Rehagen Previews Conference

John2009 Conference, Audio

Just a couple of days away from the start of the 2009 National Biodiesel Conference & Expo, and earlier this afternoon, I caught up with Donnell Rehagen, the Chief Operating Officer for the National Biodiesel Board as he was finishing up preparations before flying out Thursday morning for the conference site in San Francisco. Donnell is really excited about the … Read More

Sustainability Featured at Biodiesel Conference

John2009 Conference

Sustainability will be one of the key words at this year’s National Biodiesel Conference & Expo starting this weekend in San Francisco. In fact, the Sustainable Biodiesel Summit starts this Saturday, January 31st… a day before the start of the regular conference, bookended with another sustainability event after the NBB conference. According to the summit’s Web site: As you have … Read More

Biodiesel Conference Starts This Weekend

John2009 Conference

In less than a week, the 2009 National Biodiesel Conference & Expo kicks off in San Francisco! If you’ve never been, let me tell you, this is the premier event for biodiesel in this country… probably in the world… as producers, consumers and advocates of the green fuel converge to trade notes and figure out how to approach this exciting, … Read More

Local Users of Biodiesel

John2008 Conference, Audio, General

Besides absolutely perfect weather and a fantastic location right in the middle of some of the biggest attractions in the world (including Walt Disney World, Universal Studios, and Cape Kennedy just down the road a little ways… just to name a few), Orlando was a great location for this year’s National Biodiesel Conference and Expo because of the good example … Read More

Living Legend Addresses NBB Conference

John2008 Conference, Audio

There’s a few times in your life when you get to see a true living legend in person. This morning was one of those occasions as I watched Astronaut Jim Lovell talk to a captivated audience of biodiesel industry folks at the morning general session of the 2008 National Biodiesel Conference and Expo. Talk about an inspirational speech! The man, … Read More

Welcome to Super Tuesday!

John2008 Conference, Audio

In just a few hours, we should start getting the results of the Super Tuesday primaries and caucuses, as voters in 24 states go to the polls to decide who will be the Democratic and Republican standard bearers for the November 2008 general election. This morning at the opening session of the 2008 National Biodiesel Conference and Expo in Orlando, … Read More

Biodiesel Getting Better

John2008 Conference, Audio

A new study from the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) shows the quality of biodiesel has made significant gains from just a couple of years ago. During a session completed just moments ago at the 2008 National Biodiesel Conference and expo here in Orlando, Fla., Teresa Alleman, a senior chemist with NREL says 90 percent of the biodiesel her lab … Read More

Making Magic Happen with Biodiesel

John2008 Conference, Audio, Video

Universal Studios announced today that it will increase the amount of biodiesel it is using at the popular Orlando theme park. In a press conference today at the 2008 National Biodiesel Conference and Expo, David Winslow, Senior Director Engineering and Environmental Sustainability Technical Services, for NBC Universal, says the park is converting the ourboard engines that take guests from the … Read More

NBB Vice Chair See Challenges & Opportunities Ahead

John2008 Conference, Audio

National Biodiesel Board Vice Chairman Gary Haer says he is amazed at the turnout for this year’s National Biodiesel Conference and Expo in Orlando, Florida. He says the thousands of attendees at the event seemed to be determined to take on the challenges that are ahead. Haer, who is also a VP of Sales and Marketing for Iowa-based Renewable Energy … Read More

Riding & Driving with Michael Peterson

John2008 Conference, Video

One of the things the National Biodiesel Board is showing folks at this year’s convention (and outside the convention for that matter) is how biodiesel performs as well as, if not better than, any petroleum diesel out there. To prove the point, the board has a “Ride-and-drive” event where the general public can get behind the wheel of a 2008 … Read More

The First Oil Producers Back on the Job

John2008 Conference, Audio

One of the big issues at this year’s conference is the search for additional feedstocks for biodiesel. Solazyme, one of the conference sponsors, is looking at the viability of making biodiesel out of algae as an alternative to more expensive conventional sources. In fact, the folks from Solazyme brought a sweet ride to the conference… a Mercedes Benz C320 that … Read More

An Opportunity to Take on Challenges

John2008 Conference, Audio

This morning, the 2008 National Biodiesel Conference and Expo started the day with a general session, where NBB CEO Joe Jobe briefed attendees on the state of biodiesel and the direction he sees it heading. During a quick break between the numerous events at the conference (including his time with Agritalk this morning as pictured here), I caught up with … Read More

Change the Way You Look at Things

John2008 Conference, Audio

Country music star Michael Peterson was one of the featured speakers at this morning’s “Ride-and-drive” event at the 2008 National Biodiesel Conference and Expo in Orlando, Florida. Cindy grabbed Michael for a quick interview right after he returned from a test drive of a 2008 Dodge Ram 3500 diesel pick up truck running on B20. As he stepped out of … Read More

Ride & Drive on Biodiesel

John2008 Conference, Audio

The NBB featured a “Ride-and-drive” session this morning, where people could get a chance to get behind the wheel see how biodiesel performs in real vehicles… a Dodge pickup truck, a Jeep Cherokee, and a Volkswagen TDI. This is the first year the Ride-and-drive event was opened to the public in an effort to show people that biodiesel needs no … Read More

Foundation Raises Money for Research

John2008 Conference, Audio

One of the things going on at last night’s Super Bowl party was the National Biodiesel Foundation raising money for research, especially in issues such as feedstock development and climate change. In charge of that fundraising effort is the NBB’s Tom Verry. We chatted a bit about how the foundation would use the money raised from the donations for autographed … Read More

Going Nose-to-Nose with Jack Youngblood

John2008 Conference, Audio

What a game was last night’s Super Bowl! It was an exciting, hard-fought game that went back and forth, and it came down to heroics from both teams on both sides of the ball. One of the best parts was being able to enjoy the game with a crowd of great biodiesel folks with a great spread thanks to party … Read More

Interview with NBB Chairman

John2008 Conference, Audio

Just after we flew into the sun and warmth of a beautiful Central Florida day, Cindy was off to track down Ed Hegland, chairman of the National Biodiedsel Board. She caught up with Ed at a session on sustainable biodiesel production where a new sustainability task force was announced. Listen to Cindy’s interview with Ed: [audio:http://www.zimmcomm.biz/nbb/nbb-08-hegland.MP3] We’ll be here through … Read More

Do You Know This Man?

John2008 Conference

Well, if you don’t, you will by the end of the 2008 National Biodiesel Conference & Expo in Orlando, Florida next week. I’ll be there with Cindy Zimmerman covering the event for DomesticFuel.com and posting on the conference blog as well. One of the items I hope to see (and bring to you) is a press event that will highlight … Read More