Jeff Broin
CEO and President
POET
Through vision, leadership and a strong commitment to the industry, POET CEO and President Jeff Broin took one ethanol production facility in Scotland, S.D. to a billion-gallon enterprise that includes 21 ethanol plants in operation by POET and six additional plants currently under construction or in the midst of an expansion. POET, located in Sioux Falls, S.D., became the top producer of ethanol in the world with the completion of POET Biorefining - Portland, Ind. in September, 2007.
A native of Kenyon, Minn., Broin is active in all areas of the industry, serving as a founding member of the Ethanol Promotion and Information Council (EPIC), secretary of the Renewable Fuels Association and has been on the board of the American Coalition for Ethanol (ACE) since helping to found the organization in 1990. He was also instrumental in establishing ethanol producers associations in a three-state region that includes South Dakota, Iowa and Minnesota.
In August 2006, Broin was given the Merle Anderson Award during the ACE Convention and Trade Show. Broin received the award for his distinguished and significant contributions to the advancement of the ethanol industry, sharing the award with other industry leaders and the late IndyCar® driver Paul Dana for their involvement in the Indy Racing League (IRL) and Team Ethanol. Dana's vision and efforts, through the relationship with Broin and others, prompted the IRL to switch to 100 percent ethanol for the 2007 racing season. POET currently serves as one of three major sponsors of Team Ethanol and the Indy Racing League car operated by Rahal-Letterman Racing.
Broin, a graduate of the University of Wisconsin with a degree in agricultural business, is active in the Sioux Falls community through company efforts. POET annually donates to more than 25 local charitable organizations, in addition to sponsoring several local events throughout the year.