2013 Conference Program

Click here for a detailed PDF of the conference program.

Link to PDFs of conference presentations below. Please note that some have 2 parts due to website file size limitations.

 

Thursday, April 25, 2013

Opening Plenary Session

Introduction & Welcome

Brian Brashaw, Chair, Heating the Midwest with Renewable Biomass and Director, Wood Materials and Manufacturing Program, University of Minnesota Duluth, Natural Resources Research Institute, Duluth, MN

 

Keynote Address: Heating the Midwest with Renewable Biomass: A Midwest Vision
Part 2

T.J. Morice, Vice Chair, Heating the Midwest with Renewable Biomass and VP Marketing and Operations, Marth Wood Shavings Supply, Marathon, WI and William Strauss, President, FutureMetrics, Bethel, ME

 

The Northeast Biomass Thermal Vision: Accomplishments and Strategy!

Adam Sherman, Consultant, Biomass Energy Resource Center and Northeast Biomass Thermal Working Group, Burlington, VT

 

Green Energy, Green Jobs!
Part 2

Christiane Egger, Deputy Manager, O.O. Energiesparverband (Upper Austrian Renewable Energy Agency), Linz, Austria

 

Session 1: Biomass Resources and Demographics

 

Urban Wood Biomass Procurement and Processing

Jeff Guillemette, Biomass Fuel Manager, Environmental Wood Supply, LLC, St. Paul, MN

 

Forest Biomass Procurement and Processing

Eric Maki, President, Midwest Forest Products, Hayward, WI

 

Harvesting and Processing Agricultural Residue and Energy Crops

Jay Van Roekel, Biomass Business Unit Manager, Vermeer, Pella, IA

 

Economics of Torrefaction Plants and Co-located Businesses

Douglas Tiffany, Assistant Extension Professor, University of Minnesota, St. Paul, MN

 

Midwest Residential Heating Fuel Use Assessment

Fred Iutzi, Program Manager and Xiaolan Liu, Research Coordinator of Renewable Energy, Illinois Institute for Rural Affairs, Western Illinois University, Macomb, IL and David Ripplinger, Assistant Professor, North Dakota State University, Fargo, ND

 

Session 2: Community/Institutional Real World Projects – Success Stories

 

Deep Portage Environmental Learning Center Advanced Wood Combustion

Norm Moody, Vice President and Secretary, Deep Portage Environmental Learning Center, Hackensack, MN

 

Wolf Ridge Environmental Learning Center

Peter Smerud, Executive Director, Wolf Ridge Environmental Learning Center, Finland, MN

 

Itasca Community College

Bart Johnson, Engineering Instructor & Program Coordinator, Itasca Community College, Grand Rapids, MN

Brad Jones, Natural Resources Instructor, Itasca Community College, Grand Rapids, MN

 

Pinecrest Medical Care Facility

Dave Vandermissen, Assistant Maintenance Supervisor, Pinecrest Medical Care Facility, Powers, MN

 

Pork and Plants Greenhouse, LLC, Altura, MN – Video presentation

 

Session 3: Biomass Thermal Market Development (in Area B)

 

Biomass Heating Feasibility Guide

Becky Philipp, Project Manager, Agricultural Utilization Research Institute, Waseca, MN

Al Doering, Senior Associate Scientist Coproducts, Agricultural Utilization Research Institute, Waseca, MN

 

Pellet Market Development Strategies

Jennifer Hedrick, Executive Director, Pellet Fuels Institute, Arlington, VA

 

Life Cycle Inventory of Wood Pellet Production and Utilization

John Katers, Associate Professor, University of Wisconsin Green Bay, Green Bay, WI

 

Low Income Heating Assistance Program – Biomass Heating Opportunities

Kevin Vesperman, Administrator, Wisconsin Department of Administration, Division of Energy Services, Madison, WI

 

Session 4: Combined Heat and Power and Commercial Real World Projects – Success Stories

 

Marvin Windows Biomass Heating

Keith Landin, Manager of Facilities Engineering, Marvin Windows, Warroad, MN and Brad Baumann, Environmental Manager, Marvin Windows, Warroad, MN

 

Chillicothe VA Medical Center

Lew McCreery, Biomass Coordinator, USDA Forest Service, Morgantown, WV and Dale Allard, Chief Energy Engineer, Chillicothe VA Medical Center, Chillicothe, OH

 

Providence University College and Theological Seminary

Bruce Duggan, Director, Buller Centre for Business, Providence University College & Seminary, Otterburne, Manitoba, Canada and Daniel Lepp Friesen, Principal, DLF Consulting, Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada

 

Gundersen Lutheran Hospital

Gary Moore, Director Facility Operations, Gundersen Lutheran Hospital, LaCrosse, WI

 

Minnesota Power Industrial Co-Generation Facilities

Kris Spenningsby, Project Development Leader, Minnesota Power, Duluth, MN

 

Session 5: Thermal Heating Fair

 

Thermal Biomass Heating in Local Food: Silver Bay Eco-Park

Bruce Carman, Eco-Park Project Coordinator, City of Silver Bay, Silver Bay, MN

 

Michigan YMCA Camp – Efficient Cordwood Thermal Heating

Lew McCreery, Biomass Coordinator, USDA Forest Service, Morgantown, WV

 

Biomass Fuel Delivery Technology

William Strauss, Founder, Maine Energy Systems, Bethel, ME

 

Friday, April 26, 2013

Session 6: Advancing Biomass Thermal in the Midwest

 

Swedish Biomass Study Tour and Opportunities for Minnesota and the Midwest

Ellen Anderson, Senior Advisor to the Governor on Energy & Environment, Minnesota Department of Agriculture, St. Paul, MN

 

Community-Driven Sustainable Bioenergy in Northern Minnesota

Kathryn Fernholtz, Executive Director, Dovetail Partners Inc., Minneapolis, MN

 

Effective Feasibility and Planning Strategies for Combined Heat and Power Projects

Mark Spurr, President, FVB Energy, Inc., Minneapolis, MN

 

Comprehensive Feasibility Assessments for Biomass Thermal and CHP Projects

Dan Wilson, Vice President, Wilson Engineering Services, Meadville, PA

 

Policy Strategies for Advancing Biomass Thermal in the Midwest

Jim Kleinschmit, Rural Communities Program Director, Institute for Agriculture and Trade Policy, Minneapolis, MN and Brendan Jordan, Program Director, Great Plains Institute, Minneapolis, MN

 

The Importance of Education and Advocacy in Advancing Biomass Thermal in the Midwest

Joseph Seymour, Executive Director, Biomass Thermal Energy Council, Washington, DC

 

Closing Session

 Capitalizing on Heating the Midwest Conference: Conference Charge and Closing

T.J. Morice, Vice Chair, Heating the Midwest with Renewable Biomass and VP Marketing and Operations, Marth Wood Shavings Supply, Marathon, WI and Brian Brashaw, Chair, Heating the Midwest with Renewable Biomass and Director, Wood Materials and Manufacturing Program, University of Minnesota Duluth, Natural Resources Research Institute, Duluth, MN