Management

David Aldous, Range Fuels’ CEO, brings 28 years of experience in the energy, oil and petrochemical industries. With Range Fuels, David is responsible for leading the company forward in its drive to commercialize and expand cellulosic ethanol production. Prior to Range Fuels, David was Executive Vice President Strategy and Portfolio for Royal Dutch Shell in London where he had responsibility for strategy, mergers, acquisitions, divestments, consulting, global systems, health, safety, security, environmental, and technology for Shell’s downstream business. David also served as President of Shell Canada Products where he led an $11 billion industry-leading integrated oil business, with responsibility for retailers, refineries, lubricants, commercial fuels, aviation, distribution, supply, pipelines, and brand management. David brings robust catalysis experience from his six years as President and CEO at CRI/Criterion where he led a global catalyst company, with focus on markets in refining, chemicals, petrochemicals, fuel cells, and natural gas applications. While at CRI/Criterion he was responsible for 26 companies and ventures, 16 manufacturing locations, and 1,600 employees. David started his career as a process engineer and project manager at Fluor Engineers and Constructors. He has a BS in fuels engineering from the University of Utah and an MBA from the Kellogg Graduate School of Management at Northwestern University.

Rick Winsor, Range Fuels’ President and Chief Operating Officer, has developed, built, and operated billions of dollars of energy infrastructure projects during his 35 year career. With Range Fuels, Rick guides the engineering, procurement and fabrication, project management, construction, and production functions. Prior to Range Fuels, Rick was Senior Vice President/Chief Operating Officer of Horizon Wind Energy and was one of the key executives responsible for leading the company to becoming one of the leaders in the U.S. wind industry. He has also held the position of Senior Vice President at Energia Global International, where he directed business development, construction, and operations for hydroelectric and wind projects in Latin America for five years. Previous to that, he held a wide variety of executive positions with TransAlta Corporation, where he worked for over 20 years. Rick has a bachelor’s degree (with Great Distinction) and a master’s degree in electrical engineering from the University of Saskatchewan (Canada). He is also a registered Professional Engineer in Alberta, Canada.

Kevin Biehle, Range Fuels’ Vice President of Production, has extensive experience in manufacturing platform development, cost management, and Lean Manufacturing techniques. With a unique balance of expertise in manufacturing, product development, and finance, Kevin most recently served as Vice President of Plant Operations at VeraSun Energy Corporation, a leading producer of renewable fuels. There, he was responsible for all aspects of operations for two 100 million gallon per year ethanol production facilities and operational guidance for three additional facilities in varying stages of construction. Before VeraSun, he served as a site manager and as an operations manager for nearly twenty years at BASF Corporation – a leading chemical company with annual sales of over $14 billion. During that time Kevin operated numerous plants ranging in size from $50 million to over $300 million in assets with several hundred employees at each site. Kevin’s expertise spans OSHA certification, ISO 9000 standards, Six Sigma techniques and Risk Management Planning. Kevin earned his BS magna cum laude in chemical engineering from the University of Missouri, Rolla, and his MBA from the Kellogg Graduate School of Management at Northwestern University.

Mike Cate, Range Fuels’ Vice President of Procurement and Fabrication, brings over 30 years of diverse experience in the engineering and construction industry – from oil, gas, and chemical process plants to industrial, manufacturing, and pharmaceutical plants. He is a business-focused engineer whose responsibilities have included engineering, purchasing, subcontracting, and project management in locations across the globe. Most recently, Mike was Corporate Functional Leader of Global Procurement at Washington Group International, a $4 billion company with over 25,000 employees. In this position, he supervised all purchasing of materials, fabricated capital equipment, and subcontracted services as well as materials management, including transportation and logistics. In addition, Mike sits on the Executive Committee and the Board of Advisors of the Construction Industry Institute. He is also a recipient of the Center for Public Resources Institute’s Outstanding Achievement Award for excellence and innovation in the application of alternative dispute resolution, dispute prevention, and litigation management techniques. Mike received his BS summa cum laude in electrical engineering from the University of Tennessee.

David Gallaspy, Range Fuels' Senior Vice President of Project Management, has a broad background in combustion and gasification technology, project management, power generation, paper and pulp, and business development. Gallaspy is an industry veteran who has had leadership responsibility with Eastman Chemical, Mirant, Southern Energy and others. Most recently, Gallaspy was CEO of TX Energy LLC, a joint venture between Eastman Chemical, DE Shaw and Goldman Sachs. Gallaspy holds a BA from the Elliott School of International Affairs at George Washington University, a BS in mechanical engineering from Tennessee Technological University and an MS in mechanical engineering from The University of Alabama at Birmingham.

Arie Geertsema, Range Fuels’ Chief Technology Officer, is a leading voice in the fields of gasification and coal to liquids. He was Managing Director of Corporate Research and Development and managed a team of over 400 R&D staff at Sasol, the largest and most successful gasification company specializing in coal gasification and gas-to-liquids production. Arie championed Sasol's efforts around coal technology, gasification, gas processing, petrochemical synthesis, biotechnology, and more. At CSIRO, as Manager of Gas Processing, Arie was responsible for developing gas-to-liquid technologies to monetize natural gas from the Northwest Shelf. Most recently as Director of the University of Kentucky’s Center for Applied Energy Research and as a tenured associate professor in chemical engineering, Arie focused his talents on catalysis, carbon materials, coal, biomass, and environmental technologies. Arie is one of the top professionals in his field and has strategic responsibility at Range Fuels for focusing the Company technically. Arie has a doctorate in chemical engineering from the University of Karlsruhe, Germany, an MS in industrial chemistry, and an MBA from Potchefstroom University in South Africa.

Bob McDonald, Vice President of Applied Engineering, brings 20 years of experience in energy projects management, including more than seven years of experience in the renewable fuels sector. Bob most recently served as Business Leader – Syngas and Biofuels at Stone & Webster, a subsidiary of The Shaw Group, a $6 billion company providing engineering, construction, technology, fabrication, environmental and industrial services with 27,000 employees worldwide. In this position Bob was responsible for establishing, developing and growing the company’s renewable fuels business line, plus served as the company’s technical champion in this area. Bob has also served as technical consultant on a variety of alternative fuels and green technology projects, including advising and completing technical due diligence on behalf of a green technologies investment fund. Bob holds a bachelor's degree in chemical engineering (with Honors) from the University of Bradford (United Kingdom). He is also a chartered engineer and scientist in the U.K. and is a Fellow of the Institution of Chemical Engineers.

Bill Schafer, Senior Vice President of Business Development, brings a wide range of energy industry experience to Range Fuels. Bill most recently managed a start-up that developed a high-tech coal mining system designed to address environmental and operational shortcomings of existing Appalachian coal mining methods. He has extensive experience in production, purchasing, and marketing in several areas of the energy industry. His experience in the coal and power industries provides excellent training for some of the critical issues involved in biomass ethanol production, such as: location optimization for feedstock and market access; competitive assessments focused on materials handling, operations costs, and product transportation options; risk management strategies through real options analysis; and long-term project investment analysis for capital-intensive industries selling into a commodity market. Bill holds a BS in mining engineering from the Colorado School of Mines and is a licensed Professional Engineer.