4 minutes with… Stephen P. Toon PhD, President/Executive Consultant, GoldenBio

Tell us about your company and it’s role in the Advanced Bioeconomy.

We are focused on supporting a number of clients at various stages of bioprocess development from test tube to train load. Our experience includes products produced from various feed stock sources in the biochemical, biofuels, animal and human food industries delivering eighteen products to market with multiple greenfield plant start-ups.

Tell us about your role and what you are focused on in the next 12 months.

My focus over the next 12 months will be to continue to help companies deliver technology to the market place in a profitable fashion. Moving technology from the laboratory to the complexity of an integrated commercial operation has been a stumbling point for many biotechnology companies. GoldenBio will work to provide support to “get there” via implementing structure, communication, consolidated supply chain and integrated technical operations into a metric driven roadmap to commercialization.

What do you feel are the most important milestones the industry must achieve in the next 5 years?  

1) Deliver products to the market place even small markets but establish the technical base.

2) Make alternative feed stocks viable starting materials for the long term.

3) Deliver sustained value to the investors.

4) Bring more business and manufacturing knowledge to the industry.

If you could snap your fingers and change one thing about the Advanced Bioeconomy, what would you change? 

I would eliminate the perception that the industry cannot deliver economically viable products to the market place without a high degree of government support. We simply need to make sure the playing field is even.

Of all the reasons that influenced you to join the Advanced Bioeconomy industry, what single reason stands out for you as still being compelling and important to you?  

I strongly believe that our nation can safely and effectively combine our agricultural capabilities with our science knowledge and manufacturing skills to deliver economically sustainable quality products to the market place in an environmentally responsible fashion and create good jobs for the US and the world.

Where are you from? 

I grew in southeast Arkansas in a town named Crossett on a large farm that has been in the family since the 1830’s.

What was your undergraduate major in college, and where did you attend? Why did you choose that school and that pathway?

I studied microbiology at the University of Arkansas. A number of people in my family had graduated from the U of A and I had always been a Razorback fan. I like microbiology because I could see and do things that no one else could see.

Who do you consider your mentors – could be personal, business, or just people you have read about and admire. What have you learned from them?

I was very fortunate to grow up in a small community and can honestly say I was raised by the “village”. I had mentorship from family, teachers, coaches, scout leaders and a host of others often whether I wanted it or not. I am particularly thankful for the mentorship of Dr. Richard Meyer as my Master’s advisor who had confidence in my abilities. Perhaps the most influential mentors were my colleagues at the National Renewable Energy Laboratory in the late 1980’s and early 1990’s who showed a lot of patience when I perhaps became a bit overly enthusiastic about a particular subject (or the ability to combust fuels better than anticipated).

What’s the biggest lesson you ever learned during a period of adversity?  

Do not let the adversity define you and it will be the launch to new opportunities. Do not miss the opportunity to learn from the experience.

What hobbies do you pursue, away from your work in the industry?  

I enjoy the outdoors, cooking, horses, woodworking and raising a garden each year. I try to get to out of the way barbeque “joints” when I travel.

What are 3 books you’d want to have with you, if you were stranded on a desert island

The Bible, the Army Ranger Survival Manual and The Complete Far Side Collection by Gary Larsen.

What books or articles are on your reading list right now, or you just completed and really enjoyed?  

Talent Is Overrated by Geoff Colvin

Salt Sugar Fat by Michael Moss

What’s your favorite city or place to visit, for a holiday?  

I dislike being tied to one place and enjoy everywhere I travel and the people I meet. Keep an open mind and show genuine interest in people and you will have fun. I still do like going home to the farm and being an “Arkansas farmboy” with a few thousand acres and a four wheel drive pick-up.