Home: Nebraska. Profession: Project director in new energy and chemicals. Organization: GFN Nitrogen; previously Fortigen Geneva, LLC and Iowa Fertilizer Company. Alma mater: University of Manitoba (B.S., Mechanical Engineering).
Current project: Developing a zero-carbon green and blue hydrogen and ammonia facility with a combined project budget of nearly $400 million. Recent recognition: Helping merge two major industry groups into the ANNA conference, now the premier gathering in hydrogen and ammonia. Latest accomplishment: Completing the development groundwork for one of the first privately held green and blue hydrogen and ammonia plants in the United States. Latest contribution to others: Hosting Nebraska career days since 1998 and supporting STEM outreach, United Way, clothing drives and food drives. What’s been your big (or biggest) leap? Leading the first greenfield ammonia and urea project in the United States in twenty-five years and the first ammonia facility in Nebraska since the seventies. Hobbies: Energy and fertilizer advocacy, STEM outreach, mentorship and strategic business development.
Personality profile: Collaborative, decisive, results-driven and energized by complexity. What one word would your closest friend use to describe you? Builder. Moral compass: The Golden Rule. How do you define an ideal business relationship? Clear expectations, shared accountability and the ability to disagree productively. What is your greatest joy? Seeing a project evolve from a greenfield site to a fully operational plant. What natural talent have you neglected? Public speaking. What occupation, other than your own, do you most admire? Teachers and first responders.
What was your first paying job? Hands-on trades and mechanical work. What was your favorite college course? Thermodynamics and mechanical systems. What’s prominently featured on your home or office wall? Engineering drawings and project plans from past builds. What’s the best advice you received growing up? Work hard, stay humble and never walk past a safety issue. What’s the best advice you received in your career? Understand the technology deeply before you commit to it. What modern technology innovation do you most appreciate? AI-assisted engineering and process optimization. What is your go-to source of news and information? Bloomberg, Ammonia Energy Journal and conversations with industry partners.
What is your big idea?
Building ammonia as a global energy carrier that strengthens food security, enables zero-emission shipping and supports industrial decarbonization.
What change are you working on to effect in your profession or field? Making blue and green ammonia economically viable at scale. What change would you like to see in the world? Clean energy that is abundant, affordable and broadly accessible. What message do you want to send out into the world? Build things that outlast you. What mega-trend most excites you? The rise of blue and green hydrogen and ammonia.
What title would you choose for the movie about your life? From the Ground Up. What actor would you choose to play you in the movie about your life? Oscar Isaac. Who would you like to spend an evening with, in heaven? Nikola Tesla. As a kid, what did you first want to be when you grew up? An astronaut or an engineer. How would you choose to spend tomorrow, if you knew it was your last day on earth? With family, somewhere quiet and wide open. What advice would you give your younger self? Trust the process, but never stop questioning it.
Personal mission: Advancing clean energy development while building teams, projects and partnerships that strengthen the industry. Personal motto: Build it right the first time. Favorite quote: "The best time to plant a tree was twenty years ago. The second best time is now" (Chinese proverb). Desired epitaph: He loved his family, built things that mattered and brought people with him.
