Board of Directors

Tom Ryley

Tom Ryley was formerly an Executive Vice President of Suncor Energy, where he was responsible for Suncor's refining and marketing business. His career with the company spanned 25 years, including 10 years as a member of the executive committee, and reporting to the CEO. Tom was nominated to the Benefuel Board of Directors concurrent with his investment in the company’s initial round of financing. Since Tom’s retirement from Suncor in 2008, he has started a petroleum consulting company, Beacon Head Energy, and is the manager and lead advisor to its Energy Fund, which focuses on investments in the alternative and renewable energy sectors. Tom's career at Suncor included executive responsibilities for all operational and commercial matters relating to crude oil trading, refining, and petroleum product supply and marketing. He guided the development of Suncor’s bio-fuels business, beginning with the blending of ethanol gasoline in1992 and including the construction of Canada’s largest ethanol plant in 2006. Tom’s in-depth knowledge of the petroleum industry and its downstream operations across both Canada and the U.S will provide Benefuel with significant experience and assistance in planning and managing a rapid expansion of biodiesel production and marketing.

Robert Tripp

Robert Tripp is President and CEO of Benefuel Inc., and has been involved in the biodiesel industry for the last five years, building and installing facilities in the United States. Robert co-founded Benefuel in 2007 to capitalize on the acquisition of global patents on advanced biodiesel and glycerin refining technology. He began his career in Management Consulting with Deloitte & Touche and a year later he joined the newly formed Internet start-up, iSTAR where he helped take it public (iSTAR was the first Internet company to go public in Canada) and grow it from 15 people to over 350 within three years. Rob started Clarity, a software development company that was based in Calgary, Alberta, and grew it into a leading provider of back office applications and custom developed software. Rob has used his background in business process improvements and systems to provide a much-needed update to the biodiesel industry’s business methods with automated quality assurance and condensed distribution supply chains.

Jeremy Bezdek

Jeremy Bezdek is managing director for innovation at Flint Hills Resources, LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Koch Industries, Inc. Bezdek has been with Koch companies for 15 years and has held a variety of commercial roles within the petroleum refining industry. Bezdek has been involved in the biodiesel industry since 2005 when he began purchasing biodiesel to allow for Flint Hills Resources to meet Minnesota state mandate obligations. In addition, he served on the Minnesota Department of Agriculture's Biodiesel Task Force for four years.

Stanley Gembecki

Stanley A. Gembicki retired in 2007 as Chief Technology Officer of for UOP LLC, a leader in developing and commercializing technology for license to the oil refining, petrochemical and gas processing industries. He received his bachelor’s degree in Chemical Engineering from Purdue University in 1964 and a Doctorate in Engineering Sciences from Dartmouth College in 1969. Following graduation from Dartmouth, Stan held the position of Vice President of Engineering for Digital Systems Corporation. In this position he applied emerging computer tools to the simulation and economic optimization of industrial chemical processes. In 1972 he joined UOP and has held a number of positions within the Research & Development organization and commercialized a broad range of catalytic and separation process applications for the refining and petrochemical industries. Throughout a career that evolved from hands-on development to Chief Technology Officer of a billion-dollar chemical research oriented company, Stan has been a consistent champion for innovative solutions.

He is a member of the American Institute of Chemical Engineers, the American Chemical Society and the Council for Chemical Research (CCR). He represented UOP as a member of the Industrial Research Institute (IRI). He served as Chairman of the Committee on Catalytic Process Technology for the National Academy of Sciences, National Research Council. He was awarded the Distinguished Engineer Award from Purdue University. He is currently a consultant in the fields of energy and process innovation and serves on the Board of Directors for a high technology start-up.

Katherine Crooks

Katherine Crooks is a Partner and Corporate Officer of Beacon Head Energy Ltd., a petroleum consulting and advisory firm. Her experience in finance, marketing and sales was developed in over 25 years experience with Suncor Energy, Imperial Oil Limited and Scotiabank, a large multinational Canadian chartered bank. She is the manager and financial advisor to The Beacon Head Energy Fund, an investment fund which focuses on the energy sector. She has served as a director on both government and charitable boards and has worked in both Canada and the United States. Her extensive experience in the downstream petroleum industry and financial acumen will provide Benefuel with assistance in financial planning and stewardship, operating structures and protocols, and capital management.