Call from the SD Hall: Broin Changed the World of Biofuels

by Caitlynn Peetz (The Daily Republic) ... Thirty years into a career in biofuels, (Jeff) Broin has built POET from a one-plant operation that started in Scotland, S.D., to today's 28 plants that produce more than 1.75 billion gallons of ethanol annually, making POET the largest producer of biofuels in the world.

For his work changing the face of the biofuel industry, 52-year-old Broin will be inducted this weekend into the South Dakota Hall of Fame, alongside nine others.

Broin's interest in biofuels started when he was young, living on a farm in Minnesota and his father father, Lowell, built a small distillery on the family's farm in an attempt to boost the family's income.

In the 1980s, he observed a sluggish agriculture economy force his neighbors into bankruptcy, and vowed to make a difference.

And when an ethanol plant went bankrupt in Scotland, Broin was poised to do just that.

The Broin family purchased the plant and Broin was named general manager. Then, in the 1990s, Broin and his brothers expanded and began investing in new plants before Broin took sole ownership in 2007.

Dubbed "Mr. Ethanol" by Forbes Magazine, Broin has pushed POET to be one of the first to commercialize cellulosic ethanol—ethanol made from material other than grain or sugar—as part of a joint project with Netherlands-based DSM. The plant produces 25 million gallons of cellulosic ethanol per year and POET has operated a pilot plant in Scotland since 2008.

(Sioux Falls Mayor Mike) Huether and (U.S. Rep. Kristi) Noem spoke highly not only of Broin's business ventures, but also of his charitable programs overseas, including LifeLight, Children's Home Society and Global Health Ministries that help teach farmers in foreign countries more efficient farming mechanisms. Broin also founded Seeds of Change with the hope of transforming agricultural and environmental conditions worldwide. READ MORE