Then and Now: 120 Bioeconomy Pioneers look at yesterday, today, inspirations and challenges

Mark Fisler

Then:  President and Chief Operating Officer of Global Ethanol.  The scale and scope of the operations included the operation of two ethanol plants in Iowa and Michigan, running a trading and sales platform for all related commodities and developing five other production sites.

Now:  Partner and Managing Director, Ocean Park Advisors.  I am currently working on three biofuels assignments ranging from the sale of a biodiesel plant, the sale of a shuttered advanced biofuel site in Florida and the redevelopment and capitalization of a catalytic pyrolysis technology.  Ocean Park is also working within the synthetic biology and sustainable food industries.  Recent accomplisments of OPA include the recent sale of the shuttered Abengoa plant in Hugoton, KS, consulting American Airlines on renewable jet and the sale of Virent to Tesoro.

Inspirations: 1. Developing alternatives for energy and food. 2. Creating a sustainable future 3. Actively participating in the change 4. Putting myself in the position of being a part of thought leadership for our future

Challenges:  Development timelines are long to achieve scale and cost competitiveness, but market expectations are for rapid returns and immediate scale.