop at a rapid pace, with many changes occurring quickly. However, other technologies – the proliferation electric vehicles and the development of other fuels types –as well numerous legislative, social, and environmental changes, are occurring just rapidly. What are the implications of these developments for biofuels’ future in the economic, technological, and regulatory long-term? This panel will pull together industry experts for a thought-provoking and honest look at the “BioFuelture.”- Economy – Dr. Warren Preston, Deputy Chief Economist, United States Department of Agriculture
- Regulatory – Geoff Cooper, Senior Vice President, Renewable Fuels Association
- Technology – Dustin Kotrba, Manager, Christianson PLLP
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3:00 – 3:15
Refreshment Break
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3:15 – 4:15
Industry Best Practices
Improving Efficiencies
Is your plant lacking efficiencies that could be improved upon by making changes to the culture of the environment in which your employees operate? Many issues can hinder the continuous improvement that every company strives for while negatively impacting employee hiring and retention. Join us for a Best Practices session where the panel will review ideas that your company may consider to ensure its back-office processes is efficient, effective and compliant given the changing regulatory landscape. We’ll talk specifically about benefits of implementing a paperless solution, tools and opportunities to provide better management of accounting processes, as well as ways to reduce the handling and entry of paperwork.- Paper Vs. Paperless – Tina McCulloch, Financial Controller, Big River Resources, LLC
- Accounting Process Efficiencies – Christine Erickson, Manager, Customer Success - Enterprise, BlackLine
- Electronic Document Exchange – Angela Furney, Project Account Lead & Business Consultant, Christianson PLLP
- Technology Trends – Kevin Prouty, Vice President, IDC Energy Insights
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4:15 – 5:15
Workforce Management
Today’s biofuels workforce boasts more experienced professionals than ever before. Biofuels organizations large and small are faced with the challenges of recruiting, training, and retaining high-quality employees from the executive suite to the production team. In this session, we’ll review recent wage and compensation trends, as well as other trends in labor and workforce management, including tactics for successfully navigating and resolving turnover and succession issues. Finally, we’ll examine how you can “brand” your firm as an employer of excellence in your community, and discuss why “employer branding” is an invaluable component of your recruiting and retention toolkit.- Employer Branding and Incentives – Ryan Drook, CEO, Central Indiana Ethanol, LLC
- Wage, Turnover and Compensation Trends – Connie Lindstrom, Senior Biofuels Analyst, Christianson PLLP
- Next-Generation Training for Ethanol Plants – Rachel Burton, Technical Services Manager, Novozymes North America, Inc.
- Turnover and Succession Solutions – James Seurer, CEO, Glacial Lakes Energy, LLC
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5:30 – 6:30
Social Hour
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6:30 – 10:00
- Entertainment to be Announced
Seated Dinner and Entertainment
Day Two: September 28
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7:30 – 8:30
Breakfast
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8:30 – 10:15
Concurrent Breakout Sessions
Ethanol Track: Expansion Versus Diversification As the ethanol industry continues to mature plants must find a way to diversify or expand its capacity within the constraints of regulatory guidelines and consideration of environmental incentive programs. This session will discuss evaluating your potential options for expansion and diversification including foreign markets, processing corn kernel fiber, and lowering carbon intensity and how each of these areas will affect the company from a regulatory standpoint and potential environmental incentives that can be gained or should be considered.
- Foreign versus Domestic – Jeremy Mall, Director of Business Development, Murex, LLC
- Lowering Carbon Intensities – Ron Alverson, Farmer and Chairman of the Board, Dakota Ethanol, LLC and the American Coalition for Ethanol (ACE)
- Corn Kernel Fiber – Paul Sykora, Enogen Controller, Syngenta Seeds
- Carbon Capture, Sequestration, and Enhanced Oil Recovery – Eric Mork, Business Development, ICM presenting with Daniel Keiser, Manager Commercial Development, Occidental Petroleum Corporation
- RIN Pricing and Outlook – Larry Schafer, CEO, Playmaker Strategies, LLC
- RIN Fraud and Liability – Jim Ramm, PE with EcoEngineers
- Legislatures, Politics, and Policy – Eva Rigamonti, Associate, Steptoe & Johnson.
- Biodiesel Tax Info and Updates – Sarah Snyder, Tax Supervisor, Christianson PLLP
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10:15 – 10:30
Refreshment Break
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10:30 – 12:00
Immediate Future Mini-Sessions Panel
Join experts for panel comprised to two “mini-sessions” designed to keep you –up-to-date on a variety of changes. The first mini session will discuss the Healthcare Reform bill and its implications, and tax reform and related tax planning considerations. The second min-session will highlight the various tax, compliance, accounting, legislative, and other updates and opportunities affecting the biofuels industry, providing insight on what these changes mean for the immediate future – and how they might affect business in the long-term.
Reforms Highlights- Tax Reform – John Christianson, Managing Partner, Christianson PLLP
- Healthcare Reform – Sarah Snyder, Tax Supervisor, Christianson PLLP
- Legislative – John Fuher, Senior Director of Government Affairs, Growth Energy
- Compliance – Zach Hauser, Staff Accountant, Christianson PLLP
- Accounting & Auditing/Tax – Jordan Rettmann, Senior Accountant, Christianson PLLP
- Grant Opportunities – Jamey Cline, Business Development Director, Christianson PLLP
- Drawback Simplification – Kelley McCormack, Project Analyst, Christianson PLLP
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Closing Remarks
Registration includes admission to:
- All Conference Sessions
(General and Breakout) - Entry into the Expo
- All Meal Functions
- Speaker Presentations