2008-08-09 05:47:03 -
- Hawai`i BioEnergy Teri Freitas Gorman, 808-877-3857 or 808-357-2547 or Bennet Strategic Communications Joan Bennet, 808-531-6087 ext. 101 Hawai`i BioEnergy, LLC today announced that Paul S. Zorner, Ph.D. has been named president and CEO. Dr. Zorner brings more than two decades of international expertise in renewable fuels research and development.
Dr. Zorner most recently served as chief scientific officer,
founder and executive director of PEL, a venture focused on the establishment of green energy in Mozambique based upon sugar cane conversion to ethanol and power located on the Isle of Man. He is also a venture partner with San Diego-based Finistere Ventures and a member of the board of directors for Kuehnle AgroSystems in Hawaii. He serves on multiple government and non-governmental organization advisory boards around the world to assist with the development of policies in support of green energy development. He is a former steering committee member for California's Secure Transportation Energy Partnership and a current member of various committees within Environmental Entrepreneurs/NRDC, a consortium of non-profit environmental organizations.
Dr. Zorner received his undergraduate degree from Lewis & Clark College and his Ph.D. in Botany and Plant Pathology from Colorado State University. He is an adjunct professor of Horticulture and faculty member at North Carolina State University with an emphasis on renewable fuels development.
Prior to joining PEL in 2006, Dr. Zorner held scientific, development, operations and senior administrative positions in a number of prestigious companies. He is an inventor of over 30 issued United States patents and the recipient of the Queensland Champion title, the first American citizen to be so honored by the government of Queensland, Australia.
Hawai`i BioEnergy, LLC was formed in spring of 2006 by three of Hawai`i's largest landowners - Maui Land & Pineapple Company (NYSE:MLP), Kamehameha Schools and Grove Farm - who came together in an innovative alliance to identify and develop new sources of renewable energy for Hawai`i. Other consortium partners include Finistere Ventures, a leading life sciences venture capital firm based in San Diego, California, the Menlo Park-based firm, Khosla Ventures which offers venture assistance, strategic advice and capital to entrepreneurs, and 'Ohana Holdings, LLC, an investment firm based in Hanalei, Hawai'i. For more information, please visit www.hawaiibioenergy.com
International Green Energy Expert Named President & CEO
