From the farm fields of North Dakota to the school buses of Chicago, and bustling city streets coast-to-coast, biodiesel’s reputation continues to grow as a clean, efficient solution. In this engaging session, you’ll hear directly from biodiesel users, in the field and on the ground, about how the fuel is driving their operations, reducing emissions and even cutting costs. As these users push beyond B20, discover their ambitions to make biodiesel the standard in sectors ranging from agriculture to public transportation to major corporate fleets like PepsiCo. Hear how biodiesel is getting them where they need to be—and where it may take them next!
Speakers:
Ryan Pederson
North Dakota Farmer
Ryan Pederson farms with his family in north central North Dakota, and currently represents the North Dakota Soybean Council on the board of Clean Fuels Alliance America. Pederson is a member of the US Canola Association and served as its chair for two years. In addition, Pederson was a director of the Northern Canola Growers Association for twelve years and was president four of those years. He holds a bachelor’s degree from NDSU and a master’s degree from Purdue in agricultural economics.
John Benish, Jr.
Cook-Illinois Corporation
John Benish Jr. has more than 30 years of experience in the school transportation business. He started in the business as a teenager and has worked nearly every position in the family school bus business, now leading the second generation of the Benish family in running the company. Under his leadership, the company was the first in Illinois to voluntarily switch an entire bus fleet to biodiesel fuel. For more than 15 years the fleet of 2,200 buses has run on 20 percent biodiesel (B20). John also spearheaded efforts to implement buses powered by 100% biodiesel (B100). He also created the Clean Air Bus, the first-ever clean air mobile museum for children.
His company also operates a large fleet of shuttle buses at Chicago Midway International Airport, also using biodiesel blends.
John is past president of the National Student Transportation Association, an active member of the National Association of Pupil Transportation, the Illinois Association of Pupil Transportation, and the Illinois Association of School Business Officials). A licensed Illinois school bus driver, he can still be spotted driving a school bus to keep in touch with the drivers and students. He serves as a Bio Ambassador, a United Soybean Board program for champions of biobased products like biodiesel.Awards include the 2024 NSTA Go Yellow, Go Green award and the 2024 Green Bus Summit Fleet Award, presented by School Transportation News and the National Renewable Energy Lab. As a member of the Illinois B20 Club, he also received the 2021 Biodiesel Impact Award, presented by the National Biodiesel Board (Clean Fuels Alliance America).
Tim Fitzgerald
City of Atlanta
Timothy Fitzgerald currently works for the City of Atlanta as the Consulting Fleet Management Director for the Department of Public Works, Office of Fleet Services.
Fitzgerald has been in management for over 38 years, working in various settings such as DC Water; District of Columbia Office of the Chief Technology Officer; Harris County, Texas; and the City of Philadelphia. He has successfully led team building efforts in fleet management, developing strategic plans for client business rules and managing consultant engagements.
An experienced user of biodiesel and other biobased products, Fitzgerald serves as a Bio Ambassador for the United Soybean Board. He is a member of the National Association of Fleet Administrators and has made the list of 100 Best Fleets. He also serves on the Peer Advisory Committee of the Black Fleet Network.
Paula Hanebach
Moderator:
Tom Verry
Director of Outreach and Development
Clean Fuels
Tom serves as the Director of Outreach and Development for Clean Fuels Alliance America. Tom works to establish synergistic relationships for the benefit of the biodiesel industry with key stakeholders including feed stock suppliers, state soybean associations, fuel suppliers, end-users, policy makers, government agencies and environmental/ health groups. Tom also works to identify and access resources that will address the needs of the organization and the industry.
Previously, Tom spent 12 years as the Director of Field Services for the Missouri Soybean Association. Tom was responsible for developing soy based industrial products and turning them into value-added opportunities for Missouri soybean producers. Tom has worked on biodiesel for twelve years in Missouri helping to develop state biodiesel policies, regulations and markets. Tom is a 1987 graduate of University of Illinois with a Bachelor of Science degree in Agricultural Economics.