Competitive Strengths
Disciplined Risk Management
We believe that ethanol has a permanent place in the U.S. and worldwide fuel supply and see global expansion opportunities for ethanol’s co-products.
Operational Excellence
Our plants are staffed by experienced industry personnel who share operational knowledge. We focus on making incremental operational improvements to enhance performance using real-time production data and control systems to monitor our plants and optimize performance. Our operational expertise provides us a cost advantage over most of our competitors and helps us improve the operating margins of acquired facilities.
Vertical Integration
Our vertically integrated platform reduces commodity and operational risk and increases pricing visibility in key markets. Combined, our ethanol production, agribusiness and energy services, food and food ingredients, and partnership segments provide efficiencies, which extend both within and outside the ethanol value chain.
Demonstrated Acquisition and Integration Capabilities
We have the ability to acquire assets that create synergies and enhance our ability to mitigate risks. Our balance sheet allows us to be opportunistic in that process. Since inception, we built or acquired 17 ethanol plants and installed corn oil extraction technology at each of our ethanol plants to generate incremental returns. In addition, we purchased or built a grain handling and storage business, a cattle feedlot operation, a vinegar production business, and terminal and distribution facilities. Successful integration of these operations has enhanced our overall returns.
Proven Management Team
Our senior management team averages more than 25 years of commodity risk management and related industry experience. We have specific expertise across all of our businesses, including plant operations and management, commodity markets and risk management, and ethanol marketing and distribution. Our management team’s level of operational and financial expertise is essential to successfully executing our business strategies.