Principals

Lee Williams - President

Lee Williams has more than 30 years of experience as a lender and investment banker, specializing in financing the development or acquisition of industrial process plant facilities and companies. In 1981, he founded and was the President of Belridge Capital Corporation, and New York and Hartford, Connecticut-based investment banking firm with offices in New York City and Hartford, Connecticut. Previously, Lee was a member of the Corporate Finance Group of First Pennco Securities, Inc., a subsidiary of The First Pennsylvania Bank and worked as a new business representative for the Leasing and Industrial Loan Group of General Electric Credit Corporation. From 1971 to 1976, he held positions in corporate and commercial banking at The Connecticut Bank and Trust Company. He has been involved in the financing of projects utilizing corn, grain sorghum (milo), wheat, milk, grapes and beef.

Mr. Williams is an alumnus of Bucknell University (B.A. Economics).

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Larry Dawley - Senior Vice President

Larry Dawley is a biochemist by training and has over 25 years of process and product development experience, specializing in the production of and identification of markets for value-added products derived from starch-based crops and cellulosic materials. Larry is the co-founder and President of Ceres Management, Inc., a technical advisory services firm focused on the development of unique grain-based processing technologies. He has led efforts resulting in the development of proprietary technology and the planning and development of businesses for the processing of corn, wheat, and oats. A concept utilizing the wheat processing technology was sold to a major agribusiness firm. Larry also has plant operations experience, having spearheaded an effort at a New Mexico ethanol production facility to improve production and energy efficiency, and having participated in the design and operation of an ethanol production facility for the U.S. Department of Energy that was capable of processing multiple feedstocks. From 1977 through 1980 he held various positions with the Miller Brewing Company and Gulf Oil Corporation where he developed and tested novel fermentation systems.

Larry holds a B.S. degree in chemistry from Missouri Southern State University.

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Jim Dawley - Vice President

Jim Dawley has 25 years of experience in process development, manufacturing and production. He co-founded and is the Vice President of Ceres Management, Inc. and has a key role in the development of and testing and selection of equipment for its proprietary grain processing know-how and in the planning and development of its business opportunities. From 1979 through 1986 Mr. Dawley held various production and supervisory positions for a major U.S. manufacturer of explosives. His responsibilities included the supervision of 145 plant operators, assisting in the development and administration of a $22 million annual operating budget, application support for the business' total product line, the evaluation, selection, installation and start-up of new equipment or equipment modifications, and new product development. Jim has extensive experience in federal and state government regulatory and environmental compliance having interfaced with the EPA, OSHA and numerous state Departments of Environmental Quality.

Mr. Dawley holds a B.S. degree in chemistry from Missouri Southern State University.

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Robert Stanton - Senior Vice President and Secretary/Treasurer

Bob Stanton has over 40 years of legal and business management experience. He is the President and majority owner of Cayuga Management Corporation, a management services and investment holding company, which in turn owns Refractron Technologies Corporation, a manufacturer of environmental ceramic products. From 1992 to 1995, he served as Chairman of Selee Acquisition Corporation, a North Carolina-based manufacturer of ceramic filtration products. From 1965 to 1988 Bob was a practicing attorney with emphasis on corporate and commercial work from 1965 through 1979 and public sector collective bargaining from 1980 through 1988.

Mr. Stanton is a graduate of Colgate University and the Duke University Law School.

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