2020: Looking Back on a Decade of Innovation
Hall of Fame Note: 2017 Inductee Jeff Broin is the Founder, CEO & Chairman of POET.
As we kick off 2020, we reflect on the last decade and celebrate how far POET has come. We’ve grown significantly in size and scope while maintaining our position as the leader in the biofuels industry. Innovation remains central to our mission, guiding everything we do from research and process efficiencies to our nonprofit commitment and community engagement. We’ve had opportunities to celebrate our accomplishments and received recognition for our efforts from leading national and industry organizations and publications. We’re proud of how far we’ve come, but our work is not complete.
1. AWARDS
Over the past 10 years, POET founder and CEO Jeff Broin and POET were recognized for innovations and contributions.
• POET was named to FORTUNE Magazine’s list of companies that are Changing the World
• POET was named as one of Fast Company’s Most Innovative Companies
• POET ranked No. 3 on the Biofuels Digest list of Hottest Companies in Bioenergy
• Jeff Broin was voted No. 2 on the Biofuels Digest Top 100 People in Bioenergy
• Jeff Broin was voted No. 1 Brave Thinker in Ag by Top Producer Magazine
• Jeff Broin was awarded BIO’s George Washington Carver Award recognizing “significant contributions by individuals in the field of industrial biotechnology and its application in biological engineering, environmental science, biorefining and biobased products”
• Jeff Broin received Biofuels Digest and Nuu Global Bioeconomy Leadership Award
• POET was named the largest company in South Dakota based on revenue by Business Insider
• POET was named Ethanol Producer of the Year by Corporate Vision Magazine
• Jeff Broin received an honorary doctorate of public service from South Dakota State University
• Jeff Broin was inducted into the South Dakota Hall of Fame as the “Pioneer of Agriculture”
• Jeff Broin was a 2019 Environment + Energy Leader Honoree
2. EFFICIENCIES
POET is committed to using innovation to boost efficiencies at all POET plants. This helps us reduce waste and boost our environmental impact. POET developed and patented several processes that contribute to the mission of making ethanol production more efficient. For example, POET’s BPX process, a patented raw starch hydrolysis which converts starch to sugar with a proprietary blend of enzymes, instead of heat, helps reduce energy use at each plant up to 15% while at the same time increases yield per bushel.
POET’s Total Water Recovery system, another patented process, continuously filters and treats water until it is of usable quality. This system essentially eliminates liquid discharge from POET’s network of biorefineries. Because of this recycling effort, POET plants on average require less than 3 gallons of water per gallon of ethanol. This commitment to water and energy conservation has continued over the past 10 years and we continue to work to refine our processes even more.