Each year, Growth Energy presents TOBI awards to members who exhibit innovation, fortitude, perseverance, and leadership within the biofuels industry. Last week at ELC, seven Growth Energy members received TOBI awards in the categories of Get Biofuel, Public Affairs, Technical, Advocacy, Market Development, Global Market Development, and Membership. Take a look:

Growth Energy’s Get Biofuel campaign launched last year to spread awareness of how filling up with higher blends of biofuels is a simple change that changes everything. This campaign and the strength of its message is only made more effective by the investments and partnerships of our members.

Combining her desire to leave the world a little better than she found it, her love for traveling abroad, and her expertise in marketing, this year’s recipient for the TOBI Award for Get Biofuel has served as a true ambassador for the Get Biofuel campaign and everything it stands for. From Texas to Colorado, and various national parks in between, she hit the road last summer, documenting her travels and weaving in the message of making a simple change for the environment that changes everything: filling up on higher blends of biofuel. A social media influencer in her own right, she took the Get Biofuel social media campaign into her own hands and showed just how big of a role our members can play in spreading the word of the environmental benefits of biofuels.

This year’s TOBI Award for Get Biofuel goes to Dorothy Chan, National Account Manager for Novozymes. Thank you, Dorothy, for your creativity and contributions.

One of our association’s most important responsibilities is not only getting our top priorities in front of lawmakers and staff, but also rallying our stakeholders’ voices to drive change. With more than 10 years of experience in broadcast radio, corporate communications, issues management and public and media relations – this awardee knows how to make an impact. This year, she quite literally painted the nation’s capital with compelling advertising, powerful digital content, and strategic marketing to amplify corn ethanol’s environmental and economic benefits to the eyes and ears that matter. With her partnership and help, we were able move the needle when it comes to reshaping how sustainable agriculture is helping to lower our nation’s carbon footprint and how plant-based biofuels can help us make an impact TODAY.

This year’s TOBI Award for Public Affairs goes to Julie Busse, Director of Communications at the National Corn Growers Association. Thank you, Julie, for your collaboration and support.

While often behind the scenes and not in the headlines, Growth Energy’s technical work has helped pave the way for improved classification of higher biofuel blends, recognition of high-octane test fuels, and industry leadership in technical best practices. This year’s recipient of the TOBI award for Technical Excellence has been a leader throughout the entire industry on these vital issues for biofuels and other biorefined products. He has had many roles including Director of Quality and Regulatory for Poet Nutrition, General Manager of Poet’s biorefinery in Chancellor, South Dakota, and more than a decade in the animal health industry. Diving immediately into critical discussions at ASTM on fuel specifications, speaking at the Fuel Ethanol Lab Conference, and being on the leadership team of the Fuel Ethanol Technical Advisory Group, his dedication and hard work has advanced the technical leadership of Growth Energy and of the entire industry.

This year’s TOBI Award for Technical goes to Bart Plocher, Director of Quality Control at Poet Biorefining.  Thank you, Bart for your continued work and support of our technical efforts.

In an industry with many high-performing advocates, selecting an awardee who goes above and beyond to ensure representation of our industry in Washington is no easy task.

But this year’s TOBI award winner for advocacy sets himself apart by using smart strategies, early and often, to engage with lawmakers and their staff on both sides of the aisle, making him a trusted resource and advocate. Whether it is getting to know staff or using the political process to educate our elected officials, he works hard to ensure we are well-represented in the Nation’s Capital.  He also works tirelessly to engage with stakeholders across the industry to ensure alignment within the bioethanol sector as whole.

This year’s TOBI Award for Advocacy goes to Dustin Marquis, Director of Government Affairs and Employee Outreach at Marquis Energy.  Congratulations Dustin!

Removing barriers and expanding the footprint for higher blends of biofuels in the marketplace has been a primary focus for Growth Energy since its inception. In alignment with our mission, this year’s TOBI awardee has been an ally for increasing consumer access to biofuel blends and has had a positive impact the growth of E15. His career spans almost three decades in refined products including production, distribution, procurement, and retail. Through his leadership, Love’s Travel & Country stores continues to invest in the success of E15.

This year’s TOBI Award for Market Development goes to Paul Melton, the General Manager of Ethanol for Musket Corporation, a division of Love’s Travel & Country Stores, Inc. Thank you Paul for your support.

The 2022 recipient of the TOBI Award for Global Market Development has spent the last 15 years trading and moving ethanol molecules around the world. Through his leadership, expertise, and passion, he  continues to expand the ethanol market globally. In fact, his commitment has moved him east to Singapore to help open a trading office to be closer to the target markets. Today, we recognize his relentless pursuit and invaluable contributions to growing bioethanol demand worldwide.

This year’s TOBI Award for Global Market Development goes to Johan Ullman, the Managing Director of Marquis Energy Global, the international marketing and distribution arm of Marquis Energy. Thank you, Johan, for all you’ve done.

Our association continues to grow because of many individuals who put their heart into the success of our industry. The recipient of this year’s TOBI Award for Membership does just that. He has been a major supporter of so many key initiatives across the board for Growth Energy.

You’ll find him in the halls of Capitol Hill in Washington DC, hosting other members at Growth Energy events, sponsoring our major conferences, and asking others to join him in aggressively supporting initiatives that move our industry forward.

At our Regional Meetings this past December, he personally assisted in hosting a group of attendees for dinner in Chicago. We had a memorable night, and he made sure all had ample opportunity to join him in direct support of Growth Energy and our PAC.

This year’s TOBI Award for Membership goes to Alex Shifman of CTE Global. Thank you, Alex for being a champion of the biofuels industry.

Congratulations to the 2022 TOBI Award recipients!