Schedule & Speakers


Note: Arizona does not observe Daylight Savings Time. Clocks in Phoenix will effectively switch from MST to PDT on the day we arrive (March 14).

SUNDAY, March 14, 2010
3 p.m. – 7:30 p.m. REGISTRATION
6:00 – 7:30 p.m. WELCOME GALA RECEPTION
Gold Ballroom
MONDAY, March 15, 2010
7:00 a.m. BREAKFAST
Gold Ballroom
8:00 a.m. GENERAL SESSION
Grand Ballroom
Welcome: Jeff Broin, Growth Energy Board Co-Chair – Sioux Falls, SD
Year in Review: Tom Buis, Growth Energy CEO – Washington, DC
Growth Energy launched in November 2008. The past 17 months have been full of challenges, opportunities and success.
8:45 a.m. ROUNDTABLE
National Security Implications for Oil Dependency
America now imports the majority of its fuel, often from countries at risk or on shaky political ground with us. Can our country ever be safe while dependent on foreign fossil fuels? What are the long term national security implications of not switching to domestic and renewable energy? As the only sustainable, domestic fuel that works in today’s vehicle fleet, what role will ethanol play in America’s security?
  Moderator: Bruce Rastetter, CEO- Hawkeye Energy Holdings, LLC – Ames, Iowa
  Speakers: General Wesley Clark (Ret.), Growth Energy Board Co-Chair — Little Rock, AR
Dr. Gal Luft, Executive Director Institute for the Analysis of Global Security – Washington, DC
10:00 a.m. COFFEE BREAK, DR. GAL LUFT BOOK SIGNING
10:15 a.m. ROUNDTABLE
Navigating Ethanol Policy Priorities during Election Year 2010
How will Congress and the Obama Administration navigate the challenges of a weak economy and an election-year work schedule to deliver on their energy priority commitments?
  Moderator: Tom Buis, CEO, Growth Energy – Washington, DC
  Speakers: Representative Nussle, President, The Nussle Group — Washington, DC
Josh Gottheimer, Executive V.P. Worldwide, Burson-Marsteller — Washington, DC
Karen Hughes, Global Vice Chair, Burson-Marsteller — Austin, TX
Melissa Shannon, Principal, Kountoupes Consulting — Washington, DC
11:45 a.m. SPEAKER: Chad Greenway — Minnesota Vikings
12:00 p.m. AFTERNOON ON YOUR OWN
1:00 p.m. GROWTH ENERGY FUNDRAISER GOLF TOURNAMENT (Optional)
Arizona Biltmore Country Club
Boxed Lunch Provided
 
7:00 p.m. DINNER & ENTERTAINMENT
Corona Ranch
Buses will transport diners to off-site location. Buses depart at 6:30pm from Biltmore Driveway
TUESDAY, March 16, 2010
7:00 a.m. BREAKFAST
Gold Ballroom
8:00 a.m. GENERAL SESSION
Grand Ballroom
Global Ethanol Perspective: What are the energy needs of the global economy?
How can ethanol and biofuels create positive change throughout the world? How will pressures between global trade, a growing global population and domestic priorities be balanced? What impact will global climate change negotiations have on developing countries and how can ethanol production be part of the solution?
  Moderator: Dave Vander Griend, President and CEO- ICM, Inc. – Colwich, Kan.
  Speakers: Dr. Peder Holk Nielsen, Executive Vice President, Enzyme Business, Novozymes — Bagsværd, Denmark
Ken Field, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, GreenField Ethanol — Toronto, Ontario
Ian O’Gara, Manager, Accenture Biofuels Group — London
9:00 a.m. ROUNDTABLE
2010 Market Outlook for Grain, Ethanol & Distillers
What are the major economic indicators regarding the U.S. ethanol industry for 2010? Supply vs. Demand? How will agriculture and ethanol continue marketing successes in 2010 despite policy obstacles?
  Moderator: Todd Becker, CEO Green Plains Renewable Energy – Omaha, NE
  Speakers: Bob Casper, President, POET Ethanol Products – Wichita, KS
Randy Ives, Senior Vice President, Distillers Grains, Hawkeye Gold, LLC – Ames, IA
Tom Dorr, President & CEO – U.S. Grains Council, Washington, DC
10:00 a.m. COFFEE BREAK
10:15 a.m. PRESENTATION
Grand Ballroom
The Realities of California’s Low Carbon Fuel Standard and RFS2
  Moderator: Steve McNinch, CEO- Western Plains Energy. – Oakley, Kan.
  Speakers: John C. O’Quinn, Partner, Kirkland & Ellis LLP — Washington, DC
Dr. Mark Stowers, Senior VP of Science and Technology POET — Sioux Falls, SD
Gary Herwick, Consultant, Growth Energy — Milford, MI
11:45 a.m. LUNCH
Squaw Peak Terrace
12:45 p.m. PRESENTATION
Grand Ballroom
Strategy for Success: How Growth Energy Makes a Difference
Growth Energy’s advocacy for ethanol does not end with policymakers and the press. We have a plan for telling ethanol’s story to the American public through the most effective means possible
2:15 p.m. KEYNOTE ADDRESS
Mike Eruzione, Captain of the 1980 U.S. Olympic Hockey Team and Member of U.S. Olympic Hall of Fame –Winthrop, Mass
3:00 p.m. CONCLUSION OF CONFERENCE
  Speaker: Tom Buis, CEO, Growth Energy – Washington, DC