BioCat Fuels
16300 Valley Drive
Andover, MN 55304
763- 331-0958

BioCat Fuels was organized in May 2008 to build biodiesel production plants using the Mcgyan process, a highly flexible, innovative technology developed by a group of Minnesota scientists. The process allows BioCat to turn a variety of non-food plant and animal oils into biodiesel. McNeff Research Consultants (MRC) has licensed this technology to BioCat Fuels for use in its new plants.

BioCat’s president/CEO, Ric Larson, was a banker for 24 years prior to founding BioCat Fuels. Larson’s expertise in business and finance combined with MRC’s expertise in biodiesel technology gives the new company a firm foundation to grow quickly and contribute to America’s energy needs.

Meet the Team

Ric Larson, President and CEO
With 24 years of banking experience, Ric Larson has the business experience and financial expertise to grow BioCat Fuels into a highly successful company. Prior to joining Norwest Bank (now Wells Fargo) in 1984, Ric was a partner in a family farming operation near Canby, Minnesota. His agricultural experience is an added bonus for BioCat. Ric also served two tours of active duty in Vietnam as an intelligence officer in the U.S. Navy and nineteen years in the naval reserve, retiring as a captain. Ric holds a B.A. in economics from the University of Minnesota and an M.B.A. in finance from the University of St. Thomas. As a community volunteer, Ric has chaired several nonprofit organizations through the years. Ric and his wife, Chris Roberts, live in Plymouth.

Ben Harris, Chief Operating Officer
Ben joined BioCat on July 1, 2008, to lay the groundwork for building BioCat’s first plant. He has a thirteen-year track record of growing business for Wells Fargo. Most recently Ben was a lending manager in the auto finance division, overseeing 50+ people, leading the group during period of unprecedented growth. Ben has a B.A. from Ithaca College (New York), is a certified facilitator and holds a Six Sigma Green Belt for expertise in process design, improvement and implementation. He has been recognized for his volunteer leadership as well as his managerial leadership, including receiving the 2005 “Above and Beyond” award from the Employer Support for the National Guard and Reserve Association. Ben and his wife, Lori, have two boys who enjoy fishing with their dad.

The BioCat Fuels Board of Directors

Ric Larson (See above.)

Ben Harris (See above.)

Clayton McNeff
Clayton V. McNeff, Ph.D. is chief executive officer/director of ZirChrom Separations, vice president of research at SarTec Corporation and founder/principal/chief science officer of McNeff Research Consultants, Mcgyan Reactors and Ever Cat Fuels in Anoka, Minnesota. He has co-authored twelve publications on the use and synthesis of zirconia-based high performance phases and has also been principal investigator for numerous NSF, NIH and USDA grants. The co-creator of the “Mcgyan” process for using non-food sources, such as algae, to produce biodiesel, Dr. McNeff is currently conducting research on large-scale algae production. Dr. McNeff received his B.S. in chemistry (1991) from Augsburg College (Minneapolis, Minnesota) and a Ph.D. in analytical chemistry from the University of Minnesota (1996). Dr. McNeff is a pilot, an avid golfer and coach for his three children’s soccer and basketball teams.

Dr. Michael J. Lies
Dr. Lies has a degree in dental surgery from Creighton University and a Masters Degree in Oral Biology from the University of Missouri. Dr. Lies retired from the practice of Periodontics and Oral Implantology in 2002 after 38 years of continuous practice. In addition to his practice Dr. Lies has been engaged in numerous businesses including real estate investments and management, banking, telecommunications, and agricultural land ownership and management. Dr. Lies and two partners formed and oil and natural gas exploration and operations company which has operated successfully since 1985. Dr. Lies joined the BioCat Fuels Board of Directors shortly after the company was formed. Dr. Lies lives with his wife Lucy in Wichita, Kansas.

Jerod Heiman
Shareholder, director and CFO for Conway Bank in Wichita, Kansas, Jerod graduated from Kansas State University in 1989 with a B.S. in agricultural economics / agribusiness. Jerod, along with his father, Jim, and brother, Jeff, has been involved in enterprises including grain merchandising, grain elevator operations, cattle feeding, trucking and transportation enterprises, vehicle and equipment sales and leasing, financing and asset management and collection, real estate development and other business ventures. Jerod is an advisory director for the YMCA, president of the Sigma Nu House corporation, and is a member of many associations including Kansas State University Foundation, Kansas Bankers Association, Wichita Area Builders Association, Wichita Chamber of Commerce and Wichita Crime Commission. In his spare time Jerod enjoys golf, attending events at his alma mater and working on projects in his shop.

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